where the tigers are

This logo design(click image to enlarge) was done by Marcin Zeglinski. http://poduski.com/

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Keoni Jones, dropping into a blue wall. Keoni is on a board that older brother Mikala shaped back in Hawaii. It was the 2nd board Mikala had ever shaped. A 2+1 fin set up with a long fin box in the middle.

I recently told a friend who's from this general area that we went by motorbike two hours through jungle paths to get to this spot. He'd been over here before, but by boat. His eyes opened wide and he goes, "You know there's tigers there..."

I hadn't thought about that possibility at the time. We didn't see any though. I do remember that after we took the motorbikes as far as we could, on foot we hiked over these ridges under arching canopies of bamboo so big it felt like something from Honey I Shrunk the Kids. This bamboo was enormous, made me feel miniature.

this film project on fb: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hangs-Upon-Nothing-a-16mm-surf-film/246361802068338

volcanoscape

The view from the top of Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Looks like it could be Mars maybe. This was at the end of the day. I shot time-lapse, frame by frame with my Bolex, hitting the trigger button by hand every 30 seconds. It got freezing cold up here as the sun went down and I wasn't dressed for it. There were a few chunks of ice and snow scattered around where I was. I lasted for 30 minutes, and by the end of shooting this, I could barely feel my fingers enough to hit the trigger button.

I made the drive up in a rented "all wheel drive" mini SUV. I don't think I had the budget for 4WD, and well, all wheel drive is nothing close to 4WD, I'll say that. There is a really good reason the road up there is marked 4WD only, and there's a good reason the rental car companies don't want you driving there. It is steep, loose rock and gravel, and treacherous. The drive up is pretty intense.

The drive back down as darkness fell was frightening. I remember looking down on the clouds as I coasted down, riding the break on and off just enough to stay in control, yet not lose them. I'd never think of doing it again without 4WD. Later on I heard that three Japanese tourists had died in a 4WD vehicle on the way back down, a couple weeks prior.

Chuck Corbett told me a story of how he made the drive up here in the early 80's in a beater of an old station wagon. The last third of the way up he had to drive in reverse because it was the only gear that could make it.

this film project on fb: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hangs-Upon-Nothing-a-16mm-surf-film/246361802068338

Captain Abun

Captain Abun pilots the boat perched on a little red plastic chair that has been bolted down to the crew’s raised bunk platform. It’s a typical plastic pop out type lawn chair, but with the legs sawed off. The steering wheel looks like it’s from a 1970’s van. The generator sits on the floor next to him. He sits up on this chair, barefoot, with his legs crossed, smoking a cigarette. His shirt says “Short Boarders Fake It. Long Boarders Take It. Knee Boarders MAKE IT!”

this film project on fb: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hangs-Upon-Nothing-a-16mm-surf-film/246361802068338

sketchbook

Blacky during the midnight ride across the Lombok Strait by Ferry, big swell, and the girl at the point.

call of the jungle

the jungle, it beckons

this film project on fb: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hangs-Upon-Nothing-a-16mm-surf-film/246361802068338

morning of mikala

Mikala Jones, setting up for a long barrel. The light here reminds me of some shots from Morning of the Earth. I really relate to that film and the vision Alby Falzon brought to it. Amazing film and one of the inspirations for this project.

this film project on fb: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hangs-Upon-Nothing-a-16mm-surf-film/246361802068338

tonyo!

is making news again today:

"...Darmaputra Tonyo (IND) the Bali local from Legian has added another scalp to his collection, after taking down ASP World Junior number 2 Nat Young (USA) earlier in the event, he's now eliminated Jack Freestone (AUS) reigning ASP World Junior Champion..."

full article: http://www.aspworldtour.com/2011/10/07/reigning-asp-world-junior-champion-eliminated-from-oakley-world-pro-junior-bali/

october 06

Here's a poster design I've had in mind for a long time. I finally got inspired to finish it up today. The photo I used as the basis for this is from the first wave I ever shot of twin brothers Tonyo or Bleronk. They were both out, and I'm not sure which brother this is. This shot is from 5 years ago, and they were 15 then. It was messy and onshore, but still these guys were finding barrels. They were both on beat up boards with mixed and matched fins.

this film project on fb: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hangs-Upon-Nothing-a-16mm-surf-film/246361802068338

yeeeeeeeeeeewwww!!!!

Darmaputra Tonyo, home break.

Tonyo is all over surf news right now. Nice write up here: "In the surprise upset of the event so far..."

They refer to him as "...a small and wiry bundle of energy that never stopped smiling..."

He's even on Surfline: "making history as the first Indo surfer to make it to Round Three at this event..."

Surf media has taken to calling him Darmaputra Tonjo usually, with a j, and it looks like it's going to stick. In that Surfline feature, he's called Tonyo, Tonjo, and Tonya. Tonyo is his nickname, it's pronounced Tonyo, that's how he writes it, it's what he paints on his boards, and that's what his brother and all his friends call him. When asked about people now calling him Tonjo, he just smiles big and says, "It's OK..." He doesn't really care.

this film project on fb: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hangs-Upon-Nothing-a-16mm-surf-film/246361802068338

the boys are stoked

Demian, Dom, and Bleronk, 2008. On the way to an end of the day surf.

on fb: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hangs-Upon-Nothing-a-16mm-surf-film/246361802068338

over the edge of the world

Chuck Corbett, twin fin cutback on his prized beat up fish. Chuck surfs with the reckless abandon of a kid, and with style that reflects the era he grew up in. On land Chuck sometimes reminded me a of a cartoon character, bumbling around, usually on some sort of near impossible mission, fully committed. Sometimes he's ten thoughts ahead of where he's at in a conversation. The way Captain Jack Sparrow walks, there's something similar going on with Chuck. There's this wander to his walk, an uncertainty to where each next step might land.

His surfing has this too. In the moment. Spontaneous. Flowing. A bit off balance and wandering at times. But there's this awesome style to it. Usually made me smile.

this film project on fb:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hangs-Upon-Nothing-a-16mm-surf-film/246361802068338

equatorial

Daniel Jones, hand on the equator. 100th post!

this project on fb: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hangs-Upon-Nothing-a-16mm-surf-film/246361802068338

earth and wing

This film project has a page on facebook now...if you dig what you see here, please check out:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hangs-Upon-Nothing-a-16mm-surf-film/246361802068338

thanks!

illusion

During a visit to see Chuck Corbett, I crossed paths with a group of surfers including Josh Mulcoy, Nate Tyler, and the Jones brothers. This is Josh after he kicked out of a wave on a shortboard, this is as he's settling into the water.

duncan and mom

After a fun day surfing a right point we stopped to visit Duncan's mom in her home village. It was a surprise visit and she was really surprised and excited to see Duncan. I remember when she saw him she put her hand to her mouth and kept saying, "my son". In the first frame of the sequence Duncan is combing his hair with his hand as we walk down the path. Duncan's mom and aunt were really hospitable, their place felt peaceful. It was a wonderful visit.

From the moment I met Duncan on the beach 5 years ago, he took me in like a brother. He's like that with just about anyone. I met all the other local guys I've filmed with through Duncan.

house on water

There were lots of these floating across the water. They had bamboo swiveling arms with nets that would lower down.

I've been fascinated by some of these trippy lens flares recently. I love shooting into the sun. I love lens flares, old school lens flares. They look really cool in motion. But it's just as cool to find frames likes this one with stuff going on that you don't really catch while watching in motion.

earth rising skyward

This was awe-inspiring to look down on in person. It's a special memory for me as I was with my parents when I shot this. Doors off on the helicopter, hands on my Bolex, full trust in the seatbelt as we banked through turns.

jurassic

Mikala Jones. The land of towering trees.

cosmic rays

...energetic charged subatomic particles, originating from outer space(although it is currently unknown which objects have produced them). They may produce secondary particles that penetrate the Earth's atmosphere and surface. -from Wikipedia.

"i am surf!" - 10 year old raju

Here's a poster concept sketch based on a ride Raju got recently. The kid gets barreled a lot. Describing himself he yelled out, sort of rapping, "I am Raju! I am 10 years old! I am surf!..." and on and on.

turbofire to zenith

Original music by Turbofire to Zenith. This is a poster concept I made recently. The idea is this colossal squid rocket is blasting off into outer space, with this cute petite SE Asian gal riding the squid rocket. The inspiration for this band name and this idea is all over the place, from The Neverending Story, to classic Chevy Turbo-fire engines, to Led Zeppelin, to Japanese depictions of rays of sunlight, to how surfing makes me feel.

double d

Dedik and Deduk. Twin brothers from Seminyak. This shot is from a few years ago. Dedik runs a surf school now: www.surfschoolbali.com

Two of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Pure stoke. Twins who surf twin fins.

shallow

Equatorial Pacific. Midday howling trades. Good at sunset. Coral heads. Go right.

sky

Sunrise, looking skyward.

bright lights big city

reentry

Daniel Jones, atmospheric entry.

ARCADE: the Last Night at Chinatown Fair

This documentary looks really cool. It's about the last night at NYC's last real arcade. It's being made by Kurt Vincent, who edited and produced the recent Lake Erie surfing documentary Out of Place. Out of Place is a really great film with a lot of heart. Some of the characters and scenes in it are just awesome.

Click here for ARCADE's kickstarter page.

Update: Kurt and crew are really connecting with people with this film so far. They have met and are far exceeding their kickstarter goal. Wow.

Also, I have to mention the music in their trailer. They absolutely nailed it with the music. The full version of the trailer's second song, a Clams Casino track - Motivation (Lil B) Instrumental, can be listened to on the film's website: www.arcademovie.com

the next breath

I never truly felt mortal until I experienced getting worked by a powerful wave. Underwater, reaching a place where I realized, wow, I could die under here. It's only happened to me a few times. When it does happen, there is nothing that matters except the next breath. It's an amazing thing to experience.

kekoa

Kekoa Cazimero. 16mm workprint. "...best surf trip I've ever been on."

The full version of this 16mm sequence made it into the new Surfer's Journal, vol. 20.2. It's at the bottom of Michael Kew's article(about a different trip of his own), and the sequence spans about nine pages or so.

I wasn't even supposed to be on Chuck's boat for this trip, I almost got left behind. Chuck squeezed me on as crew. I had 7 rolls of film left. I surfed way more than I shot. And helped out on the boat more than I surfed. It was a misadventure, nearly a few disasters, such as the motor-less 60 foot Tuaraoi 360'ing through the channel into the lagoon of the atoll on the way in, just missing the reef.

It was an amazing trip of a lifetime though.

land of the rising sun

tonyo

stoked on creating

Something came to mind yesterday that I haven't really pondered in a long time. Maybe I never really gave much thought to it: why I feel the need to create. By this I'm talking about drawing, making music, and biggest of all: making this film. Do I do this to be successful? Is it for money? Is it to have a career? Is it to gain recognition from people?

I remembered back to when I was a kid. I loved to make elaborate fantasy buildings out of simple wooden building blocks. I loved to color in coloring books. I loved to make things with construx. I loved to draw with crayons...usually monsters or race cars. No one was paying me to do this. I felt no pressure to do it. I made things because it was fun. I made things because it was a great challenge. It excited me. It made me feel good. I was happy to show these things to other people too. I was stoked on creating.

The last ten years I made a humble living out of drawing. Drawing stuff for companies. This can be great, if I'm working on cool stuff, or on something I care about or believe in. But when creating turns into a high pressure grind, it no longer really feels like creating. It feels like a chore, it feels like work. It's no longer fun.

When the biggest worry is what job will come next, and tailoring my art to meet those requirements...it really no longer feels creative. It really is not fun. Am I stoked on this? No. If the only reason I am creating something is to meet the expectations of someone else, it's just not fun. It's not really even art.

I've gotta keep remembering why I originally loved being creative, because I had fun making things. I want to have fun making stuff. I want to return to the approach to art I had as a kid: just create because I want to. Because it feels good. And because it's fun.

Pictured in the frame grabs above, clockwise: Bleronk on his way back down, Daniel Amar, and Blacky.

emerald on the inside

Caught inside. I got worked a few times this session. Offshore, green, and barreling.

end of the day

Dylan Amar paddling out. I think that's Blacky dropping into that wave. There were some pretty big ones this day. This session my aluminum housing hit my head hard while getting worked in a closeout, left a nice lump and little gash. It made me realize how easy it'd be to get knocked out with this big heavy housing. I went and reluctantly bought a helmet after this session.

low tide

A familiar often ultra crowded spot looking untouched and pristine. It's amazing what framing can do. If you didn't know this place, you wouldn't guess there are lots of tourists and shops along the cliff side this was shot from. Jason shot this one.

above photo ©2009 Jason Lukas

once upon a time

Chuck Corbett and his wife Toka built and lived in this house on the lagoon. This is a shot from Chuck's collection.

deep

If you're wondering...he made it. Mikala Jones, glassy morning barrel.

the long road there

Passing by a farmer's hut on a bumpy road. Feeling the warm breeze. Eating snacks with msg.

sunlight

Bleronk. Super 16mm film frame.

the atoll

On the edge of the world.

This transfer is from a workprint, transferred to HD on a Spirit. This is regular 16mm cropped in on, and I shot this before I converted my Bolex to Super 16.

mikala

Spit out of the barrel. These frame grabs are from a low quality film to video transfer without color correction, unlike many of the recent frame grabs that are from full HD transfers. Still, I love this sequence. The force of the spit of the barrel sends Mikala's hair flying in that last frame.

go fly a kite

There's something to be admired about a culture that loves to fly kites. I've gotta think that a group of people for whom making and flying kites is a part of life, well, they seem happy. I feel people like this are just stoked on life. I look up and see huge kites all across the sky, and it makes me happy, makes me kind of relaxed. Some of these are literally up in the clouds.

This is Tonyo and Bleronk's father, during their birthday party. I think Bleronk made this kite. Their father used to surf back in the day, and it is said that he ripped. I wouldn't doubt it at all. It was awesome meeting their family. They were all just like Tonyo and Bleronk. Smiles and stoke.

There wasn't much wind this day, and the kite fell behind neighbors houses a few times, but finally it took off.

bleronk

barong

Some of Tonyo's own art on his board. Below this it says "come to papa".

chuck and the ranger