Top slot..Velo-Simms

I guess the board that seems to land on top of the garage pile is in the top slot for go outs. Absolutely loving Ryan Lovelace's velo-simms. Ryan describes the board as part greenough and part simmons. I describe it as fast....

Kick back

relax, take time to enjoy the moment.. slow it down a bit. Great two days of surf- nothing epic but fun nonetheless. Thanks again R. Lovelace- absolutely loving my new velosimms!!

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil

the creeper..

Shadow in a back alley. Hess style.

Great weekend at the Furthur shows. the band is in very good form and the set lists are insanely good. if ya get a chance check phil bobby and the boys you will not be disappointed.

Going Down the Road Feelin Bad..

Tonight in Coney Island.. Further (Lesh, Weir and Company) in the spirit of their brothers the Merry Pranksters!!! So looking forward to Dead jams over the Ocean in a seriously funky little part of NYC!!

Snapshot stoke

Love the smile on this guys face!! he was running to get out in the line up and obviously excited by the possibilities. nice board to boot!!

Picture a bright blue ball, Just spinning, spinning free..

I cant seem to get The Grateful Dead's "Throwing Stones" out of my head as of late- Perhaps the grim reality of the BP disaster evokes this song for me.

"Picture a bright blue ball
Just spinning, spinning free
Dizzy with eternity
Paint it with a skin of sky
Brush in some clouds and sea
Call it home for you and me

A peaceful place or so it looks from space
A closer look reveals the human race
Full of hope, full of grace, is the human face
But afraid, we may lay our home to waste

There's a fear down here we can't forget
Hasn't got a name just yet
Always awake, always around
Singing ashes to ashes all fall down
Ashes to ashes all fall down

Now watch as the ball revolves and the nighttime falls
And again the hunt begins and again the bloodwind calls
By and by again, the morning sun will rise
But the darkness never goes from some men's eyes

It strolls the sidewalks and it rolls the streets
Staking turf, dividing up meat
Nightmare spook, piece of heat
It's you and me, you and me

Click, flashblade in ghetto night
Rudie's looking for a fight
Rat cat alley roll them bones
Need that cash to feed that jones
And the politician's throwing stones
Singing ashes to ashes all fall down
Ashes to ashes all fall down

Commissars and pin-striped bosses role the dice
Any way they fall guess who gets to pay the price
Money green or proletarian gray
Selling guns instead of food today

So the kids they dance, and shake their bones
And the politician's throwing stones
Singing ashes to ashes all fall down
Ashes to ashes all fall down

Heartless powers try to tell us what to think
If the spirit's sleeping, then the flesh is ink, yeah
History's page, it is thusly carved in stone
The future's here, we are it, we are on our own
On our own. On our own. On our own.


If the game is lost then we're all the same
No one left to place or take the blame
We will leave this place an empty stone
Or that shinning ball of blue we can call our home

So the kids they dance, they shake their bones
And the politicians, throwing stones
Singing ashes to ashes all fall down
Ashes to ashes, all fall down

Shipping powders back and forth
Singing "black goes south and white comes north"
And the whole world full of petty wars
Singing "I got mine and you got yours"
And the current fashions set the pace
Lose your step, fall out of grace
And the radical he rant and rage
Singing "someone got to turn the page"
And the rich man in his summer home,
Singing "Just leave well enough alone"
But his pants are down, his cover's blown

And the politicians throwing stones
So the kids they dance they shake their bones
Cause its all too clear we're on our own
Sing ashes to ashes, all fall down
Ashes to ashes, all fall down

Picture a bright blue ball just spinning, spinning free
It's dizzying, the possibilities

Ashes to Ashes, all fall down (Ashes to Ashes, all fall down)
Ashes to Ashes, all fall down (Ashes to Ashes, all fall down)
Ashes to Ashes, all fall down (Ashes to Ashes, all fall down)
Ashes to Ashes, all fall down (Ashes to Ashes, all fall down)

a note to self...

Let us be respectfully reminded:
Life and death are of supreme importance.
Time swiftly passes by, and with it,
our only chance.
Each of us must aspire to awaken.
Be aware.
Do not squander our life.

- Charlotte Joko Beck

Early Morning Anticipation

This is a photograph is from last September. For me it reflects the early morning excitement of dawn patrol when the waves are good. We have not had this feeling in sometime around here.. the flatness continues!!

Summer Doldrums..

Salt stained eyes is experiencing a serious flat spell... hope it ends soon

the kid in a candy store..

the militant one and his hess quiv..... all smiles for sure!!

in transit..two of a kind

thanks ryan.. cant wait to salt stain it..

three of a kind..

three from froth's Hess quiver..all subtly different. a few more to follow.

a few shots from my wanderings over the last year

cardiff reef morning surf check..

A rainy afternoon surf check matunick, Rhode Island...

Beauty...

Something is so aesthetically pleasing about Danny Hess's surfboards. So organic but so forward thinking.

max the dog

getting some salt stained eyes time... enjoy everyday!!

onshore afternoon seabreeze

Hess Quiver

I took a few rolls of my brother, Martin's Hess quiver earlier in the week. Here is one from the first roll. I am hoping for a few keepers out of the batch. Danny's wood workmanship is matched by only a few. Clearly a master craftsman.

ankle slappers

here is another one from my second roll with the mako shark camera. Clearly, nothing great but I thought I'd post a sample of what/how the camera sees. I am still trying to dial it how to use the viewfinder optimally. I generally am pleased with the potential, but i might flip the lens to get more blur.

watching the flags.. hoping for a switch....

it never happened....

rescue me

mixed feelings about the arrival of summer. the crowds are out. things are getting silly.

A few shots from Saturday's Empire State Studio Opening

Good times at Saturday's opening.
great crowd.
friendly faces.
nice mellow vibe.
great space.
work sold.

The show remains up until 7/31. Matt Clark and Loreto Caceras work is a nice compliment to my blurry crappy snaps. i highly recommend checking their stuff out. empire state studios: 222 Merrick Road, Oceanside NY

Empire State Studio is such a great spot. Excellent turn out of re

Join us tonight....

Join us tonight June 5th 7PM

Empire State Studios

222 Merrick Road, Oceanside NY

lo-fi salt stains

Here is a photograph of my friend Ken on his Lance Carson from last Saturday-I am hoping to really get into taking water shots over the next couple of months.

Tomorrow (Saturday 6/5) the Surfy Art Show opens at Empire State Studios 222 Merrick Road Oceanside, NY . The opening starts at 7PM come on down for a beverage, some music and some surfy photographs.

In the style of some of my favorite photographers

(Click above photograph to enlarge)

Here are a couple of shots from my Memorial Day wanderings. I have been getting back into shooting 35 mm film again. Its been quite sometime since I have embraced the quickness and spontaneity of the and using an old Contaflex (Zeiss optics) and an old Canonet rangefinder. I have been revisiting some of my favorite photographers work as of late. So amazed by the vision of R. Frank, W. Evans, E. Atgets, and W. Eggleston.

new beginnings

I developed my first roll using the modified healthways mako shark (vintage lo-fi medium format) camera. The camera is actually the internal workings of a brownie hawkeye inside a very odd looking water housing.
I modified the camera by changing the shutter mechanism and replacing the water housing glass. More shots to come over the next months...