Aaron Goulding’s been a punk rock musician, a professional body boarder and a surf photographer.
Now he’s got an art gallery in La Jolla showcasing his work.
The 1,300-square-foot Aaron Goulding Photography Gallery at 1273 Prospect St. debuted Saturday, May 2 with a ribbon cutting ceremony along with the La Jolla Village Merchants Association. Goulding autographed posters for the first 100 guests.
You don’t have to talk long with Goulding, who moved to La Jolla 16 years ago from Orange County, to figure out what his central focus is.
“The waves, the coastline, the reefs, the rocks up against the ocean, the little nooks and crannies: I learned to photograph all of those,” said Goulding, whose love for the ocean is partly a byproduct of his being a professional body boarder in the early ’90s.
“I got into photography in the late ’80s and I would shoot shore-break stuff back then, and it was difficult shooting with film,” Goulding recalled, noting his personal background has been anything but orthodox.
“I was a professional body boarder for five years, then moved to Sweden where I joined a Swedish-American punk rock band, Pridebowl,” he said. “We were the first punk rock band to ever tour in China.”
But Goulding has since settled down, or at least settled in one place, La Jolla, where he now lives with his wife and three children.
Speaking of his new art gallery, and his motivation behind creating it, Goulding said, “This town needs a gallery where people can find local imagery. I want to show the world what I have seen for the past 25 years in and around the ocean – all the beautiful sunsets and sunrises by the sea, waves, and sea life, all from the water, land and air.”
The surf photographer said his new La Jolla gallery has a small backroom where he’s set up a fully furnished portrait studio “not only for myself, but to rent it out to other businesses and photographers.”
Goulding said one dream he’d like to fulfill with his new art gallery is to “have Santa Claus around Christmastime in the backroom taking his picture with everybody in San Diego.”
Moving to La Jolla was a no-brainer for the surf photographer.
“It’s pretty breathtaking where we live – paradise,” Goulding noted. “This is my home. I see why Dr. Seuss loved it.”
Goulding’s new art gallery is in addition to his smaller studio space, which he’s been operating for years at 1255 Coast Blvd.
Specializing in surf, scenic, portrait and underwater photography, Goulding’s clientele has varied from high-profile celebrities to advertisers, magazines and, what he describes as, “just regular folks looking for a good portrait.”
Goulding said his life thus far has been so interesting that “I’ve retired early and am going to live my life backwards. He added, “I’m OK with the path of life I chose. At the same time, I’m doing everything in my power to live my dream.”
For more information, call 858-312-0970 or visit wwwaarongouldingphotography.com.