Russ gave me a lot of help with my surfing technique. It was really helpful to have him in the water with us because you got feedback straight after you’d had a wave. Also with Russ surfing around you, you pick up a lot of things just by watching the way he surfs. Russ has obviously had a lot of experience in competitive surfing, and he told us how he prepares for surfs and wins the comps! He trains hard physically and mentally and is very focused. It was a real eye opener as to how hard we would have to work to get to the same level as Russ.

Here’s a few of the tips Russ gave me – they definitely improved my surfing.

Widen your stance
One of the main things Russ would tell me was, “Laura you stand too tall!” Heaven knows how many times I heard him say it but it paid off. By the end of the trip I wasn’t standing so tall and I was feeling like, through widening my stance, I had much more control over my board.

Maximum drive
Russ was always plugging at me to put more weight on my front foot. This was so I could drive off the bottom and the top of the wave better so that I had more control through my turns – which in contests is very important as you get no points for falling off!

Extending and compressing
Extending and compressing is very important for creating speed and completing manoeuvres successfully. This was a huge fault in my surfing as I stood so tall that I had nothing to extend from as I wasn’t compressed. I had to start to really emphasise my extension and compression so I could really feel the difference. And it worked – I could feel my turns were more powerful and that I had more control over my board when in a top turn. Plus the more that I compressed when I landed moves, the lower centre of gravity I had and the better balance I had coming out of my turns.

Power turns
Russ told me to compress through my turns at the top of the wave so that I had enough power to push away from the lip or carve off the top and create a better turn. The extra power makes the turn more powerful and moves more spray – which the judges like.

Catching more waves
At the start of the trip I was holding back a little with fighting for waves as the boys on the trip seemed to be pretty dominant in the water. So I kind of sat back and waited till there was a free wave and tried to jump on that. After the first few surfs Russ could see that that’s what I was doing and he told me that I should be the one catching all the waves, “Laura you’re a girl, the worst they can do is shout at you!” He said. “They can’t hit you so get out there, flutter your eyelashes, and you’ll be on every wave going!” After this little pep talk I went back out and made friends with a few locals and then they began calling me into waves — so Russ was right once again!

Check out Laura’s website at http://www.lauracranesurfer.co.uk/

Candice O'Donnell, Watergate Bay

One question that gets asked a lot is “how do I become a surf photographer?” Of course everyone would love to combine their passion and their job, and the image of the job of surf photographer is totally glamorous and alluring: getting paid to travel to exotic locations and shoot stunning images. And you get to bask in the immense kudos of having them publshed in surf mags.

The reality is slightly different. For starters, the pay is woefully bad. The rates magazines pay for shots haven’t gone up in twenty years! Very few make a living from surf photography, in Europe anyway. And also, if you think it’ll mean you get to go surfing more, forget it. When the sun’s out and the surf is pumping you’ll either be swimming around with your housing getting bombs on the head or standing on the beach with your big lens getting the shots.

Having said that is great fun, so if you have a burning desire to unleash your creative vision on the surfing public, read on for some top tips.

1. Get shooting. There’s only one way to get your work published, and that’s to take great surf shots. Sounds kindof trite I know, but I’ve lost count of the number of people who email asking about getting in to surf photography and don’t attach a photo. So get out there. You don’t need a photography degree, you just need a camera, and some creative inspiration. Which brings me to…

2. Don’t go overboard with equipment. A lot of amature photographers think being a pro is all about the kit. It isn’t, well it is to an extent, if you’re a pro you will DSLR body like a Canon eos 1ds, plus a backup, loads of lenses including a big 500 or 600mm, water housing and so on: at least �10,000 worth of kit. But when you’re getting started all you need is a camera. You could even buy a cheap film camera to experiment with. One mistake a lot of people make is to shell out thousands on a DSLR pro body but buy cheap lenses. It’s much better to go for a cheaper body and better lenses.

3. Learn your craft. Assuming you’ve got a basic grounding in the technical side of photography you need find your inspiration. Buy loads of magazines, not just surfing ones. Find images that inspire you, and analyse what makes them great. Plough through online photo sites like flickr.com and collect images you love. Don’t forget, it’s not just about action. To win assignments you’ll have to be able to shoot lineups, portraits, lifestyle, landscapes even reportage.

4. Get feedback. Once you’ve captured some images upload them to flickr and get networking. It’s an ideal place to get feedback on your shots and find out what works.

5. Study composition. The difference between an average shot and a great one is very often compostion. That’s why the late great photo editor of Surfing Larry “Flame” Moore used to advise budding surf photogs to take art classes and learn about composotion, rather than take photography classes. (By the wayYou can read about Larry Moore here. He was one of the greats of surfing photography). I’ve given a few basic tips about composition in a previous post, but there are many others online. One of the best books about photographic composition is The Photographer’s Eye by Michael Freeman.

6. Contact editors. Once you’ve got some good shots and you’re confident that they good enough to be published, start to cultivate relationships with the magazine editors. If you can get through to them give them a call and see what kind of thing they’re after. As a rule magazines are looking for action shots of known surfers, great lineups and unusual angles. It helps if the images haven’t been before, so think twice about uploading them to social media sites.

Good luck and get shooting!

You can see some more of my work here

Confidence comes from success (which basically means surfing well) and also from being well prepared (even for quick free-surf), as well as having that strong feeling of capability ��� the ���I can do this��� mentality.

In terms of preparation it���s always a good idea to get the basics down. Sticky wax job, nice light leash, great feeling and looking board. More than that though, you need to be up for it. This is where you might have to work hard when the waves are a bit challenging or you���re feeling tired or whatever. Wake yourself up with a fast-paced warm-up and a bit of a chat to yourself. Say to yourself, ���I���m going to have a sweet surf, I���m going to rip, I���m out there to have fun,��� ��� things like this can all help create that positive mental attitude. If you���re on a deserted beach, why not open up your lungs and shout it out? Try to remember you last good surf and the feelings that gave you. Okay, now you���re nearly ready.

Another good way to prepare yourself is visualising what you���re going to do. First up you need to analyse the waves so you know what they���re doing. Look at the speed of the lip line, the curve of the transition and things like that. Now decide what you would want to do on that wave and visualise it. There are two ways to do this; one is to picture yourself on the wave as if you were looking at it as an observer, and the other is to imagine yourself on the wave looking at it through your own eyes. This will help your decision-making and awareness once out there and increase your chances of success.

Another important factor is to give yourself some warm up time. I remember watching Carissa Moore paddle out in Hawaii a couple of years ago. Her first few waves looked pretty ordinary ��� just cruising down the line, a couple of floaters and kicking out. ���She���s not that good,��� said one of the groms watching. ���Just wait and see,��� said the all-knowing coach. Sure enough, 20 minutes in she was tail-wafting and throwing 360s in the shorebreak. So give yourself some time to get into the waves and read what���s happening before hitting top gear ��� whether that���s hitting the lip or getting your first green wave, this principle is the same. Let your confidence grow and your performance will come with it, and so the cycle of success is born.

Confidence is a feeling, and to help keep that positive vibe try to surround yourself with smiley happy people. Make an effort to time your surf with your favourite girl crew and avoid scenarios like being taken to a scary reef by a boyfriend with a different agenda.

If you find yourself in a confidence plummet it���s time to re-assess. More often than not it���s because your expectations don���t match the conditions and you���re beating yourself up about not succeeding. Go back to looking at what the waves are doing. If you had planned and visualised working on your top turns but you can���t get them, maybe the waves are too fat and it���s time to adjust and refocus on something else, say cutbacks. If it���s starting to close out, think about maybe just trying your angled take-offs and getting along the line as fast and as far as possible, rather than doing any turns.

If the size of the surf is kicking your confidence, try to find a safe spot in the lineup and watch what���s happening. You can then try to take one of the smaller waves. Everyone has limits, and just being out there is always good for you in the long run.

Whatever you do out there, if you give it your best shot you���ll return to shore and look back knowing that you survived. No matter how cautious you were, you���ll have just added a brick to your confidence wall for the next time the swell���s up.

Joel Gray from Surf Solutions is one of Britain���s top coaches, creating progressive, professional coaching programmes for all levels of surfer in the UK and around the world. Go to www.surfsolutions.tv for more info.

It was an amazing feeling to end the week and see some real progress.

Each day Will took us out to his secret spots and really helped us perfect our technique and work on any area we wanted to improve on.

For me it was jumps. I wanted to know the technique behind a really good jump, getting decent air and, most importantly, how to land the jump.

So here goes, SurfGirl’s Top Tips For Getting Air

• First of all visualise yourself completing the jump. Really see it in your mind.
• Go into the jump with confidence and enough speed to get you up and over.
• As you approach the jump, bend your legs and get closer to your board.
• You don’t need to push off the jump. You will be accelerated naturally from the jump. Adding an extra push from you, may throw your body off balance.
• Keep you body aligned, that is keep your shoulders in line with your hips, your knees bent. Only your head is turned to see where your going. This is really important part. Most people tend to swing there shoulders as they jump which in turn throws you off balance and usually results with landing on our backside, or ever worse your head!
• As you hit the jump remember to look to where you want to land, keep you legs bent, stay low and ride it out.
• Confidence comes with practice, so try to keep repeating a set of jumps and keep the technique strong in your mind.
• And just when you least expect it… AIR! Enjoy.

Willy G, our instructor

If you fancy hitting the slopes this winter and would like to progress a certain area of your riding, or maybe you are a complete beginner, then it is really worth investing in some coaching. Will offers lessons from beginners to advanced skiers and snowboarders, specific coaching days to perfect any area you want to work on, as well as video coaching and photo packages. If you’re lucky he’ll even bring you to the infamous Irish Bar, Covey’s where he DJ’s on a Monday (http://www.coveysirishpub.com/) – but be warned, if they hand you a shot of black liquid that makes your eyes water just from the smell….. be afraid, very afraid!

Contact:
William Giles
0033 450 897073
www.chalet-loreade.com

Jane gets some air!

The best way to learn what’s what in surfing is to have a lesson, where they’ll teach you about surf safety, how to wax up, suit up etc. etc. But if you can’t or don’t want to take lessons, here are a few things to remember.

First up, your wetsuit. Get one that fits ��� you’ll look a right idiot if it’s flapping about. It needs to be tight, proper tight. Zips go up at the back, unless it’s a chest zip suit, in which case make sure you pull the barrier flap over your head properly.
Board. Wax goes on the top to stop your feet slipping; rub it on in circles from the tail to where your chest will be.
Leash. The Velcro cuff goes around the ankle of your back foot, the other end attaches to the plug on the deck of the board at the back. Don’t put it on until you’re at the water’s edge or run with it on unless you’re holding the slack ��� it’s funny as hell when it’s someone else, but not you, it hurts!
Carrying your board ��� it doesn’t really matter that much, but most surfers hold their board with the nose pointing forward and the fins inwards. Try to avoid digging the nose in the sand, tripping over your leash or otherwise making a tit of yourself.
Stacking your board on the roof: Again, people do this differently, but generally it’s deck down, nose forward, and for God’s sake strap it on well (and not with bungee cords), or it’ll come off on the motorway.
Hoods. If you’re starting in the winter and have to wear one, put it on then do up your wetsuit (unless it’s just a twat cap with chin strap) to avoid flushing.
Boots go on and the wetsuit legs pull over them ��� less flushing. Same with gloves. Yes this is damn hard to achieve.
Rash vests: Never EVER wear a rash vest as a fashion item, you will be laughed out of town. It goes on for surfing and comes off straight afterwards. It never goes over the wetsuit unless you are competing/told to for coaching/lessons.
While we’re talking fashion, DON’T wear ‘Lifeguard’ hoodies (unless you are actually on beach patrol) or anything Wicked Willy. The ripping will be merciless.

Now you’re suited and your board is suitably prepared, it’s time to hit the waves. The main way to avoid getting twatted by your board is to always, always pay attention ��� the ocean can and will teach you a lesson if you don’t. Never put your board between yourself and the oncoming waves. Always hold tight to it, and always get it and yourself out of the way of other surfers, following the drop-in rule (surfer closest to the broken part of the wave has right of way) and moving if you are in the way of someone’s ride. The main cause of feeling like an idiot is getting in other surfer’s way, and this is true whether you have been surfing 1 minute or 10 years.

The next thing is confidence in your surfing, and making sure you get your fair share of waves. Check out Part 2 of the Surf Confidence series, written by expert coach Joel Grey.