nathan766_bw
The unmistakable swooping style of Mr Joel Parkinson cutting around me at one very crowded Snapper Rocks session many years ago. I love this photo. Until recently (as it was digital), this was lost. The problem with all this digital stuff is that sometimes it does just vanish and this is a constant worry: will I accidentally delete it off my HD pack? So many things can go wrong with this technology. So, one afternoon whilst rearranging photos, I came across a .tiff file of the this image, but not the RAW. I can run with that. Better than no photo at all. Digital vs. Analog is a tough one. I think I'd rather care for a physical slide photo in a protective archival sleeve in a box than care for temperamental hard drives. I have lost more images due to HD crashes than I ever have in slides, so in the order of progression, we have also gone backwards just a little. Just my thoughts. Photo: Nate Smith
Editor’s Note: We’ve chosen to focus our relaunch around the theme: EVOLVE. Transformation is core to who we are, and we put it out to The Inertia’s influencers and most talented contributors to share moments that caused significant personal growth and transformation – ideally with some relation to surfing, but also to life in general. These are Nate Smith’s moments.
I can recall when I was really young always being mesmerized by what my mates where doing on a wave as I’d paddle back out – sitting and watching them blow the tail or get barreled. I thought those would make amazing photos. So there was my solution for the next few months. Fifteen odd years later, and I’m still doing it. Funny, yet cool, how things work out.
See more from Nate at NateSmithPhoto.com