Chris Orwig - Flipside

the gift

above is an iphone pic of my daughter with my new fuji x100. the camera is unbelievable – simple, quiet and intriguing. what’s even more unbelievable is that the camera was a gift from one of my best friends who is a colleague, mentor, co-conspirator, photographer and all around uber creative guy. he gave me the camera with no strings attached, yet it did include a challenge.

here’s what he said, “create, have fun and… the only thing i ask is that you somehow, at some point use the camera to do good for others.” it is an opened ended challenge and i’ve been trying to think about what could be done. do you have any suggestions? i’m all ears.

what photograph do you like best?

one of my favorite things to do is to get up before the sunrise and to wander around the water’s edge with camera in hand. i love the quiet whisper of the morning – its clears and refreshes my mind, my vision and occasionally my soul. the following photographs were captured on one such morning. each photo was captured within just a few moments of the other, yet each photo is distinct and unique. here’s how all this involves you –  what perspective or “story” do you like best? it would be a honor to hear your thoughts. (be sure to click on the photos for a larger view)

photo above: defiance - vertical

photo above: defiance – horizontal

photo above: walking alone

blue

(click the image above for a larger view)

underwater

i’m finally back in santa barbara after some great travels and i’m really looking forward to 2010. the last few days there has been some excellent surf. one morning i took out my water housing. above are a couple of shots i took underwater. it’s really interesting and enjoyable to swim around in the ocean with a camera. more photos to follow…

rincon

last time i went surfing i brought along the blackbird (mentioned in the previous post) and stashed it in the bushes. i took some photos before and after surfing. it was a great way to combine two of my passions. i wasn’t too sure how they’d turn out yet when i got the film back i was pleasantly surprised. here’s one of my favorites from that day.

the sea

alone in the sea
i remember so much life
i have already forgotten

rob machado / surf experience + green expo

i just received the poster for the rob machado surf experience and green expo and i am stoked! they ended up using one of my portraits of rob and they chose an amazing surf shot taken by my good friend todd glaser (click here to check out todd’s work). the poster artwork was done by seitaku aoyama of studio aiuto. click on the image above for a larger view!

pier

walking along the ocean’s edge
the morning fog softened sound and sight
making me think new thoughts
as i absorb all that i see

dream come true

i’m back from hawaii – it was a great trip. today my sister-in-law sent me these photos and i am ecstatic! as you can see, i had the chance to take my oldest daughter annika surfing – it was a dream come true. we even practiced a few stunts…  it was an absolute blast!!

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and here’s a couple more photos of some beach fun. if you look closely you can see that the kids had a lot of fun getting buried, and burying me, in the sand.

channel islands

i just i came across this photo from a surf/camping trip to the channel islands.
seeing it reminded me how much i cherish getting outside – enjoy.

jack o’neill’s home

today, i was digging through the archives and came across this previously discarded polaroid. there’s something special about film and i especially have a soft spot for large format polaroids. anyway, this shot was from last year when i had the privilege of photographing jack o’neill at his home in santa cruz. it was an incredibly special shoot for me. in addition, it was interesting because the first wave i ever caught was directly in front of his house. (click on the image above for a larger view)

fisherman

i’ve always been drawn to the simultaneous simplicity and complexity of the sea.