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Jordy Smith, tail-high in Ballito, Durban

Jordy Smith is into the quarterfinals at the Mr Price Pro, Ballito. But, yesterday in his round of 16 heat against Nate Yeomans, the waves were horrendous. “About as bad as I’ve ever seen for an event,” says Ryan Miller. “I thought there was no way I would get a photo.” Luckily, howevs, Jordy always pulls something magic out. “Jordy hammered this tail-high reverse in the first ten seconds of the heat, stuck it and scored a nine. Got my photo and Jordy just about wrapped up the heat before his hair even got wet.”


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Ryan Miller

Ryan Miller, 33 years old, does not know how to write a bad email. Your pals at Stab have learnt to live vicariously through Miller’s red wine-fuelled letters from the road. His travels take him to some dreamy locales and, in those places, he scores all-time photos: “My favourite photo I’ve shot was of Benny Bourgeois in the Caribbean, with a fisheye. Often I just take photos, but rarely do I get to make one.” In an age of tail-highs and released fins, Ryan still most likes to shoot someone who can lay-down a big backside turn. Namely: Jordy Smith, Dane Reynolds, Gabe Kling, Kekoa Bacalso, Damien Hobgood and Peter Mendia. Like most photogs, Miller misses Scott Aichner’s work. But, as far as contemporary inspiration? “Trying to see things through my daughter’s eyes. It’s wild to think about someone experiencing something totally new on almost a daily basis when, as adults, we rarely get to experience something truly new.”

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