How did you become a surf photographer?In a nutshell, I always had a camera with me when I went surfing as a teenager. When the waves were good I'd shoot some lineups and then go out for a surf. After a while I had a good amount of lineup shots so I decided to submit some to the mags, I made some money and that's when I became serious about shooting. That was back in the mid 70's.

What equipment do you use?I started out with Nikon equipment but soon changed over to Canon. I now use all Canon equipment from 15mm to my trusty 600mm lens. Camera body's are Mark 2n and the 20D.

Who has influenced you?By far, my mentor was Larry Moore at Surfing Magazine. He guided me through times of frustration and helped me see the light. Also, Craig Fineman, Dan Merkle, Jeff Hornbaker, Aaron Chang, and Don King. They were the guys in the trenches when I was coming up and they were the ones I respected the most in my early years. Lately, I can't say enough about David Pu'u, Scott Aichner, Jason Blanchard, all of whom have given me great encouragement and motivation to keep thinking of fresh ways of looking at the world.

Most memorable moment of your career?
I guess I could list a number of memorable moments but what sticks out in my mind the most is a time in Indo a few years ago. We were at this sick left hander, all by ourselves, and we were motoring out to the line up when I asked the surfer I was with to go out and rip the heck out the lip on the first wave he caught. The lighting was epic and the waves were well overhead. The guy took off, bottom turned, and hit the lip super hard...just what I asked for. The image ended up on the cover of Surfer Magazine Jan 2004. The surfer was Chad Compton of Ventura. I'd have to say that was a special moment for me...

Traveling the world, how is Ventura unique?
It's pretty hard to compare all the places I've been to around the world to Ventura. Ventura is home, so for that reason it's special. All my friends are here and this is where I choose to live and be with my family. I can tell you though, the Ventura County area has some of the best waves in the world. Just think about it, we have three great points breaks in C Street, Pitas, and Rincon. We have two epic rivermouths in Ventura and Santa Clara. And our beachbreaks are as good or better then any that Australia or France has to offer. So when you think about it, we have it pretty good around here in Ventura...

Most interesting shoot?Spending almost a year documenting the making of the new Dane Reynolds movie "First Chapter." I was lucky to travel with Dane and Filmmaker Jason Blanchard to numerous locations around the world. From a number of spots around town to Hawaii, Australia, and France, to name a few. It wasn't as much a shoot as it was a project. Maybe someday people will see it.

Where/what do you ride?My favorite place to surf is where the waves are best. How's that for an answer. I like surfing Mugu in the summer and the beachbreaks in Oxnard in the winter. I'm into riding old school boards. No new fangdangle boards for me. Give me an old plank to ride and I'm stoked.

When not shooting, what do you like to do?Take the family up to Bishop for some trout fishing and hiking in the High Sierras. Nothing gets you more amped for the next swell then to be hundreds of miles from the ocean with a trout hooked to your line. Always keep the weather radio close at hand...You always need to know the latest update...