Photography

Ancient cave drawings tell us about the nature of visual storytelling, which is that everything is an illusion and changes depending on how and where you look at it. This concept is in line with photography, as much is about how and where you look at something.
 
Transcript: "What do ancient cave drawings? Tell us about the nature of visual storytelling. This question just reminds me of the allegory of the cave, which at the end of the day, everything is an illusion and everything changes depending on how and where you look from it. And this concept is philosophical concept. Definitely is very much in line with photography. So much is about where and how you look at something and It's not exactly about the ancient cave drawings, but when you say ancient cave I just have to go back to that Allegra of Plato and, and the Illusions. So yeah, everything is an illusion and I think that's something so real to be said about photography,"

Flash underwater works the same as on land, and positioning is key. Using natural light from above with fill light from other angles can create a sandwich effect that helps inform the image.
 
Transcript: "Sam. That's an interesting question. Your there's really not a lot of problem with the flashes working differently under water, necessarily certainly, if there's Bubbles and so forth, you know, the light that's coming from a different angle rather than just from above, has an impact on the image, but you know, flashes in the water were just like flashes do on the land, its It's also a lot about positioning there's times when I'm working underwater, that I have a flash that is actually mounted to the underwater housing. And then there's other times where I have the flash, that's on a long cable. Sometimes, held by an assistant, so I can like different angles. But sometimes, one of the keys to successful use of flash in the water is taking advantage of the light that's typically coming from above if it's the middle of the day. And then Then accentuating that with the fill light coming from the bottom or different angles to create kind of a sandwich machine with the light that can inform the image. So thanks to that question. It's gives me an opportunity to think about some stuff. That's always fun."

Tahiti is my favorite spot on the WSL tour because it can be really good when the weather and waves cooperate, but when they don't it can be really bad.
 
Transcript: "My favorite spot on the WSL tour. If we had consistent stops in Bali, Indonesia, that would take the cake for sure. Great Waves, great food, great accommodation, great service. Everything is incredible and I love going to Bali so much, but it's not consistent. We've had like three years of events there. Then this year, we had g land in Java which is not the same as Bali. So it'd be hard to pick Bali, not really consistent stop there. I had to j-bay on Monday in South Africa, j-bay for the food. Sites are pretty damn Fun. Prices are amazing. But if you had to just pick one as your favorite, I'm probably going to go Tahiti. It's really hard. It can be absolutely awful. Raining sideways. Don't leave your room for four days in a row. Or it can be absolutely amazing when the sun comes out and the waves are good and the weather's. Nice. It's really really hard to beat Tahiti. So it's kind of like finding that gym where you feel like you kind of really got to work for it hard there when when the weather and the waves don't cooperate, the place can just be absolutely awful. So when it's good it's really good and you really lap it up how good the place is."

When shooting environmental portraits, I always have two cameras ready—one on a tripod with a long lens and one on a sling with a wide-angle lens. This way, if someone passes me in the environment, I'm already set up and can quickly take the shot.
 
Transcript: "Yeah, for me to try and shoot and environmental portrait ion, I'll just try and just make sure I always have a kind of portrait lens around my neck when I'm shooting surfing. So, always have two cameras at once. Always have, it's as if I'm on the beach, right? Not, if I'm swimming, I'll just have obviously One camera. But if I'm on land, you know, 600 millimeter lens maybe on a tripod and always have another camera just around my neck, on a little sling with a, you know, 24 to 70, or a, you know, 16 to 35. I've been kind of lands and I'm already in the environment, right? So if someone's walking down and I'm posted up against this, you know, killer Rock Jetty, I'll just shoot us, they walk past, you know, and the cameras right there, flick it up from my from my shoulder, it's already on it's already set up ready to go, no waiting no getting out of a bag, no switching out bodies for my tripod and I'll just shoot the environment. It's there. I'm usually we're already in surfing and really nice environment. So You know, I'll just use whatever background is right there that I'm already existing in."

The scariest experience I've had in the ocean was getting sucked out to sea by a strong current after a big set of waves, and not being able to get back in. It was especially scary because it was getting dark and I knew it would take me quite a while to make my way back in.
 
Transcript: "Well shit, man, I've got plenty. One that probably freaks me out. The most was a bit hit by some big waves been held under for a long time. Been dragged had my camera ripped out of my hands but one that freaks me out was I was out swimming at pipeline one, time and big set came through and didn't get hit by any of them, you know, kind of ducked under all the all the whole set. And then when after that set clears, the All the water pushes back out. The current runs out through the channel at pipeline. And I started getting sucked out to see, which is fine. Normally you start making your way back in. It was a really big day, but at this point in time, I'd been out for, you know, five or six hours already, and it was getting dark so huge that comes, I start getting sucked out to sea and then I know it's like a 30-minute return trip just to get back into the spot where I want to be in, so I can go in so, you know, getting hit by some big waves, get blasted in Is one thing. But like when you want to go in and can't, that was probably the freakiest one for me, getting sucked out to middle of nowhere and not being able to get back in. I was probably the most freaked out then."

Get rid of the term "amateur" and instead focus on what inspires you to go shoot the next day. Look at the photograph objectively and see if it reaches out to other people. Good work can come from total failure, so don't be discouraged when a photo doesn't turn out as expected.
 
Transcript: "Hey Anonymous, let's agree on one thing. This term amateur needs to be thrown in the trash can. He's a disappear go away. God, we are all photographers on the same Journey, which is happened to be see different parts of that Journey, that's all. So how can an amateur photographer know when they are going? When they are doing good work? Well here's the thing, get rid of were Mature and just reach down into your heart. And look at that. Photograph, does that photograph reach out to other people? I'm not talking about your friends, your spouse is because let's be real, right? They're not the best judge of, you know, that photograph, you need somebody who's kind of coming into a cold turkey. So the amateur, when do they know they're doing good work. When the work that you're seeing inspires, you go out and shoot the next day and a Lot of time that what you might say is good, work is literally failures work that you say, oh my gosh, what I do wrong and that makes you go out and shoot better. You know. Inspiration comes not from just perfection. Not from great, not from good. It can come from total failure. And when you understand that, you know that you are doing good work."