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Billy Kemper. “I want to stay as close the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center.” - Kurt Vonnegut Photo: Tyler Cuddy
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There is no better drug in the world than adrenaline. Just ask Torrey Meister. Photo: Tyler Cuddy
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Archy. Every once in a while, you stumble across some great people. People who have made life seem effortless, they’ve somehow found a way to succeed without being compromised. People that make your life a little easier because you get to see just how it's supposed to be done. Photo: Tyler Cuddy
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Pipe. “My head was feeling scared but my heart was feeling free.” - The Pixies Photo: Tyler Cuddy
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Tahiti. There’s a whole world out there that I never knew anything about ‘til I got up and left. You can read about it in books and see it in pictures, but it won’t ever bring you any closer to it. You have to get up and go. Don’t just sit there; fall in love with the road. Photo: Tyler Cuddy
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Dane Gudauskas. Wild at heart, weird on top. Photo: Tyler Cuddy
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Mark Healey. “If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don’t even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. it could mean mockery - isolation…” - Charles Bukowski Photo: Tyler Cuddy
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Rob Machado and Mick Fanning. I would be lying if I said I know these people very well, ‘cause I don’t. I just know that the majority of people are no good, but I think these two are different. They seem to grab life where others let it slip through their fingers; they keep going when others give up and become complacent. Photo: Tyler Cuddy
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Huntington. You always have to be aware of the lens in which you’re viewing the world. It’s never going to perfect, it can always be sharper and more precise, but just because it's scratched, blurry and out of whack doesn’t mean it’s broke. Photo: Tyler Cuddy
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Kalani Chapman. I have to imagine one of the worst things in the world would be to lose a friend. I’m assuming it would make you want to throw yourself over the edge and not look back. Photo: Tyler Cuddy
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Josh Kerr. Sometimes you just have to travel half way around the world to see a surfer who’s from half way around the world, catch a wave that came from half way around the world. Photo: Tyler Cuddy
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Santa Barbara. I’ve never been up against it. I’ve always managed to scrape rent and hustle some food money, but there are always going to be ups and downs, strikes and gutters. There’s comfort in the fact that no matter how bad things get, you can always open your eyes. They can’t charge you for that. They can’t say don’t look at the island, they can’t tell you what to appreciate. Photo: Tyler Cuddy
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Twiggy. “My own personal Jesus” - Depeche Mode Photo: Tyler Cuddy
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Surfer’s Paradise. It’s that place at the end of the road. It’s that place where you can gamble all night long and no one will judge, where the waves are good and the water is warm. There are fish and chips on every street corner and you can bet on the horses in every bar. Yeah, it’s a little expensive and the Internet is slow but get real, just go with it. Photo: Tyler Cuddy
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Paige Hareb. "And she turned and took me by the hand and said I’ve lost control again. And how I’ll never now know just why or understand. She said I’ve lost control again and she screamed out kicking on her side and said I’ve lost control again..." - Joy Division Photo: Tyler Cuddy
Tyler Cuddy: because hygiene matters.
Photographer Tyler Cuddy has made quite a name for himself over the last few years with his unmistakable brand of surf photography. His images are artful and poignant, often offering a shadowy and textured glimpse into surfing’s more important moments. According to Cuddy, the opportunity to travel provides him with endless inspiration.
Says Cuddy:
Too much of the world doesn’t make sense to me. People. Relationships. The government. All of these things are just baffling to me. It wasn’t until I picked up a camera and had an excuse to travel that things started making sense.
For years now, traveling is the only thing that has kept me sane. It’s basically the only thing that keeps me going: the idea of seeing something for the first time, learning about other people, eating new food… My blood is just too thick to stay in one spot.
I can’t stand the thought of being in one place for years at a time only to look forward to those two weeks of paid vacation. I can’t stand the thought of falling into a rut of monotony and complacency. It’s when I find myself settling down that everything starts to collapse; I get angry, confused, and lazy. I hate what it does to me. I become worthless. When I’m home, life is constantly pushing me around, but when I’m on the road, I get to push back; it’s exhilarating.
View more of Tyler Cuddy’s work on his frequently-updated blog.
