Master Images
ABOUT OUR MASTER IMAGES SERIES
The Master Images by The Surfer’s Journal: A carefully curated assortment of fine art photographic prints for sale exclusively through The Surfer’s Journal. Each image is chosen for artistic and cultural merit then color tuned to TSJ standards. Images printed using photographic process on Fuji Crystal Archival paper, specifically chosen for its ability to reproduce the nuances of water. The Master Images are 42 inches on the long side and mounted on ¼-inch Sintra with cleats. Each image comes with a signed and embossed certificate of authenticity and will be available for a limited time only. Start your collection now.
The Score, South Australia Outer Waters, 2010, by Calum Macaulay
We were watching the charts on this swell for well over a week, hoping it would hang in there until it hit our coast. That particular wave is hard to score. It needs huge swell, strong period, the right direction, and being out in the middle of the ocean, light winds. That only occurs a couple times a year, if at all. It's a good hour ski ride out there, depending on conditions. Everyone involved that day—riders and photographer—all pulled up a bit ...
Trim Perspectives, Noosa Heads, Australia, 2004, Dane Peterson
I mentioned to Belinda the image I had in mind and wanted to create. I don't think many photographers had actually approached her with a specific goal in mind. Needless to say, she was intrigued. I simply asked to her get as nasally (on the nose) as possible, have fun, and relax, and hopefully I could accomplish the rest. Belinda proceeded to do just that, and we walked away with an image I feel her and I are both truly happy to be apart of creating. – D.P.
Millennium Wave, Ventura County, California, 2000, by David Pu’u
I shot this in winter ’99-’00. I had been stalking an image that would communicate the year’s big event, that of the millennium, and was convinced something appropriate would be found in the ocean. I thought hard about what would communicate creation and all of the uncertainty and promise of the new century. I swam every day.
On a cold December morning with snow on the Sespe (the mountains behind the coast), the air ...
Triple Crown, North Shore, Oahu, 1992, by Tom Servais
Pipe was good all morning until the wind came up around noon. Then everyone left the beach to eat and rest. Tom Curren, who was out at Backdoor, was one of the few that stayed—riding a logo-less board. That made this shot a big hit with purists. The photo reeked of cover use, but Surfer magazine didn't want to risk straining relations with (Tom’s sponsor) Rip Curl. This cutback was his exclamation point at the end of a long tube ride. —T.S.
Evening Tableau, Huatulco, Mexico, 2009, by Geoff Ragatz
Having surfed for about 45 minutes, I caught a wave to the beach. It was just crazy perfect out, glass, no one around. Then these purple mutation colors started happening. Running back out the point for another go-round, I thought I’d try and get a quick shot for the memory files. I had a small old Canon and actually shot it with a fisheye, if you can believe that. I scrambled up the granite rocks to an overview vantage, and when I got ...
Cyclops, South Australia, 2002, Ted Grambeau
We are here for a good time, not a long time. I don’t interpret this as a hedonistic moral to live by, but more rather an appreciation of how short life is and a drive to make valuable use of it. Incredible support from family and friends has allowed the realization of my ambitions via my photography. Nearly six years of continuous travel has done little to quench my thirst to see more. Travel is like a Ph.D. on life where you can continue ...
Pipeline, North Shore, Oahu, 1974, by Jeff Divine
The sun peeks over Pupukea Heights and lights up the ocean at 7:45 every morning. Roaming the area allows me to figure out swell direction and where it will be good. I always carried a small 50mm lens on these surf checks just in case something worthwhile presented itself. Peering through the palms as I approach the beach on a day like this one, I immediately know it’s perfect and turn to rush back home to gather my ...
Small Big Waves, Laguna Beach, 2005, by Scott Carter
Beyond the edge of Laguna’s carnival of Napoleonic sculptures and bright man-made fancies there exists an even more amazing wonderland, worthy of its own spotlight. In this sand garden, I found wave sculptures within reach of my fingertips—a poetry of water, light, and energy. The things I can create with a camera, a shovel, and a tide chart really blow my mind—a surfing odyssey that is pure and simple. Perfection. —S.C.
“Proof Sheet” (16mm frame grabs from Surf Fever, various locations, 1959) by John Severson
John Severson produced the first issue of The Surfer in 1960 as a promotional still photo booklet for his surf movie. Part of the process was to hand wind the raw film, frame by frame through a viewer, choosing exact instants of action to photograph (“frame grabs”) and use in marketing his movies. Often, the exact frame was actually cut out of the original film and used for reproduction. The proofed ...
