Relationship - Surfers - Research

Joni Sternbach shot a series of photographs of surfers in 2006 showing relationship between surfers and also between surfers and their connection to their sport and nature. He shot the images on both coasts of the United States: Montauk's Ditch Plains and Rhode Island on the East Coast as well as Malibu, Del Mar and Rincon beaches in California. In early 2011 Sternbach traveled to Byron Bay, NSW Australia to continue the series.

"Sternbach captures the spirit of community that unites surfers, but also the differences that make each surfer distinct."

This is one of the images that stood out to me.

It is a photograph of 4 brothers shot in 2007. The main part of this photo I really liked was the family relation the boys have which is something they cannot decide on but also the fact that they have another relationship through surfing with one another that they do choose. This is likely to make them even closer and I think this is shown in the photograph.

When I was planning my shoots for relationship I hadn't thought about staging any of this photographs like this one has been. This was because I felt that a more natural photograph where the subjects were no aware of the photo being taken would show a more accurate and informative relationship. Having said this, the feeling I get from this image, although it is staged, still feels very natural. Sternbach may have built a very good relationship with the boys meaning they were comfortable with him being there and photographing them, therefore acted very naturally and didn't change how the behaved due to a camera and a stranger being present.



Morgan Maassen has always been a great inspiration to me due to my love for surf photography. This image is a great representation of relationship that he shot of a group of surfers from underwater.


The group can be seen to be sat close to one another on their boards in the ocean. Maassen has shot the photograph in a way that makes it seem like there is nothing else around them, just the ocean and each other. I think this makes it a very powerful relationship shot.

The aesthetics are clear in the photograph, the vibrant blue of the crystal clear ocean makes for an almost hypnotising look that draws the viewer in.