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November 2005 Issue
On The Road, Portfolio: Joe Curren
Words by Chuck Graham, Photos by Joe Curren
Of course surfing sewed the seeds, but eventually Joe Curren evolved into a travel photographer, documenting his sojourns while surfing offbeat locales like the Galapagos Islands, Norway, Sri Lanka and Lake Superior.
Everyone knows his older brother Tom, the 3-time world champion, but Joe's his own person, always surfing at a high level while following his vision, inspired by veteran lensmen Rob Gilley and Andrew Kidman. You won't get the younger Curren to say a lot, but his images speak volumes, his humble approach serving him well at home and abroad, and at the age of 31, has already traveled to 25 countries. "Norway is the most beautiful place I've been to," said Curren. "Everywhere you look is a perfect picture."
Currently, he fires away with Canon equipment, but recently he purchased a Pentax 6x7 medium format camera. His images are making the rounds of galleries in New York, Aspen, Colorado, and Japan. His stories and photos have also appeared in Surfing, Surfer, The Surfer's Path, TransWorld Surf, The Surfer's Journal, and surfing publications in Japan and Europe.
"I was inspired by documenting my travels," recalled the soft-spoken Curren. "But I wanted to document the
creative side of travel. Fortunately I have friends like Gilley and Kidman who have given me good advice on equipment, film and use of light."
Although he'll continue to travel and work on editorial assignments that span the globe, Curren's biggest project on the horizon will stay within the family name. "I'd like to do a book on my dad," he said, referring to his legendary,
big-wave-riding father, Pat Curren.
"It would be most important to me."
Visit www.joecurrenphotography.com to see more of his work.
Posted November 2005 Blue Edge Magazine. All rights reserved.
