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This is a portrait of Reid Jackson on the west coast of Hiada Gwaii. We were dropped off on a very secluded area for a 10 day trip in search of waves and fortune wild. We found three waves within ten minutes of camp. As you can see here, Reid was very excited about his last surf. Photo: Kyler Vos
I call my home base Tofino. Although I have spent a fair amount of time in Haida Gwaii in the past couple of years, I spend the winter months hunkered down in Tofino chasing the cold swells up and down the coast of Vancouver Island.
My work is focused mainly around surfing, but summers on the coast consist of small (inconsistent) waves and fog. This summer I started driving for bear and whale watch tours and I am shooting more nature than surfing- that is until the swell shows up. It’s definitely a change from constantly checking the beaches and going for a swim. When you are trying to get a good shot of an orca or a wolf it is a lot more time consuming. I have spent hours and hours on the water gripping the trigger waiting for the next whale to breach. Even then you have no clue when or where it is going to breach.
After the crowds of tourist head home around September, the swell starts to hit and the fun begins. Traveling is always the best part of winter weather- on a boat up the coast to score some waves or on a plane to a tropical beach to ditch the rain. My portfolio consists of the last couple years of around home and a couple from Hiada Gwaii. Hope you enjoy.