Patagonia

WATERPROOF features the work of Australia’s leading surf photographers from the first known photograph of the Australian surf zone through to 20th century boom in surfing and the contemporary scene. Featured photographers include Richard Daintree, Frank Hurley, Harold Cazneaux, Jack Eden, Bob weeks, John Witzig, Peter Crawford, Ted Grambeau, Joli, Bill Morris, Sean Davey, Tim McKenna, Trent Mitchell, Russell Ord, ‘Rich’ Richards, Stuart Gibson, Fran Miller, Leroy Bellet, Ray Collins and dozens more.

Waterproof is not just a homage to the pioneers and leading lights of surf photography. It provides a lineage … a road map to where we are. Influences come from around the surfing world, but this anthology tracks those particularly Australian transitions, putting a few more missing pieces in the jigsaw. Waterproof does not dwell on professional surfing or what sort of equipment certain surfers or photographers use. It looks at surfing through a broad lens, embracing all forms of activity in the surf zone. Surf and Ocean photographers are often viewed as an unusual breed, a sub-culture inhabited by some real characters, some of whom have shuffled off this mortal coil in recent years. It is time to acknowledge them, and to celebrate their skills and dedication in creating images that inspire us.