Tom Servais and the Dying Art of Surf Photography

Tom Servais has lived a life that might make most envious. As a workers photographer for SURFER journal, he spent years touring the world with the perfect surfers, capturing excellent waves in far-flung areas, and incomes sufficient to purchase a house in California. But the panorama that formed his profession has modified quite a bit in the previous few a long time.

Servais, who was inducted into browsing’s Hall of Fame this 12 months, says the digital images revolution, the arrival of social media, and shifts in advertising tendencies – amongst different components – have made it far tougher to outlive solely as a still-surf photographer. Today, that profession path is viable for less than a handful of individuals.

Servais still shoots and has no regrets in regards to the life he selected, even when it wasn’t essentially the most profitable. We caught up with him to speak in regards to the state of surf images – the realities of constructing a dwelling, what recommendation he’d give to newcomers, and the pictures catching his eye nowadays.

In previous interviews, you’ve mentioned that there aren’t many iconic surf images anymore. Can you elaborate on that? Is social media the wrongdoer?
Social media has quite a bit to do with it. I wouldn’t say that iconic images don’t exist, but it surely’s tougher for images to grow to be iconic as a result of they don’t stay in anybody’s thoughts for very lengthy. Think about Kai Lenny and the aerials he does on large waves. Is there one specific wave that you simply bear in mind him doing it on? There’s simply a lot content material, and folks take a look at images so shortly. In the outdated days, a photograph could be on the quilt of {a magazine} or an expansion, and folks would take a look at it for a month earlier than they’d see any extra surf images, that made images iconic since they have been embedded in peoples minds.

Is there a current surf photograph that has impressed you?
Recently? Photos from Jaws, Teahupo’o and a number of the slab waves. Not so current, I consider Brian Bielmann and his photograph of Nathan Fletcher at Teahupo’o on the Code Red swell. There have been nonetheless magazines at that time. In 2018, there was an XXL swell the place Ramon Navarro obtained the wave of the day, if magazines nonetheless existed which will have grow to be iconic. And there are such a lot of nice images of Matahi Drollet at Teahupo’o, however which one stands proud in your thoughts?

What makes a photograph timeless?
Lots of it has to do with timing and the way it was printed. There are most likely various things answerable for timeless images. With the Tom Curren cutback photograph, he was such a well-liked surfer and also you didn’t see him out in entrance of the digicam as a lot as you may see Kelly Slater. And his type is iconic in itself, particularly on this flip. Then the journal printed it and he didn’t have any logos on his board, in order that added to the story. And it stored being printed many extra occasions and lots of occasions within the digital period now. It struck a nerve for some motive. The Andy Irons photograph with Shane Dorian swimming within the wave face at Teahupo’o, Andy did interviews about that wave and saying it was the wave of his life, and Shane was within the photograph. Again, within the outdated days print made a extra indelible mark on folks’s minds. Probably essentially the most iconic surf photograph of all time is Greg Noll standing in entrance of Pipeline in his striped trunks.

What do you consider the Gabriel Medina viral kick-out shot on the Olympics? It’s probably the most-seen surf photograph ever.
I’m jealous it wasn’t my photograph. Maybe, it was so common solely as a result of the Olympics ran it a lot and the media picked up on it? It’s an excellent photograph. And despite the fact that there was numerous photogs there, it was simply that one angle that lined it up so properly. It’s sort of a fortunate photograph, and to be sincere, a whole lot of iconic/timeless images are fortunate. You have sure photographic abilities, however it’s important to be in the fitting place on the proper time and have the fitting angle whether or not you’re within the water, on a ship or on land.

The surf group appears to be break up on that photograph. Some are bitter that it wasn’t a core surf shot.
It doesn’t trouble me that it’s not a hardcore surf photograph. I feel it’s cool. There’s a surfboard within the photograph and it’s a surfer. I feel nearly each single individual on the earth seems at that image and relates it to browsing. It is a browsing photograph. It’s a flyaway kick out. It’s a part of the trip.

You’ve spoken quite a bit about how digital images opened the door for extra photographers and improved the general high quality with autofocus. Has there been a equally game-changing innovation in, say, the final 5 to 10 years?
I don’t assume so. It was about 1990 when Canon got here out with the primary skilled autofocus digicam. That was a game-changer as a result of, abruptly, you had a a lot increased proportion of your images being tack sharp. Digital opened up a whole lot of areas, like with the ability to shoot in several mild situations. But the perfect a part of digital for established surf photogs was with the ability to keep out within the water with out coming in after each 36 pictures. Now you may keep out at Pipeline for so long as you need as an alternative of constructing journeys forwards and backwards to unload and reload your digicam. Before digital in the event you needed to shoot 140 water pictures at Pipe, you actually needed to swim out and in 4 occasions – and getting out and in of the water at Pipeline was at all times the toughest half about capturing there. The different factor is that within the days of movie, it was costly, movie was $20 a roll for the movie and processing, and exposures have been crucial. So for brand spanking new photogs eager to get within the recreation, they could shoot 5 rolls and get nothing at a price of $100, in order that discouraged new expertise.

Then what’s going to the subsequent large breakthrough be? Phones? Drones? AI?
I’ve by no means had a drone. They’re implausible. I’m not going to say something destructive about them. We used to kiddingly name them a poor man’s helicopter. But with drones you may comply with the surfer which you’ll be able to’t actually do in a helicopter, the drones are literally higher than helicopter images, and clearly quite a bit cheaper. I assume telephones will simply preserve getting higher and higher high quality. I don’t know in the event that they’ll ever meet up with cameras. As far as AI, I’ve a buddy who has been taking a few of his stills and turning them into movies. They say with the RED digicam, you may take stills from the video. But I don’t assume the standard is kind of the identical. There may be a time when the precise high quality out of these may be simply pretty much as good as a nonetheless digicam, and that might let you shoot video after which pull tremendous high-quality stills out of your footage.

Are the times of full-time surf photographers over?
It looks as if a whole lot of the photographers, particularly the nonetheless photographers, have second gigs. They shoot weddings, product stuff or some aspect job. Back within the older days, surf photogs have been turning down journeys. I used to be very fortunate, as others, to be on retainer with SURFER journal, and we might decide and select the place we needed to go and shoot with the surfers we most popular. And we had most of our bills paid for to journey.

Most of the businesses don’t have nonetheless photographers working for them anymore from what I’ve heard. They don’t market their surfers as a lot, they depend on their surfers to market themselves on social media. The highest-paid surfers get a finances for hiring their very own video man. There are just a few full time nonetheless surf photographers, however I don’t assume too many are making a superb dwelling at doing that anymore?

What sort of a dwelling was it again then? Like a “buy a house” sort of job?
Well, I used to be in a position to barely purchase a home, when it was extra reasonably priced. Some photogs like Jeff Hornbaker (who shot campaigns for Quik and Roxy) or Art Brewer (who did a whole lot of industrial work exterior of surf) have been two of the very most profitable surf photogs financially and creating a number of the most memorable pictures, the easiest and most well-rounded photographers in surf and industrial work. I by no means made a six-figure earnings, and I used to be doing fairly good in comparison with others. Back then, a whole lot of photographers couldn’t afford to purchase a home, however they have been making sufficient cash to journey and benefit from the way of life. When I first got here to California within the early ’70s simply to surf, I used to be washing dishes, ready tables, I labored at a clothes retailer and a gasoline station, finally touchdown a job within the photograph division at a junior school. I had these blue-collar jobs making minimal wage, however I used to be in a position to stay a cushty life. Nowadays, it looks as if in the event you don’t have a superb job, you may barely pay hire. I don’t understand how these photographers make it these days, lot’s of sacrifice and fervour.

Do your outdated images nonetheless generate passive earnings?
Yes, nonetheless promoting images, principally from my archives for numerous initiatives like books, films or tales on the web, and restricted version prints, however not some huge cash, however sufficient to be snug. I stay a reasonably frugal way of life. I don’t have costly tastes. I nonetheless have a whole lot of freedom.

What will get you excited to choose up a digicam these days?
Going to Hawaii each winter capturing the easiest surfers in a number of the world’s finest waves. I’m not going to make it this winter, however I often go to Hawaii within the winter for six weeks and I shoot on the actually good days once I assume I can get one thing particular. Maybe, chase a swell in Fiji?

Any life classes that you simply’ve realized by means of surf images?
One factor I used to be taught once I was younger was that you simply’re most likely going to work your entire life. I used to be by no means motivated a lot by cash – not that I need to be poor, I need to be snug – however I needed to do one thing that I loved doing, and I at all times beloved sports activities. Sometimes now I’m going, “Gosh, maybe it would have been nice to have made more money, or maybe I should have been a little more careful with my money and saved it.” I most likely might have been smarter with a few of my cash at occasions, however I had a good time, lived an excellent way of life, and I obtained to journey the world. I’ve this large photograph assortment that I’m nonetheless in a position to make some cash off of, and I’ve the flexibleness and freedom that I’ve at all times had, which, to me, is as helpful as being wealthy.

What recommendation would you give to somebody who needs to get into surf images?
Sometimes I inform folks, “You know what? It’s a better hobby than a profession.” But I additionally inform them in the event you’re actually captivated with one thing, and you’re employed onerous sufficient at it, you’ll succeed at one degree or one other. Your character and the way you get together with folks dictate how profitable you’ll be in life. I feel except you’re an absolute genius, it actually helps to be likable. That opens a whole lot of doorways for you. Photography typically could be very aggressive these days, as a result of everyone needs to be a photographer, whether or not it’s for style or browsing. Next to being an influencer, it’s most likely probably the most sought-after jobs.