Displacement Hulls in Contrast

I am continually intrigued by the subtle complexity and form of the displacement hull surfboard. The design seems to run so contrary to "conventional wisdom" regarding proper surfboard shapes. Moreover, the subtle curves, rocker profile and convex bottoms continually deceive the closed-minded into disregarding the speed potential that the indoctrinated have come to be so devoted to.

Another Day, Another Dollar......

My man, "Kendel" and his fineline Microant after another tough day at the office !!!

The Westies are honkin... AGAIN'!!!!

Really missing some light off shores and smooth lines. We are in a real bad wind pattern these days- icey cold westies, which reek havoc on our south facing breaks. add water temps in the high 30's and there are plenty of reasons to leave the beach dry!!! hopefully soon things will change.

the Noll curse continues.....

Ever since I score and subsequenly traded a vintage greg noll, I have been convinced that I am dreadfully cursed to surf poor waves- it seems no matter when I plan on surfing the conditions change unfavorably as I am on my way to the beach. I think I need a pair of jail bird trunks to restore order. Today was another frustrating attempt at surfing......

On another note, I thought I'd post up some pictures of another interest of mind- urban decay and post-industrial liter. Here are few shots from the outer limits of the big apple.

Into the Light series photo #1

Photographing into the light with plastic lens cameras can be a bit challenging and the results are rather unpredictable. I find that using these cameras requires a good bit of spontaneity and willingness to take chances. Issues related to lens flare and the resulting contrasty negatives at times produce good/interesting results. I like the peaceful feeling this photograph evokes. hope you like it too...

A photograph from last week's swell event.

I snapped this photograph on a day last week that feature some decent groundswell. The combination of crisp light, snow and the quality of air put me in mind of recent viewing of some of the Lunar Landing Photographs that viewed at the Museum of Natural History.

Castles Made of Sand and Incoming Tides

It was 16 degrees out this morning and the wind chill was making it feel like it was in the single digits today!! There were no waves! I am really missing the simple relaxed feeling of being at the beach in the summer time. This photo puts me in mind of those days.

beach side makeshift bar

Some of the long beach residents who make their home under the boardwalk made a little impromtu party with full a stocked makeshift oceanside self-serve bar set-up. all the finest libations were available - Old English Malt, Mad Dog, Thunderbird, colt 45 and some high-styling Johnny Walker. It's a shame they did not clean up after themselves though.

Ins and Outs

Anticipation and reflection... All part of the experience!!!

Cooperfish Cryonetics

Frozen Foil (9'10 Rincon Foil) after an unexpected snow/ice storm. This poor ole' longboard is probably wondering "how did I end up in this surf hell (east coast) as opposed to my namesake's break?"

Early Morning Surf Rituals-Snap Shots of the Process

So much of what we do as surfers' is ritualistic and over-learned habits. Given that, it is easy to lose sight of some of the subtle aspects of the surfing experience. I attempt to be mindful and aware of each step along the way as I believe the process in totality leads to the culminating experience of wave riding.

Early morning bouy checks, pulling boards from the garage rafters, strapping them to the roof the car, selecting music for the drive are opportunities to enjoy the early morning hours and prepare for the day. Getting to the beach always brings on feelings of anticipation and excitement as I get my first glimpse of the surf. Selecting the board to be ridden, suiting-up and waxing are equally part of the overall experience and often provide opportunities to catch up with friends and get ready for the paddle out.

The above photos are some recent shots of the process.

sunrise after a fresh snow

I exposed these photograph shortly after sunrise on a morning with fresh snow. The waves were about waist/stomach high and clean. The pictures was taken with a vintage diana camera- I like the moonscape quality of the shots, and the quiet feeling that is evoked. The water was cold but the line-up was filled with warmth and good spirits.

A Rarely Seen Mysto-Man and his Keel Fish..

This incredible board is now located on the east coast with a few other high coveted ones!! Insane outlines!


A real fun session was had on Martin Luther King Jr. Day morning. Just me and four other close friends trading waves for close to three hours. Fresh snow on the beach, oil-slick glassy conditions, no wind, and an incredible sunrise all worked together to increase the frequencies of smiles to be had. While the waves were not as good as we had hoped for, it was fun nonetheless. Any surfing on a Monday is fine by me!!

Mandala waiting for it's turn..

My brother always seems to bring two boards down the shoreline with him. I believe he was on his Lis fish, while this new manny quad fish awaited patiently for a turn. The boards a beauty!!

Kingbee: Post Wind Whipped Session

My man, Kingbee- Looking all stoked after a decent session.
My Vintage Diana arrived today- Can't wait to get a roll through it!
Hoping for some clean surf for Monday-the Hex is on!!

cooperfish love!!

10'1 cooperfish nosedevil with honkin pins, and a 9'8 coop mal foil II with the coolest kelp opaque resin. Aside from the visual beauty of the resin/pinline work, these boards are so so so refined!!! I wish i could ride them they way they truly deserve to be ridden!!

a different look to loggin'

I came down to check the surf awhile ago and stumbled upon this huge log/tree on the beach. This was a highly unusual occurance for us NY'ers as we don't have a thriving logging industry. It put me in mind of my time in the pacific northwest when it was so common to see huge logs washed up on the shore. the log was removed from the beach within a day. I kinda liked the organic look of it all, set against the backdrop of our rather overdeveloped beach front.

some of Glider's non-surf related favorites

These are two of my favorite non-surfing related pictures. I am drawn to urban scenery and the ever present "strangeness" that is evident in the visual landscape in the outskirts of urban locations. I miss having easy access to these locations as I was always so excited by what may be evident. The streetpreacher was shot in Spanish Harlem and the urban swing was in the outskirts of the Bronx.

The surf continues to be rather dismal and extremely cold in these parts. Hoping to post-up some new negs shortly. I got a vintage Diana on the way which i am stoked to get my hands on. If your in NY and have an interesting quiver I'd love to come and take some shots, please leave me a note if open to sharing your shots boards with others.

Desolation Row

I snapped this picture of my favorite surfspot one cold gray afternoon. The afternoon had a rather unusual feel to it, as there are typically many people on the boards either execising, or checkin the waves. Here it was completely desolate-It's so strange to be so alone in an area typically over populated. Put in in mind of my favorite Dylan song....

Desolation Row-excerpt

Praise be to Nero's Neptune
The Titanic sails at dawn
And everybody's shouting
Which Side Are You On?"
And Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot
Fighting in the captain's tower
While calypso singers laugh at them
And fishermen hold flowers
Between the windows of the sea
Where lovely mermaids flow
And nobody has to think too much
About Desolation Row

Copyright ©1965; renewed 1993 Special Rider Music

A random afternoon surf check- west end lines

Just a shot from a random sunday afternoon surfcheck- I was drawn by the interplay between the tractor tracks and the little wave coming in. It was another dreary winter day- gray lighting. No surfing this afternoon but it was a good excuse for a run for some java.

ghost yard

I am sure there are a few sailors out there who might appreciate this shot. I love old boat yards and old sailboats. This shot has a very erie feel, as the flipped lens of my brownie hawkeye plays with the image at the edges. The photograph was exposed on City Island, NY at a now defunct yard. Many of the winning Americas Cup Yachts were built up on City Island, which is interesting as one typically does not think of the Bronx as a sailing hot-bed. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case and much of the sailing industry is no longer part of the Island.

Cooperdesign Malibu Foil II

Hoping for some post snow storm clean ones tomorrow!!- Gene's rails are like no others!

post-log session photograph

I really like the simplicity of this image. For me the photograph has subtle beauty with a little bit of a contemplative vibe to it. A first glance not alot going on but I like the smoothness of the sand, the way the light is hitting the rocks and the reflective light off the ocean, with the little longboard wave rolling in. The vignetting seems to pull the image together a bit. Shot with a diana+ with telephoto lens.

Minor White's Pacific, Devil's Slide 1947

I came across the following excerpt from Robert Adam's Beauty In Photography. It is a commentary on Minor White's photographs of the Ocean. I think it speaks to the reason a lot of individuals are photographically drawn to the sea.

White's choice of the ocean as subject was for him exactly right. Its appearance, closely observed, is hypnotic: who can be uninterested in so delicate a light, or the power of waves on rock, or the immensity of the whole view? White's pictures come to more, however than just these geographic facts, as anyone who has walked the beach almost knows they must. The ocean by virtue of its size and apparent emptiness, invites attention outward from our petty landscapes, away from ourselves. The sea is too vast to understand and to awesome to avoid; it attracts us at it offers a final liberation from human scale. (Adams, Beauty in Photography, p92)

On another note- I finally got to surf after about a week of dreadful flatness. It was pretty desperado as the swell angle was too east, the tide too high and the wave too weak. Still good to loosen up a bit and enjoy the feel of salt and the smell of the sea. hopefully some quality surf is not to far off.

Molluskine snaps

When it's desperately flat- I find myself taking a jaunt into Williamsburg to visit my friends at Mollusk Surfshop. My brother and I usually strap the three kids in the car and head in for some up-close and personal board porn viewing. It's kinda like a strip-club for surfboard lovers, only your allowed to touch!! I highly recommend a trip to the shop- the guys involved are super committed to surfing and bringing great products to the east coast.

These shots were grossly underdeveloped- I pushed the development times but I guess I needed to go another stop or so. oh well I kinda like the effect.

Desperado: A conversation at dawn..

I was out surfing last week with a friend(not pictured). The waves were small(waist high at best) and blown out with a heavy west wind flow, the temperature was in the hi 20's. Obviously, it was a "desperado session; however in my friend's frustration, he started ranting about "how we really don't surf here on the east coast",and that "surfing here is a waste of time". My initial reaction was that he was correct in the assumption that surfing the east coast is a poor imitation for surfing in more consistently surf-able parts of the world; however the more I thought about the comment, the more my opinion changed. Surely, our inconsistent conditions and harsh weather conditions are frustrating and require a good deal of patience, but the overall surfing experience is probably quite similar to other areas, as I believe, surfing to a large degree is as much a mental activity as it is a physical activity. I try to keep the perspective that these "desperado sessions" are just a means to keeping loose and limber for when it does finally get good. When its good in NY it can be really good. Funny thing when looking back at the conversation with my friend was that he was out again the following day surfing the same desperado waves!!! Truly addicted.

S-Decks on Ice Redux

Here is a different interpretation of the two fineline hulls on ice that I posted up about a week ago. It's clearly a more graphic representation and the photograph reminds me of how intense east coast winter surfing can be. I guess to a certain degree, I am still trying to find the best way to present my images. Photoshop messes with your mind, almost as much as hulls do!!

Oh by the way, if your in the New York area the William Eggleston Retrospective Exhibit at the Whitney is a must. His work is spot on in terms of composition, subject matter and capturing that cool decisive moment.

For the Birds........

The surf has been "for the birds" for so long. Everybody's getting a little cranky 'round here!!

William Eggleston Retrospective Exhibit- Whitney Museum of Art

I am very excited to be heading into the William Eggleston Retrospective Exhibit at the Whitney Museum tomorrow. Eggleston is one of my favorite photographers. He was one of the first fine- art photographers to legitimatize the use of color in photography. I am attracted to this use of color but also really appreciate his composition and his ability to make the seemingly uninteresting, interesting. His work reminds me somewhat of the cold objective nature of Walker Evans and Eugene Atget. (below is a cut and paste description of Eggleston's work from Wikapedia)

Eggleston's aesthetic
Eggleston's mature work is characterized by its ordinary subject-matter. As Eudora Welty noted in her introduction to The Democratic Forest, an Eggleston photograph might include "old tyres, Dr Pepper machines, discarded air-conditioners, vending machines, empty and dirty Coca-Cola bottles, torn posters, power poles and power wires, street barricades, one-way signs, detour signs, No Parking signs, parking meters and palm trees crowding the same curb."

Eggleston has a unique ability to find beauty, and striking displays of color, in ordinary scenes. A dog trotting toward the camera; a Moose lodge; a woman standing by a rural road; a row of country mailboxes; a convenience store; the lobby of a Krystal fast-food restaurant -- all of these ordinary scenes take on new significance in the rich colors of Eggleston's photographs. Eudora Welty suggests that Eggleston sees the complexity and beauty of the mundane world: "The extraordinary, compelling, honest, beautiful and unsparing photographs all have to do with the quality of our lives in the ongoing world: they succeed in showing us the grain of the present, like the cross-section of a tree.... They focus on the mundane world. But no subject is fuller of implications than the mundane world!" Mark Holborn, in his introduction to Ancient and Modern writes about the dark undercurrent of these mundane scenes as viewed through Eggleston's lens: "[Eggleston's] subjects are, on the surface, the ordinary inhabitants and environs of suburban Memphis and Mississippi--friends, family, barbecues, back yards, a tricycle and the clutter of the mundane. The normality of these subjects is deceptive, for behind the images there is a sense of lurking danger." American artist Edward Ruscha said of Eggleston's work, "When you see a picture he’s taken, you’re stepping into some kind of jagged world that seems like Eggleston World.”[3]

According to Philip Gefter from Art+Auction, “It is worth noting that Stephen Shore and William Eggleston, pioneers of color photography in the early 1970s, borrowed, consciously or not, from the photorealists. Their photographic interpretation of the American vernacular—gas stations, diners, parking lots—is foretold in photorealist paintings that preceded their pictures.”[4]

Log on to the Whitney Museum Website for a more indepth discussion of Eggleston's work and video interviews with the photographer.

Holga Sunrise- Cloudy & Windy

Here are a couple of recent graps on a morning walk along the shore. Still waiting for some surf!!

Here is to a Relaxed and Mindful 2009!!

It has been brutally flat and cold over the last week or so here in NY! This shot reminds me of those lazy late afternoon summer beach days I love so much!! the image was shot using a flipped lens brownie hawkeye.