epic surf movie

This is a 10-minute video about the kite surfers where I live on Cape Cod.  I've been photographing them for about three years and I continue to be fascinated by their skills and the various personalities.  They represent an informal organization of people from widely different walks-of-life that connect with each other via mobile phones and social media about when and where the surfing will be good.  One of them calls me to let me know so I can go and photograph them.

Follow my YouTube channel:  Monte Ladner

Monte

new surfer

This is Jamie. I just met him today.  I'm sure I've seen him at the beach before (maybe even photographed him) but today was the first time I met him.  He's pretty good out there.

dog chases ball

This is a dog-chases-ball story in four pictures and a few words. I was at Chapoquoit beach yesterday to photograph the surfers when these two nice women showed up with their cute little dog, Wolfie.

I got interested when they started throwing a tennis ball for Wolfie to chase, mostly because the tennis ball was almost as big as Wolfie's head.  I asked them if they would throw the tennis ball toward me so I could photograph Wolfie running for it and they happily agreed.  We did several "takes."  Here is a short series that I liked:

Picture # 1  The ball is tossed.

Picture # 2  Wolfie in a confident and determined pursuit.

Picture# 3  Wolfie dives for the ball and appears to trip on his sweater vest.

Not to worry.  Wolfie was unharmed and no less enthusiastic about chasing the ball.  We did a few more shots and he seemed delighted to be getting the attention.

In fairness, it looks like Wolfie has a problem with his right eye and that disability might account for his apparent clumsiness.

I like the photographs of the surfers wiping out as much, or more, than their spectacular jumps.  After my experience with Wolfie I'll be on the lookout for more dog face-plants on the beach.

And this series of photographs highlights a lesson from the beach:  We cannot soar without first surviving and learning from our failures.  Wiping out makes us better.

Monte

a good day

My latest video is a five-minute piece covering the past week in my life here on Cape Cod. It is posted here as a YouTube link:

strapless ben

The Amazing Ben Stadelmaier kite surfing without a surfboard. He's unstoppable!

Actually, he had a board, but the board had no straps. I'd asked him to get some air so I could take some pictures and he obliged.  The board stayed in the water.

The thermometer in my car said it was 39-degrees F, but the wind was blowing pretty hard making it feel a lot colder. I don't know how these guys can get out in the water when it is so cold. They're either really tough or really nuts.

Monte

kite surfer at sunset

My friend, Peter, was out at Chapoquoit on a cold day near sunset.  The boat on the horizon was a bonus.

Monte

the warmth of fading light

The problem with Chapoquoit beach, my favorite place to photograph people on a beach, is that the sunset is directly backlighting my subjects, which gives me mostly silhouetted images. In this picture, Peter was off to the side of the setting sun and the warm light at the end of the day is illuminating the spray from his board.

Monte

when polarization is good

Went to Chapoquoit beach today and found a bunch of surfers. This is Tim, who was really putting on a great show. Unfortunately, I was not really "on-my-game" today, starting with forgetting to bring my polarizing filter on a cloudless sunny day with blinding glare coming off the water. Most of my pictures are silhouttes against a blown-out white sky. This one was not quite that bad because of the angle away from the sun. Still, it was fun to be out there.

Monte

catch a wave

This woman was surfing with a boogie board at Chapoquoit beach a few weeks ago when I took her picture.  She looks about my age, which means she probably grew up, like me, listening to the feel-good music of the Beach Boys.

As the years go by I try to actively cultivate a youthful mindset by staying interested in the process of living.  Mostly, I want to avoid the debilitating condition of chronic anger that seems epidemic in our culture.  Don’t misunderstand me, I recognize there are plenty of problems that need fixing and we should be finding ways to fix them, but with a positive and cooperative attitude – not just by ranting.

I’m clinging to the happiness and hopefulness of my youth, like the woman in this photograph.  I try to stay fit. I try to keep my mind active by reading books, and I photograph people who appear to be loving life.  I am, unashamedly, feeding on their positive energy.  I want to catch my own wave and ride it as long as I can because the Beach Boys told me if I do that … I’ll be sittin’ on top of the world.

Monte

no straps

This is my friend, Ben.  He was out in what felt like pretty rough conditions to me (I had to hang on to my tripod to keep it from blowing over) and he was kite surfing with a board that doesn't have foot straps!

Photograph taken at Chapoquoit beach (Cape Cod) on October 16, 2016

Monte

light and spray

The kicked-up spray being backlit by the setting sun gives, in my opinion, a cool contrast with the silhouette of the surfer.

Monte

spray

This is a photograph taken at Chapoquoit beach on 2016-10-16 near sunset.

The wind was really strong this evening at Chapoquoit. The salt spray was blasting my lens so that I had to wipe it off every few minutes.  A lot of the photos I took have a hazy appearance because the lens was covered in water.

Monte