Whilst it’s not the first time it’s been done, to our knowledge Chris Burkard was the first to nail it back in the spring in Iceland, and a few of us Northern European photogs have been trying to get it happening for a while shooting surfing under the Northern Lights is still a photographic feat to be proud of. Can’t wait to see the full version of the film.
While his world tour peers are jockying for waves and points on the North Shore, Mick Fanning is standing on a desolate beach in Norway, the sky ready to open up and dump snow. “I don’t think I’m well,” he says. “I can go anywhere in the world. Boardshorts, whatever. But no, I come here.” He’s not complaining. He’s actually in awe. A couple weeks before, Fanning decided he wanted to surf under the famed Northern Lights. It would be a dramatic way to cap off a year spent mostly away from contests, chasing new waves in farflung places. The proposal came to him through Norwegian photographers Emil Sollie and Mats Grimsæth, who’d been talking for two years about, and trying to figure out how to pull off, shooting surfing under the planet’s greatest light show.
“To shoot a picture of surfing under the Northern Lights, there are so many elements that have to come together at the same time,” explains Sollie. “Technically, this is one of the hardest pictures to capture.”
Sollie and Grimsæth first met in Portugal in 2014, and began scheming about the shoot right away. They just needed a talented – and, more importantly, willing – surfer to get onboard. “I could never imagine that we were going to do this project with Mick,” Grimsæth says. “Suddenly, I’m going to Lofoten with a world champion.”
After a couple of days and nights waiting for the lights to appear, around midnight on the third day the shoot was finally, suddenly on. “You can imagine,” says Fanning. “Half asleep, jumping in a wetsuit, and then just being wowed by all this stuff. It’s something I’ll remember forever.”
Joining Sollie and Grimsæth on this revolutionary project was Red Bull’s veteran surf photographer, Trevor Moran, and filmer, Matt Kleiner, who will be bringing you the whole trip in two episodes of Chasing the Shot early next year.
Can’t really see it catching on but impressive pulling power from the drone. Bet the motors must’ve been nearly melting. Don’t worry about this becoming a thing drone batteries aren’t exactly renowned for lasting more than twenty minutes and kites are far more sensible if you fancy getting tugged around.
The team decided to give drone surfing a try and it worked out better then we thought! This is the kinda stuff you think of when you’re a kid, something not possible. We towed David Sterman into some waves using the Acecore Technologies ‘NEO’ drone. To think this could actually become a thing as technology improves. Music: Dive Deep – Andrew Belle Follow The Team on instagram: @ericsterman @makaicreative @sterman808 @dougfalter @etienneaurelius Business Inquiries: stermanaerials.com
MAD DOGS is a 75 min documentary about 3 pioneer surfers (Danilo Couto, Marcio Freire and Yuri Soledade) who have risked their lives for years, to prove to the world that it was possible to paddle surf in JAWS and we think this doc is a key moment in Big Wave history. The film is now available on itunes.
Travel to the North Shore of Oahu to meet up with the legendary Gavin Beschen.
Originally from San Clemente, CA, Gavin moved over to the islands fresh out of high school and with only one thing in mind: surfing. And he’s been doing just that for the past 20+ years. From his iconic video parts in early Volcom films, to his classic laid back and humble style (both in and out of the water), Gavin reminds us to keep things simple, be yourself, and always, always be grateful for what you have.
A cinematic Journey through the Indian and Pacific oceans over the span of 2015.
Filmed and Edited by: Tom Jennings.
Surfers:
Jay Davies
Luke Campbell
Taj Burrow
Brendon Gibbens
Creed McTaggart
Mitch Coleborne
Sam Jervis
Kelly Slater
Alex Gray
Jack Robinson
John John Florence
Yago Dora
Andrew Doheny
Ozzie Wright
Dion Agius
Dillon Perillo
Dane Reynolds
Craig Anderson.
Music:
Gustav Holst – Venus (The Planets)
Neil Young – Cortez The Killer
A film about surf travel, and the places it will take you.Starring Matt Bromley. A film by Guy Mac
“…the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved…” “Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.” – Jack Kerouac
Step out of your comfort zone; explore new places, meet new people and throw all caution to the wind – you never know where you’ll land up! Risky Business is all about putting yourself out there, and the rewards found at the end of the road less travelled.
Risky Business captures the journey of South African surfer Matt Bromley and filmer Guy Mac while they travel to some of the riskier places on earth in their pursuit of a different kind of wave, from surfing between icebergs in Iceland, to charging massive mountains of water at Jaws in Hawaii, to dropping into near-dry tubes over unforgiving ledges in Africa. The idea was to produce a contemporary surf film, one that showed the risks behind the reward of chasing global swells on a shoe string budget, all the while living every surfers dream for a year between South Africa, Europe, Hawaii, Indonesia and Iceland. The hope is that Risky Business will inspire its audiences to stretch the boundaries of their own capacity, flee their comfort zones, and chase all things bigger and better.
Matt and Guy both stretched themselves to make this film a reality; traveling in debt and in fear of not knowing what was around the next swell. All their equipment was stolen in Portugal and they suffered many other hardships along the way, but as Matt reports, “It was worth every moment of risk, and made the journey and exeprience that much more unforgettable.”
Listen to the call of the road, and follow. Risky Business. This is their story in 25-mins.
