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Things You Should Know

I was down at California Street the other night to capture a few images of Malibu Surfer Brooke Carlson, the newest member of “Team Betty” for my wife’s company Bettybelts, when I saw someone headed into the water with what looked like a dive housing and a surfboard. It cracked me up. We call that sort of work where you ride and shoot or film another surfer: “board to board” work. It is tricky at best and amazingly difficult at worst. This image is the guy shooting. Again, hard to do. The lead image in this article is a shot

Digging for Gems

  In my work, much of what I do is frequently not readily apparent. After a recent summit meeting which I got to attend, that was held at Google, I was approached as we all got ready to leave, by a woman who represents a powerful, vital force for the Oceans. I had found myself smiling a lot, when hearing her speak. (Same Tribe apparently) A lot of resonance existed in our observations, regarding solutions to some of the Global issues which the Summit participants examined. “C” came up to me, and with a  smile, asked: “So David, what exactly

Bluebirds

Bluebirds are moments in time when the magical intersects with the mortal, and in process, one’s grasp of one’s ability, is re-defined. A Bluebird moment is about education, preparation, trial and conquest. I have had a few of these in my lifetime. Here is  an account of one of them. I began my pilgrimages to the North Shore of Oahu late in my Surfing life. As a young Pro, it was basically part of the ritual of a Surfing Education, that you go there and test your ability. Though I always sort of sucked at tests in school, I seem

Robb Havassy: All Access Pass

The spacious meeting hall is filled with the hustle and bustle of the curious, the sage, and the uninitiate, there on invitations from various cognescenti in the Chinese marketing and fashion world, to view a first of it’s kind offering by a new American designer, and Surfing cultural icon, Artist Robb Havassy. The show is the unveiling of the Artist’s Lifestyle and Art based apparel line: Havassy! The seating which wraps around the reflective stage fills, the lights go to spot, the music pumps up, and this video begins to show on the facade at the back of the runway.

Fore

This is number five in the series on Loves. It is actually entitled Four. (Really.) If you understand the play on words with the copy title “Fore”, well then, you “get” Art and Artists. That is a good thing. We like it when people get us. It is why artists do what they do. ART is our love. Robb Havassy just left, after a 30 hour visit. When he had arrived, I was working through a series of images where I had been subtly taken by surprise at how the ocean had sculpted rather unique looking gems my Canon 5DM2

Two

This is the second installment in this series on many loves. It is about Surfing. Not many people know exactly why they surf. It just is what they do. Surfing  gives a lot to the participant. It often gets to the point of  seeming to be a greedy avocation. The more you get, the better you become at it, the more that it drives you. I have surfed all of my life. My Dad tossed me in a pool at 4. I swam. He then taught me to bodysurf. I never looked back. Only forward. It is still that way

Jeff White

Jack Johnson and Ben Harper. “My Own Two Hands” A song for Jeff. Maybe listen to it while you read his obituary which was written by Gregg Tally. Jeff White 1938 – 2010 Sandyland resident Jeff White passed away Friday, December 10, 2010, after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. Jeff was a lifelong waterman who was very much a part of early Santa Barbara surfing, influencing many young surfers through the years. He founded White Owl Surfboards, the Surf-N-Wear chain of surf shops, and he cofounded the Beach House with Roger Nance. He was a Velzy gremmie in his

Coastal Classics Are No Accidents

A lot goes on in the creation of a commercial production shoot. This one developed over a relatively long period of time. Recently, almost by chance I had reconnected with an old colleague and friend, Glenn Gravett, who I had met when we both worked designing my own company apparel and surfboard art, decades ago. Glenn and I share much in common, having been raised on the same stretch of coastline, and share similar passions for the Ocean and Art. Over a period of months, I had been invited to sit in and contribute to a series of product development

Jay Moriarty

Some people live in such a manner, that their exploits and attitudes define themselves, and become a part of History. It is fortunate to be around that type of person. You learn a lot. My fondest recollection of Jay Moriarty, is of him kick stalling in the barrel at Maverick’s, and smiling at me. A peculiar and unsettling memory, was getting a phone call informing me that he had died by drowning. I was driving South through Half Moon Bay, and looked up to see the Radar Tower at Pillar Point.  The feeling of confusion I had felt when the

Sacred Craft 2010: A Cultural Backmarker

This morning I woke up from a nightmare-dream at 3:30 am. In the dream I was glossing boards, and had lost the hot batch of finishing resin. I found it in the nick of time, and was just completing the last board as it went off. I even had the acrid smell of an over catalyzed hot batch in my nostrils as I hopped out of bed and felt my feet hit cool wood floor in the blackness. Yeesh, surfboard subliminals. I built surfboards for about 20 years. They have been on my mind a lot lately, obviously. What makes

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Things You Should Know

I was down at California Street the other night to capture a few images of Malibu Surfer Brooke Carlson, the newest member of “Team Betty” for my wife’s company Bettybelts, when I saw someone headed into the water with what

Digging for Gems

  In my work, much of what I do is frequently not readily apparent. After a recent summit meeting which I got to attend, that was held at Google, I was approached as we all got ready to leave, by

Bluebirds

Bluebirds are moments in time when the magical intersects with the mortal, and in process, one’s grasp of one’s ability, is re-defined. A Bluebird moment is about education, preparation, trial and conquest. I have had a few of these in

Robb Havassy: All Access Pass

The spacious meeting hall is filled with the hustle and bustle of the curious, the sage, and the uninitiate, there on invitations from various cognescenti in the Chinese marketing and fashion world, to view a first of it’s kind offering

Fore

This is number five in the series on Loves. It is actually entitled Four. (Really.) If you understand the play on words with the copy title “Fore”, well then, you “get” Art and Artists. That is a good thing. We

Two

This is the second installment in this series on many loves. It is about Surfing. Not many people know exactly why they surf. It just is what they do. Surfing  gives a lot to the participant. It often gets to

Jeff White

Jack Johnson and Ben Harper. “My Own Two Hands” A song for Jeff. Maybe listen to it while you read his obituary which was written by Gregg Tally. Jeff White 1938 – 2010 Sandyland resident Jeff White passed away Friday,

Coastal Classics Are No Accidents

A lot goes on in the creation of a commercial production shoot. This one developed over a relatively long period of time. Recently, almost by chance I had reconnected with an old colleague and friend, Glenn Gravett, who I had

Jay Moriarty

Some people live in such a manner, that their exploits and attitudes define themselves, and become a part of History. It is fortunate to be around that type of person. You learn a lot. My fondest recollection of Jay Moriarty,

Sacred Craft 2010: A Cultural Backmarker

This morning I woke up from a nightmare-dream at 3:30 am. In the dream I was glossing boards, and had lost the hot batch of finishing resin. I found it in the nick of time, and was just completing the