Huck Triggs
We're Going Surfing, 2020
Digital Inkjet print
11 by 14 inches each
Going surfing is much more than riding a wave for 15 seconds: it is a process. In order to highlight the process of going surfing, I took a photojournalistic approach to capture the components that constitute a surfing trip. I drove up to Santa Barbara with my dad and a friend, where I watched the Rincon Classic surfing competition, surfed a spot called Hobsons, and then surfed in Malibu on the drive back home. These particular locations are charismatic and world-renowned, which host large and thriving surf communities. This collection of images documents many unseen parts of surfing that are typically ignored in surf photography but represent important aspects of the surfing process. Photographer Chris Burkard often shoots surfing action and lifestyle photographs, which document the process of “going surfing,” however they are almost always taken in arctic and subarctic regions. I decided to shoot my project closer to home for practical reasons, but I also wanted to shed light on the experience of a surf excursion. I hope to inform and edify my viewers on what surfing really is, and all that is involved in hopping onto a wave for 15 seconds.
