Sunset Beach May Not Be Your Favorite Wave, But It Sure Is Stunning
Tasmanian photographer Nick Green takes his first stab at documenting the North Shore and doesn't disappoint at the Vans Pro.
For over 50 years, everyone with a lens, pro or amateur, has been trying to capture the magic of the North Shore in their own unique way. From Art Brewer's first foray in '69, to Jeff Divine's timeless work with Gerry Lopez, and, of course, Tom Servais' immortal Tom Curren cutback photo, "The Rock" has been tirelessly documented by surf photography's heaviest players.
Enter Tasmania's Nick Green. A couple of months ago, he won the Follow The Light photography grant at the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center in California. Besides some cash and gear, one of the components of his prize was a working gig with Vans during the North Shore season.
Green, like his Tasmanian homeland, prefers his images heavy and weighted; high contrast, high saturation, stark blacks and whites. He'd never been to the North Shore before and came to the island unjaded and wide-eyed. We think he kind of nailed his first assignment at the Vans Pro.
All captions by photographer Nick Green.
"Straightening out for a long paddle back to the lineup."
"Davey [Van Zyl] was the most barreled out there, pretty sure he found the tube every heat. Impressive performance."
Kyuss King. In the words of Iron Maiden, run for the hills.
"Inspired by Ellis’s iconic AI image, I opted to take a walk around the back angle on the second day of competition for a more unique perspective."
"I spent almost an hour watching this particular lady and her gal pals posing on the beach, I’d love to see the photos they got."
"Pat Guadaskus threading through this thing on dark the night before competition."
"I remember my school bus would go past the local beach of a morning and I'd always hope there would be waves so I could surf after school. There usually wasn't as it isn’t a surf beach, but the few times the swell was big enough to get in there I’d be so excited, so I can only imagine the excitement the kids get here almost everyday."
"Stacked to the horizon...it's pretty nuts when you see a big set roll through at Sunset, pretty next level."
"Paparazzi time."
"A humble dude, Davey was surrounded by close mates who were more excited than he was."
"Sunset peak...fade to black."
