The Nightcap of the Nite.

(The website of Dane Peterson: http://www.danepetersonphotography.com/ )

(Dane Peterson photography feat. pro surfer Cassia Meador; advertising spread for Roxy Signature wetsuits.)

Tonight I’d like to share the inspirational surf photography of Dane Peterson. 

Shooting great surf photography always brings a great deal of various challenging factors: natural lighting and weather conditions, premium surf/wave conditions, obviously having the capable—and in the moment, well-performing surfer/subject dialed in at that time, break—if you’re shooting action vs. lifestyle—getting the best vantage point as photographer (if you’re not in the water you need the perfect trajectory on land), etc. So there are always a few unpredictable elements to consider when capturing surf photography.  Dane Peterson is among those rare photographers who just surpasses those unpredictable moments and turns ordinary into magnificent.

Dane currently lives in Sunshine Coast (Yaroomba) of Australia, but grew up in Malibu, CA as the son of a respected surfer/shaper. Photography for Dane came purely by accident. He often traveled the world as a professional surfer and was once asked by a former partner to document one of his trips to Japan. He still attributes that trip to Japan and the photos taken as a pivotal moment of change in the course of his life’s direction.

Dane is as skilled on a board as he is behind the lens, which gives him the ability to capture moments most people overlook. He looks for the subtlety, the moments in between the action, from capturing tubes from the water to the nightly parties, he lives for the variety.

This is what I find most outstanding about Dane’s work. Gazing at his images remind me of pushing the remote’s “pause” button during a fantastic old gritty Bruce Brown video; Dane’s images capture a single moment’s excerpt from a larger classic boardriding adventure. He focuses on the small details, the tiny beautiful—yet meaningful—moments which build up to the frames which many other common surf photographers choose to focus on. Dane serves up the “outtakes” and always manages to portray an emotive and breathtaking story during those seconds in time which others seem to overlook. The bodies of others in the lineup intercepting the complete surfer in focus, the walk up to the nose vs. the noseride itself, the simple elegance of the perfect paddle-out…This unique perspective and approach is what makes Dane’s work so exceptional. 

Here is a fabulous quote from Dane himself “Everyone focuses so much on the nose ride (which is fucking amazing when done right don’t get me wrong). But there are so many little delicate moments in between that lead you to that point. To me, those moments are truly traditional long boarding and when its done right, It’s a sight to behold.”

Dane is currently the first/only surfer to both appear on the cover of The Surfer’s Journal as the subject and the photographer (issue 18.2).

Please check out his fabulous portfolio/online gallery here: www.danepetersonphotography.com where you can also approach him about purchasing prints or future shoot engagements. 

My dad has the most amazing citrus trees: lemons, oranges, ruby red grapefruits, limes; and the lemons are the most juicy, delicious variety I’ve ever tasted! They have something very unusual going on too—they are the size of the largest oranges! These lemons are of the Ponderosa variety. I am the lucky recipient of a fresh box of his outstanding citrus trees’ most recent productions and taking these gems right into the kitchen.

The Ponderosa began as a chance seedling in 1886. It was first propagated under the name “American Wonder Lemon” and is thought to be a natural cross between another type of citrus and a lemon, possibly Citron. The Ponderosa Lemon tree is frequently found throughout Florida, Texas and California. This type of lemon is a very interesting specimen with very large, bumpy skinned, juicy, seedy fruit usually weighing 2-4 pounds. It is sometimes referred to as the ‘Five Pound Lemon’. The flowers are intensely fragrant and produce loads of these huge lemons. The tree is self-fertile and always a real conversation piece. (They can grow to the size of a football!)

Tonight, I’m making Tennesse Tea with my lemons. Here’s my favorite T-Tea recipe:

—Fill a Mason Jar with ice
—Add 1 shot of Jack Daniels
—Add 1 shot of Cointreau
—(This is where I hand-squeeze 1 entire Ponderosa lemon into the glass for a natural and much more tart, flavorful approach—instead of the sugary sweet n’ sour mix) 
—Top off with Coke (or you can skip this part and shake and strain for a shot; good to top of the glass with sugar rim if you don’t like it too tart)

Cheers!

Print work of Alabama-based letterpress printer Amos Kennedy Jr. 

I am currently in midst of developing a special custom letterpress job and have had a few great conversations some talented printers whose work I really admire. This process is something I have always enjoyed and I really take great passion and joy in the production process of small-handcrafted print runs and the ability to create truly memorable and unique projects developed by traditional, classic techniques. A fabulous and noted letterpress studio who I’ve had the fortune of collaborating with, recommended the work of Amos Kennedy to me this morning. After doing a bit of research and investigation on this talented letterpress printing mavericks’ work, I stumbled into the realm of beautiful, radical, progressive-minded arts gallery of Mr. Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. 

Having been an artist rooted in blue-collar production techniques and grinding hours in dirty, sweaty, basement offset-print shops cranking Heidelbergs and burning rubylith many years ago in my “grunt” years as an intern growing up and trying learn the trade while paying for college—I developed an immense appreciation for letterpress printing and poster design. I especially oogled over the classic and timeless prints created for punk rock and indie music artists by press-legends like:  Art Chantry, Hatch Show Print, Bryce McCloud, Jeff Kleinsmith, Ames Bros., Modern Dog, etc. growing up and this helped form my appreciation and passion for not only a career in graphic design, but a deeper respect for the long hours standing at filthy machinery and showing up on dates with ink buried under my fingernails.  

Today, I would like to share the amazingly honest, gritty, beautiful work of Amos Kennedy. I hope his work inspires you to go out and roll up your sleeves and get a little dirt and ink under your fingernails this weekend…Check out his amazing gallery (where you can also purchase prints) here: http://www.kennedyprints.com

Gotham City

Recently, I have been working quite frequently with the Gotham font family. I was a bit impartial to the font the first time I’d tried setting type with it for a client assignment early last year. However, the font has really grown on me in the last 6 months and I have especially taken a deep appreciation for the light and medium weights. Gotham offers a very clean, contemporary yet classy typographic construction which I personally feel communicates a confident yet approachable personality.