NATHAN GOLLAY
Compassionate ∩ Curious ∩ Persistent ∩ Innovative ∩ Collaborative
Life and Culture through Surf Photography
This is a collection of photos that I’ve selected because they tell stories. The process of taking one of these pictures is long: it starts with interpreting ocean and cloud forecasts, then choosing the right gear and configuring settings, and finally fighting currents and the power of the waves to be in the right spot to take a picture.
Most of these are taken with my Sony a6000, a 25-50mm lens, and a waterproof housing. Click on the photos to enlarge them. Enjoy 🙂
Touchdown: Central Coast, California 2021
It was very cold and very early. I was taking surf pictures for my friend’s social media, when I was drawn to swim down the coast- he wasn’t taking many waves; they were big and breaking hard.
As I swam, a seal popped its head out of the water and surveyed me like a submarine- as if beckoning me over. Moments later, just as the sun was poking over the cliffside, this wave came right to me, making the cold early morning worth it.
Electric Rush: Laguna Beach, 2020
This picture was taken at a tiny little reef, a closely guarded secret somewhere along the Laguna Beach coast. Several hundred yards out in the middle of the ocean, its the only wave breaking, on a tiny pocket of rock about 20 feet in diameter, surrounded by deep water.
I swam out there alone on this morning and besides the fish swimming through, was the only one who got to see this.
Morning Rinse: Kerala, India 2023
The idea for this photo was spontaneous.
While I was shooting this spot early in the morning after taking an overnight bus from Bangalore India, a local came out to see what I was doing and rinse off to start the day. I asked him if I could take his picture, and captured this moment: a ritual daily communion with the water at the precise moment a wave forms behind him.
Chance Encounter: Kovalam, India 2023
When you’re in an unfamiliar area, you have to rely on abstract forecasts and satellite imagery to figure out where the waves are. When I was on the west coast on India near Chennai, I met some of the Indian National Surf team by doing this, and had the opportunity to surf with them and become good friends.
A month later on the southern most tip of India, I took this photogrpah from my hotel room of the only member I had not met- only I didn’t know it at the time. It wasn’t until I paddled out and we realized we knew who each other were.
Surfing in India is how I’m told it used to be everywhere: a tight knit community with a profound connection to the ocean.
Hidden Gem: Central Coast, California 2023
Contrary to popular opinion, this is not me in this photo, it is my friend Daren, a sponsored surfer.
This wave is interesting in that it is hiding in plane sight; it is a very popular beach, mostly sheltered but breaks on big swells of a particular direction and at certain movements of the tide. Secret keeping is a staple of the surfing community, and the irony is that this one is ready for anyone with a keen eye to find.
Absurdism: Sri Lanka, 2023
I didn’t take this picture. The proof? Take a look at the dapper young man on the excavator.
These workers were fascninated by me bobbing up and down in the water, taking pictures of waves just a few dozen yards of water away from their worksite.
Thier worksite was insane. Powerful waves were crashign agasint their machinery constantly. It was absurd. It was more absurd that they beckoned me over to try out the excavator.
Dancing in the Sunlight: Laguna Beach, 2022
Days before this on a different wave, instead of a surfer pushign through down the face, about 16 dolphins did while I was surfing instead of taking picutres. Though this is pretty cool too, I mostly included it because of how it reminds me of that moment with the dolphins, the mingled fear (they’re big and coming at you) and awe.
Panorama: Central Coast, California 2021
This is the picture I look at when I want to remember my life and friends in San Luis Obispo.
Framed by the sheet of green water folding down you can see the idealistic Central Coast cliff face, with rugged greenery, jagged rocks, and beautiful small buildings tucked into the gaps.
Morning Swim: Kerala, India 2023
Moments before this, these guys invited me on their morning swim club.
In the back you see a boat that is very common in India, and very dangerous. There is a long stick pointed out the back with a motor and propellor attached. The stick has the propensity to swing around to the bloody detriment of anything in the water or on the beach. I had one close call on a crowded beach as I was walking back up to the lineup (yes walking, it was a quarter mile long point break always about 50 feet from shore)
Ripples: Central Coast, California 2020
Covid. Enough said I think.
Things become very interesting when the stimulation around you dwindles. I was fascinated on this day by the way the energy formed up on the sand in this dark water, how it looked like infinite lines from the this low angle.
Bon Voyage: Kerala India 2023
One of the cool things about being a surfer in a place where there aren’t a lot of them is that the other people you see aren’t other surfers. They’re fisherman.
I talked to these men on the beach briefly before they set off- they wanted to know what was doing with the technical contraption in my hand (my odd looking camera). I told them, and then swam out to take their picture as they entered the water.
Bon Voyage Continued: Kerala India 2023
I swam down the way to capture this: a wave with leading lines and the sunrise.
Orange Crush: Seal Beach, California 2020
Being Jewish, I have a long standing tradition on Christmas morning- I go surf. Or, I take pictures of surf, same difference.
The idea is no one’s out! Which in Southern California is about the wildest feeling out in the water. And, by the time the sun’s come up, I can join my friends for whatever Christmas day activities they may have planned, or simply do the Jewish tradition of a movie and Chinese food (seriously look it up).
No Vacancy: Central Coast, California 2021
Just a week prior to taking this photo I massively sprained my ankle: no kicking or swimming, especially with fins and a camera!
Perhaps it is cliche, but I still wanted to feel a part of the beach and ocean, to let my eyes relax into the distance. So, I put on my larger lens, tucked my crutches in, and captured many photos of my friend doing what I wish I could at the time.
Indian Tahiti: Kovalam, India 2023
Not a lot of people know that avid surf lovers can often tell where a wave is in the world from a mere photo or short video. Often, we can even tell the exact spot, even if we’ve never been there before.
I like to think that this photo woudl fool most of us.
Fishy Profile: Maui, 60ft Deep, 2021
Its a fish.
But also look at the geometric pattern on its body, like a Keith Haring mural: high contrast, evenly spaced negative and positive space. It’s the kind of detail you only get to see when you freeze the moment with a camera.
Click on the images to see them up close.
Nothing of Interest: Laguna Beach, California 2022
I began taking surf pictures in the height of the Instagram photography era. While I was by no means famous, I was featured on some cool pages and had a few thousand followers. I soon learned though that some things do not receive as much engagement as others.
Usually, liminal pictures like this, though I find it extremely interesting and evocative, the general public doesn’t. I’m sharing it here anyway.
Double Helix: San Luis Obispo, 2021
The flock of sea birds seem to follow some sort of pattern. To me, it looks like a single revolution of a double helix.
My Gear
I use a Sony a6000 with waterproof housing and a Go Pro Hero 4 Black. I wear Dafin Pro Model fins and various wetsuits, fin socks, board shorts, waterproof lights, etc.
The system is outdated, but still has life in it. I use three redundant leashes to keep the camera close when it inevitably gets knocked out of my hand by the lip of a wave, or worse, into my other hand.
