Lugging an antique wood box camera along the Sunset Cliffs tide pools, photographer Rob Stephen received some curious stares from surfers passing by on their way out to catch some waves at the reef break known as “Garbage.”
Along this rugged stretch of coast, cameras can be considered intrusive by certain publicity-avoiding locals. In this case, however, the big old mahogany and leather box Stephen carried drew attention in a more positive fashion. The results of his photographic labors are now on display at Ocean Beach Surf & Skate, 4881 Newport Ave.
Entitled “Surfing Garbage,” the artistic display of 11-by-14-inch color portraits of the regular crew who frequent this particular Point Loma surf break proved to be an intimate project for the 41-year-old photographer.
“I was looking for photogenic locations first, and the cliffs are beautiful spots,” Stephen said. “I wanted to get portraits of people in their environment, so I started … around December (2004) and into January (2005) and noticed after time that along this particular location that it was mostly older folks with more of a nice community feeling about them. It was a small handful of guys there most every day, usually not for long. There was a calmness and quietness to their style, as opposed to the shredding type of surfing. They would surf, then shower on top of the cliff at a shower they maintain, and then go off to work or the rest of their day. I saw that this time was important to them, to their lifestyle and aesthetics. It was their walk in the woods, and I was drawn to that.”
Stephen’s unusual choice of camera helped with the feel of the project.
“I wanted to get a specific look,” he said. “I used a 60-year-old Graflex 4-by-5-inch sheet film format camera with 80-year-old uncoated lenses, which weighs seven pounds and is 13 inches long, so it did draw attention to it, as it was recognizable as being old. It’s slow and cumbersome for handheld use while I walked around the tidal rocks with trunks and booties on, but it’s a cool thing. I would ask these guys if they would mind posing for me, and the camera created a good situation because it seemed somehow more important and comfortable than if I was just shooting from on top of the cliff with a 600-millimeter.”
The gallery of Stephen’s subtle color images on display at the new, stylish Turquoise Coffee location has drawn both praise and approval from visitors and subjects alike.
“Some guys are really pleased about it, because it shows respect for the area and the locals, not stealing their souls,” he said. Stephen said he considers the surfer portraits as an ongoing project and is also currently photographing mariachis in Tijuana in a similar fashion.
“It’s very local and iconic,” he said. “I’m excited about it!”
“Surfing Garbage” is on exhibit in Ocean Beach through Jan. 3. For more information, visit www.robstephen.com.