My 2 Favourite Photos of 2009

I wanted to share my two favourite photos from the last year and give some thoughts as to why I love them……one is a ‘Winter’ shot and the other is a ‘Summer’ shot. Both are fab!¬†

Fergal Smith charging with Mickey Smith capturing

(Yes, I know Fergal Smith aint a girl and all that…..but…..)¬†

I absolutely love this shot….it is actually one of my ‘all time’ favourites and not just one of my top two from the last year. Irish surfer Fergal absolutely charges and I really admire what he, Tom Lowe and Mickey Smith have been achieving over the past couple of years. There are so many reasons why I love this shot. On one hand it’s so perfectly balanced and serene looking. On the other hand check out the background….look how shallow and intense this ride really is…that water is sucking dry over an ominous looking ledge. So….this beautiful photograph is really a split-second snapshot of one pretty heavy ride! Secondly, look how perfect the light is, such a wonderful emerald colour-i guess the luck of the Irish was around that day huh!! Surfing in Ireland in the Winter can be really horrendous at times….cold, miserable, windy, wet, lumpy and bumpy. However, this shot reflects one of those ‘gem’ days that we can get and cherish….where the sun, the wind and the swell all come together and cooperate for one of those perfect sessions that make getting into all that neoprene worthwhile! Smiles all around!

Beardmore hooking up with Swilly at Maccas

This one is my favourite ‘Summer’ shot of the year. Aussie Sarah Beardmore hooking up nicely with photographer Simon Williams (a.k.a Swilly) at Macaroni’s in the Mentawaiis. The Mentawaiis is an amazing place, and this is probably one of the main reasons I love this shot….it brings back fantastic memories of that part of the World. I also love how Sarah is sitting so happily and comfortably in the tube (demonstrated by the cheesy grin and ‘peace sign’ she is giving Swilly!) over a shallow coral reef; which can do serious skin damage if you land on it….trust me I have the scars to prove it!!. Timing one of these ‘hook ups’ as we call them (where a surfer and a water photographer manage to get close on the same part of a wave) is so frickin’ hard. I’ve been on quite a few trips with Swilly and other photographers, and trying to nail water shots is the hardest (and more often than not, the least successful) part of a surf/photography trip. The last reason I love this shot is because it is of a girl in the most critical part of a wave-the barrell….charging. It’s awesome because it demonstrates that girls can do it too and hopefully it can motivate you all to get out there and charge too!!!! IF YOU DON’T GO YOU’LL NEVER KNOW……yeeee haaaa!!!