Authentic Wave

Single-fin surfing, black wetsuits, and elevator music from filmmaker/photographer Tatsuo Takei.

Light / Dark

Our portfolio in TSJ 25.2 focuses on the work of Japanese photographer Tatsuo Takei, who grew up heavily influenced by the golden age of 60s-era surf photography and the single-fin infused, California-aesthetics of that era. His gear: deliberately retrogressive, to evoke a period-correct mien. And his life approach (which entails a few months in Japan hustling real-world work to save money, and the rest of the year living in a van patrolling the coast with a 650mm Century lens) is stripped down for the purposes of mobility and temporal freedom. In addition to his still work, Tat also shoots motion footage from time to time, appropriately employing 16mm film, a Bolex, and a sensibility in the editing bay that draws from filmmakers like Bud Browne, Bruce Brown, Greg MacGillivray, and Jim Freeman. We asked him to cut a sample to augment his print portfolio in this issue. “Authentic Wave is about single-fin surfing, black wetsuits, and elevator music,” says Tatsuo. Sixteen-mil time portal now open below for your viewing.

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