On the tail end of a marathon swell, the decision was made to go out for one more surf. With each movement in the parking lot, grunts of being sore were loud and apparent. We dragged our feet across the beach at a snail’s pace and upon the first glance at the perfectly groomed waves, smiles took over our gloomy expressions and our pain was washed away.

Always watching over the water - these brave men and women put their lives at risk to make sure that a day at the beach is just that, and nothing worse.

Andy Donaldson of Scotland by way of Perth, Australia completes his crossing of the Catalina Channel. He posted a time of 9:22.52 over the course of 32.5km, landing him a new GB record. Andy is on the path to completing the "Oceans 7" swims within a year with Catalina being 6/7. On his journey, Donaldson is raising funds and awareness with the Black Dog Institute to make a change in the mental health space.

There’s nothing better than a portrait shoot turned surf shoot. I met up with the wonderful Brooke Mckallor at her home in Leucadia, CA and our time together did not disappoint. The day was spent exchanging stories, shooting photos, and loving on her little dog Roo. While shooting portraits, we made an impromptu decision to hit the surf to catch the sunset tide swing. Here are some images from the day well spent.

There are few people around like Tyler Vanosdell of Mission Bay Fly Fishing Co. Tyler is quick to take anyone eager to learn the art of fly fishing and show them the ropes. His depth of knowledge and ability to teach will have just about anyone casting flies on their first session.

An afternoon of endless casts, laughs, and talking story with Olivia Merlino.

A collection of surf inspired images from throughout my photography career.

During its historic winter, California received record-breaking amounts of rain and snowfall. Ocean conditions were not the most conducive to exploration or any sort of extracurricular activity. With a seemingly rare break in the weather, Erin Kothlow decided to free dive and explore the local Laguna Beach area.

No light? No worries. The decision was made for a last-minute rush to SanO with Rachael Tilly to catch the evening glow.

An afternoon spent soaking up the salt and sun with Taylor as she tested her fashion-forward functional suit from Belle the Label.

With an early exit from the 2016 US Open, Bianca Buitendag found some unwanted free time on her hands. On one of those days, the rules were quite simple: No surf talk and no watching of the contest. We filled the day with talks about life, naps, and more naps. Later on, we decided to wash off the contest blues with a sunset body surf.

After a quick stop in San Clemente, CA - Alice Le Moigne and Rachael Tilly arrived in the Doheny parking lot with bags full of suits from Abysse. With the new arrival of a southern swell, Rachael and Alice took their new suits for a test flight.

A sense of urgency filled the air as texts were flashing across screens - in the back of our minds, we knew that this would probably be the last chance of warm water and good waves for a while. An Indian summer swell was filling in and the light cast a golden hue across the water, almost as if God had spilled a jar of honey across the sky. The warm water greeted us like old friends and our mouths were filled with the all-too-familiar salty taste that the ocean provides. However, the longer we stayed in, the saltiness became sweet.

A Carolina girl who moved cross country to Southern California - Leah Thompson is a pro surfer with country roots. She spends most days wearing beach attire so we decided to switch it up with this shoot and create some images for Boot Barn.

He’ll say he’s a hobbyist, but others will tell you that Nate is a master craftsman. Nate Wells works out of his backyard shop creating fine-tuned tools for taking out the wide array of game fish that reside of the coast of California.

Surfing is the beautiful expression of oneself gliding over waves. However, every surfer needs that magic carpet that’s going to get them there. I believe that the construction of a surfboard is also a form of self-expression… but with the added satisfaction of bringing joy to the masses. Here is a collection of images of boards being brought to life.

Spent a morning with Isabella Nichols, Sarah Brady, and Ellie Brooks gallivanting through the streets of Laguna Beach, CA gathering content for Sun Bums social team.

The folks at Helm sent over a watch for testing - who better to put the watch through its paces than Casey Parlette? Extreme heat, metal shavings, and an excess of sawdust were a thorough test.

A collection of portraits in and around the water from throughout my career.