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Creed McTaggart, a swerve captured from the iron butterfly, WA

It was good fortune that found Russ Ord shooting photographs from an iron butterfly. The chopper pilot called Russ’ pal, Leith Holtzman (who uses a bird for his show, Home Grown Maniacs), and told him that he had some fuel to burn. So, Russ hitched a ride.

The clique, which also included Jack Robsinson, Dan Corbett, Dino Adrian, Tom Innes and Creed McTaggart (who y’see pictured here), checked the waves early and figured a beachie in the Margaret River area would be their best bet. They also fired up two PWCs (not so much to tow, but more to quicken the wave-catching turnaround and not waste precious chopper time.)

Kids are raised differently in West Oz. They have grit. If you need proof, look no further than Jack Robinson and Creed here. “He dominates the lineup out at the Box,” says Russ of Creed. “You get a lot of respect if you just take off on everything and anything, and that’s what those boys do.” Even with a chopper buzzing overhead, skis whipping by and a crew of WA’s finest paddling around, Creed had no trouble laying down stylish and timeless rail-grip swerves like this. Suffice to say the kid knows how to put himself in the zone.

Photographer profile

Russell Ord

Russell Ord, 37, captured Chris Ross arching beneath The Right, in WA. He captured it with his fisheye lens. He learnt a lesson that day at The Right, too – the best shots don’t come easy. Big, dark and scary righthand barrels towards the bottom of Australia are Russ’ kink. His favourite photo is a Jon Frank study of Marti Paradisis at Shipsterns. And, one of Stab‘s more well-received Full Frames was a Jack Robinson sequence in WA, shot by Russ, which featured the microstar powering through a dark, trucking right. Russ likes WA a lot, actually. His favourite surfers to work with are all men from the west, particularly those with no stickers on their sleds and will chase glory with or without a lens to capture their braves. Russ hasn’t been in the game too long but his biggest paycheque, $6k, is one he hopes to repeat. And with an eye like his, it ain’t a stretch to imagine.

More photos from Russell Ord