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Weekend was spent in Wales, near Penarth. Met Jim. One of a few who are making custom windsurfing boards. Very easy and happy person. What a good times in last few months. Meeting people who enjoys what they are doing. Freedom is part of lifestyle and it’s really good. Soon will be off to Cornwall to meet loads more people. “Freedom” project is running in full speed…
Last two days was a smashing good ones. Yesterday met and done photoshoot with one of the first UK stand up paddle boards rider Jay Manning and today done a shooting with World Cup Champion & World number 1 woman windsurfer Bryony Shaw. Two good days. Now off to Cardiff to catch more new faces. See you soon….
Thanks to photography it is possible to talk, tell and to express it, which sometimes may lack words for. But there is also a drawback in this – often someone reads this story not completely right, or they only see the fact, event, even though it looks like there is a whole life philosophy in there. I don’t record a specific event – the two thousand metre track that has just been swam by my photographed rowers, and here and now, an already happened action counteraction.
It is unprovoked, not acted out, it is just a two thousand metre confession which has been survived here and now. It is like an absolute approximation, real emotions which are expressed by their body language, emotions that aren’t acted out: strength…determination…goal seeking…fatigue…the overcoming of 2000 metres…
Last weekend I visited south Wales. I met with two interesting women windsurfers, Laura and Kariina.
Laura is very friendly, sweet and easy to talk to. She takes up windsurfing for nine years and surfing for four years. Her husband is also a very good windsurfer.
Kariina is a very petite woman, but has the energy and ambition of ten men. She is very lively and gives everything to windsurfing. In the past she was the UK wave vice champion.
Next time when I meet up with them I will not be photographing them, but windsurfing instead. Now I’m off to Brighton and Kent to meet UK windsurfing Olympians and other interesting sportsmen.
Last week was spent traveling to the Brighton. Met new people, done photos of them, had fun and good time. Today was “nice” day as well. Completely lost my voice because of inflammation of vocal cords, lost my both assistants somewhere in hills, but day ends up with nice 8×10 sheets hanging on the string…
Last week, I photographed Sarunas, a longboarder from Lithuania who lives in London, UK at the moment. He was a very talkative and lively personality and has taken up longboarding for around 1.5 years. While we were talking I realised that ambition, stubbornness and the pursuit to his goals are all aspects that describe him. Downhill skateboarding is the only type he does from skateboarding and from all the Lithuanian people I know, he is the only one who doesn’t just take it up as a hobby, and takes part in competitions around Europe at the moment. I wish you fast speed and big results in your career.
A week ago, I started to shoot this series.
Kami San (France) was the first person I photographed. He is a downhill skateboarder. It was a freezing morning, 20 minutes to setup and two film sheets were used to capture the moment. A few cups of tea and the first shooting was done. We are now gaining speed and the next stop is Brighton, UK.
Windsurfing… It all started the first moment I placed myself onto the board. I remember unpacking everything and getting ready for this as if I were going on an adventure of some sort. As I stepped onto the wet surface of the board I could feel the chilly wind brush through me as if clearing my problems and thoughts. Now it was only me, the water and my windsurf board. The front of my board started tilting upwards as I gained speed. When I finally started to speed up, a connection began, I could finally enjoy the exhilaration of this moment in time; the moment where the world seemed to float away from me and all my thoughts of the real world were drifted away by the wind and waves.
Two years ago I started windsurfing myself. During this time I gained experience by socialising with different people who shared similar interests with me. I enjoyed this a lot, since it created a chilled out and laid back atmosphere among the different personalities of people I talked to. Since I knew in my heart that I wanted to and was a photographer I decided to join water sports and photography together into one. I started to shoot a series like a documentary of people who take up water sports. Many photographers find it more important to take pictures of the people doing the sport in the moment but I would rather take images of them personally since it means I can communicate with them and get to know them as the actual people instead of just someone who takes part in a water sport. I prefer to use older photography processes e.g. film sheets, glass plates and paper, since I personally think that the process takes up more time and creates a kind of more faithful connection between the person being photographed and the photographer.
At the moment, I’m collaborating with many extreme sport members in England and some away from the borders of the UK. From this I am working on a new photography’s series. I will update my blog continuously to show how things are progressing.
In a past few months was harsh times to start a new project with extreme sports. But with help of “North Sails” and UK team K-66 , I’m starting with this new exiting project and starting to get speed with it. More info and pictures are coming up. Lets move on…..
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