Jeff Divine Surf Photography

For Christmas I got the colorfully wonderful and inspiring photography book Surfing Photographs From the Seventies by Jeff Divine. Best gift ever! And the best cure for the dreary days of the dead of winter of which we are experiencing at the moment. Nothing like sunshine, miles of blue seas and deep tans to warm someone up in an instant. The sense of youth, liveliness and pure passion and love of that mountainous adrenaline rush that comes with riding that perfect wave comes across perfectly clear in each and every photograph that Jeff Divine captured of his peers.

Even though I'm not a surfer myself, though I do want to try at it someday, I connect with the enthusiasm and freedom that is projected at me when I look at Divine's body of work. I can almost taste the sea salt on my tongue. I can nearly feel the long board below my feet and the sand between my toes. It's funny to think that these laid back lovers of the wild, wild ocean were thought of as "hippies" or "rebels" back in the day. And that before Divine and other photographers came onto the scene, surfing was sort of a hidden, mystical art that only the few and daring took part in. And that because of the risks Divine took with his photography, the world of hanging ten became known to the common crowd. And look where the sport is now. Brands like Quiksilver and Hurley keep the sport alive, incorporating fashion, art and culture into the swing of it all at the same time. It's a beautiful thing.

One 2013 resolution that I have for myself:  Learn how to surf. Let's make it happen.