Sam Olson Photography

Making images at the Etnies Skatepark

2012-02-23T11:59:00.000-08:00

Skateparks have amazingly elegant lines. I went over and shot a few black and whites yesterday afternoon. Here is what I came up with.

Etnies Skatepark, Lake Forrest, CA © Sam Olson

Image info:

Camera - PhaseOne 645DF w/ Schneider 80mm 1:2.8

Images shot @ ISO 400, f10

www.samolsonphotography.com

Jordy and the Rainbow

2012-02-18T09:45:00.000-08:00

Experimenting with photography is the best way to learn. New ideas are conceived that can change the way you make images.

On this day on the North Shore of Oahu, Jordy and I went out for an evening surf in front of the O'neill house. As far as lighting goes it wasn't ideal, but in Hawaii things can change fast. Between sets this enticing double rainbow appeared. I swam over to Jordy to try and capture Jordy in the scene. When shooting with a fisheye lens in the water you have the opportunity to show the over/ under angle. I had not experimented much with that type of shot, but this situation seemed to be a good time to apply it. The icing on the cake was having Jordy shake out his shaggy mane at that moment.

As I look back at this image I'm reminded of how important it is to try new things.

Jordy Smith, Hawaii 2009 © Sam Olson

Image Info:

Canon 40D, Tokina 10-17mm @10mm, Dale Kobetich water housing

Exposure : 1/800 @ 3.5, ISO200

www.samolsonphotography.com

Nate Yeomans

2012-02-03T15:15:00.000-08:00

A while back Nate needed a portait. Here is what we came up with. Funniest part is that the hat is by Roxy. Thanks Nate.

Shot info:
Canon 5D Mark2, Canon 24-70 f2.8, Speedotron Black line w/ 4'x6' softbox
exposure 1/125 @ f5.6

www.samolsonphotography.com

Portraits with JP Walker

2012-01-31T09:32:00.000-08:00

Had JP Walker in the studio the other day. Such an easy subject and I thoroughly enjoyed the shoot.

JP Walker © Sam Olson

Lights - Profoto D1 Air, 3 heads
Image info:
Phase One 645DF , 80mm, PhaseOne P30, shot @ 1/250 f8

www.samolsonphotography.com

Early Morning at Creek

2012-01-24T09:37:00.000-08:00

My Friday last week started off beautifully. I had a chance to let a fellow photographer Nathaniel Harrington see what its like to shoot from the water. So we got up for the sunrise and made some images. Here is a link to Nathaniel's work http://nathanielharrington.blogspot.com/

Salt Creek 01/20/12 © Sam Olson

www.samolsonphotography.com

Photos with my Daughter

2011-11-19T14:40:00.001-08:00

The other day I was feeling stuck in front of the computer so my daighter and I set up a little studio in the garage. Of course she likes photographing flowers. Here is what we created.

Flower

Pomegranate

Jalapeño

www.samolsonphotography.com

Silver Jeans Spring 2012 Catalog shoot

2011-11-16T12:12:00.001-08:00

A little while back I shot the Spring 2012 catalogs for Silver Jeans Co.

Photography - Sam Olson www.samolsonphotography.com
Art Direction - Amy Struck
Hair and Makeup - Sunnie Brook Jones www.sunniebrook.com

Here are the fruits of our labor-

Silver Jeans Co. Mens Spring 2012

Silver Jeans Co. Womens Spring 2012

www.samolsonphotography.com

Playing with HDR Photography in Laguna Beach

2011-11-14T14:21:00.001-08:00

Laguna Beach is an amazing place to make photographs. It's shoreline is ever changing and you can always find new and beautiful beaches and nooks in the coast there. On a recent drive through Laguna I found a great spot. With the weather quickly changing I took the opportunity to try out some HDR (High Dynamic Range) techniques.
There are a lot of ways to create an HDR effect. Most are a little over the top in my opinion. Especially when you have an already dynamic subject such as the landscape was on this day.
Here are three versions of the same image ranging from the extreme to the more mellow HDR effect.

Laguna Beach, California Landscape
with HDR technique #1 © Sam Olson

Laguna Beach, California Landscape
with HDR technique #2 © Sam Olson

Laguna Beach, California Landscape
with HDR technique #3 © Sam Olson

All images made with:
Canon EOS 7D and a Canon 24-70 f2.8

www.samolsonphotography.com

Portraits of Nathan Fletcher

2011-11-03T16:27:00.000-07:00

All images shot with a Canon 7D and Canon 24-70mm f2.8

www.samolsonphotography.com

Creative moments

2011-10-27T15:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was scouting light and location for a group portrait on the San Clemente pier. Since I had my camera in hand I took advantage of the time I had to make some photographs. You never know when an opportunity will present itself during your day. Opportunities come in all forms and I believe in keeping your eyes open so that you can take advantage of them.

Here is what I came up with from the opportunities I had yesterday:

www.samolsonphotography.com

New Portraiture Page

2011-10-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

Portraiture is a part of photography that I truly love. I have a new portraiture page on my website that shows the Family and Childrens portraiture that I have been creating lately.

http://www.samolsonphotography.com/page22/page22.html

And I also have Fall Specials running on Family, Children and Senior portrait sessions.

www.samolsonphotography.com

New Action images on samolsonphotography.com

2011-09-27T17:40:00.000-07:00

A few of my recent motocross action images have been added to my website.

http://samolsonphotography.com/page1/page16/page16.html

Brian Deegan © Sam Olson

www.samolsonphotography.com

O'neill Catalog Cover

2011-09-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

This was a shoot out in Hawaii with Roy Powers, Timmy Reyes, Jordy Smith, Corey Lopez and John John Florence at Michael Tomson's house for O'neill. We borrowed the only 1964 Rolls Royce Cloud III in hawaii which added a lot some style and heres how it turned out. Andy's vision and direction really took the images to the next level.

O'neill shoot hawaii © Sam Olson

www.samolsonphotography.com

Hurley Pro Finals Day

2011-09-22T13:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was an amazing day of surfing. The level went up as it seems to do each and every contest. Snapped a few images of the day.

Julian Wilson, Hurley Pro 2011 © Sam Olson

Train Track Trophy, Hurley Pro 2011 © Sam Olson

Kelly, Hurley Pro 2011 © Sam Olson

Kelly Slater, Tretles, Hurley 2011 © Sam Olson

Kelly Slater in G and Y, Trestles, Hurley Pro 2011 © Sam Olson

Owen Wright and Rob Machado on the attack, Hurley Pro 2011 © Sam Olson

www.samolsonphotography.com

Hurley Pro Sept 20 2011

2011-09-20T20:22:00.000-07:00

Kelly Slater, Joel Parkinson, Julian Wilson, Josh Kerr, Owen Wright! They all put on quite a show today. Heres a few of my images from today at the Hurley Pro.

Mick Fanning, Round 3 © Sam Olson

Trestles Lineup, Sept 20 Hurley Pro © Sam Olson

Taj Burrow, Hurley Pro 2011 © Sam Olson

Kelly Slater, Hurley Pro 2011 © Sam Olson

Owen Wright, Hurley Pro 2011 © Sam Olson

www.samolsonphotography.com

Good old Soft Top

2011-09-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

Got up at the crack of dawn this morning to find some very fun waves at Doheny to ride on my extremely technical soft top. I thought it deserved a portrait.

Soft Top © Sam Olson

www.samolsonphotography.com

Old Camera Project - Hasselblad 500CM

2011-09-12T16:21:00.000-07:00

This is part of a project of mine. There is a box in my garage full of old cameras. Most of them don't work anymore, but each is unique and show me some of the history of photography. I have always wanted to photograph these cameras in a way to show their individual features. So with the need to get my creative juices flowing I set out to photograph the first of these cameras, my Hasselblad 500CM.

Hasselblad 500CM © Sam Olson

This camera is very significant to me. My Grandfather, a man of great integrity who has impacted my life greatly, let me begin using it back in 1997. A Hasselblad makes for a new way of composing photographs the first time you pick one up. If you haven't had a chance to go out and make photographs with one I urge you to do so.

www.samolsonphotography.com

Portrait of Owen Wright

2011-09-09T14:27:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Owen Wright who just won the Quiksilver Pro New York. His surfing was on point and so exciting to watch.
While watching Owen's win I remembered a portrait that I shot back in 2007. It was for Surfing Magazine's boards page where we showed off what people were riding. This was shot in Herbie Fletchers art studio that was next to the old Surfing offices. The thing that stuck with me was the art on his board. He has these hands on every one of his boards to this day.

Owen Wright 2007 © Sam Olson

Shot with Canon EOS-1DS and a Canon 17-35, exposure 1/100 @ f /4.0

www.samolsonphotography.com

South Swell Southern California, Trestles and Doheny

2011-09-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

Got out an photographed a few waves the last couple of days. Trestles and Doheny. Gotta love the long period south swells. I hope you went out there and caught a few.

Lower Trestles, San Clemente, CA Sept 2, 2011 © Sam Olson

Doheny, Dana Point, CA Sept 1, 2011 © Sam Olson

www.samolsonphotography.com

Steamer Lane 2005

2011-08-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

In 2004 I was going back and forth from Santa Barbara, where I was attending Brooks Institute of Photography, to Santa Cruz. This particular trip I was shooting a lot at the Santa Cruz Harbor and on this night I borrowed Nelly's 600mm lens to photograph the lane as the sun went down. I always liked this one. Good old Velvia.

Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz, Ca 2004 © Sam Olson

www.samolsonphotography.com

Landscaping in Indio, CA

2011-08-26T16:20:00.000-07:00

My family and I had an opportunity for a much needed vacation to Indio, CA this August. Between the lazy river and the AC in the room we survived the 100˚ + heat and really enjoyed ourselves.
The view from our room showed some beautiful jagged mountains in the distance. I thought it would be fun to get out there and snap a few landscape images of them. So, I pulled myself out of bed pre-sunrise to hike out for some better light on the mountains. Here are the different views that I came out with.

Mountains collage Indio, CA © Sam Olson

www.samolsonphotography.com

Published in New Patagonia Book

2011-08-24T13:34:00.000-07:00

Every once and a while I have the privilege of having my images published in books or magazines that really mean something to me. Yesterday a copy of Patagonia Books new book No Bad Waves, talking story with Mickey Muñoz arrived in the mail. It is a book just full of the amazing stories that someone like Mickey has to share. After just reading over a few of them I am trully excited to read the rest. I think Steve Pezman's quote on the back is most fitting. "Mickey is a hard player who has lived a different life than you and I - most of which is in this book." Lucky enough Patagonia selected one of my images of Salt Creek to be published for one of the stories.

No Bad Waves, talking story with Mickey Muñoz

My Salt creek photo on page 37

Salt Creek © Sam Olson

Thank you to Patagonia and Mickey.

If you are interested in the book go to Patagonia and pick up your copy.

www.samolsonphotography.com

Another great blog by Rob GIlley

2011-08-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

With the opportunity to be a Photo Editor of a surf magazine for a few years I can second Gilley's thoughts here. He has a lot more experience at it than I, but more amazing photos get tossed aside from some of these issues. But the best thing you can do to learn what works and what doesn't is to go out there and shoot. So go and get some practice in.

http://www.surfermag.com/blogs/rob-gilley/soft-batch/

Peter Mel, Mavericks © Rob Gilley

www.samolsonphotography.com

Pleasure Point, Santa Cruz CA South Swell

2011-08-18T15:06:00.000-07:00

I miss the days like these in Santa Cruz. It doesn't get much more fun than a good south swell in Santa Cruz.

Pleasure Point, CA © Sam Olson

Shot with a Canon EOS 1N and a Canon 100mm f 2.0 exposure 1/750 @ f 5.6

www.samolsonphotography.com

Old Favorite of Ratboy

2011-08-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

It never saw any ink, but it's still a favorite. Thanks Jason.

Jason Ratboy Collins, Mexico 2007 © Sam Olson

Shot with a Canon EOS 1DS @ 1/000 sec F/8 and a Canon 600mm lens

www.samolsonphotography.com

Just be Inspired!

2011-08-11T19:29:00.000-07:00

I really needed some inspiration this afternoon. It just so happens that I have the two most inspirational little people right here in my home. So I went out and made some portraits.
What do you think?

Kallie Grace Olson © Sam Olson

Dodge Joshua Olson © Sam Olson

www.samolsonphotography.com

Print Donation to 2011 SIMA Watermans Ball

2011-08-09T20:37:00.000-07:00

This year I had the privilege of donating a print to the 2011 SIMA Watermans Ball. It is a 1 of 1, 20x30 printed on Canson Infinity Arches Aquarelle Rag Fine Art paper. The image was taken on a Febuary evening at Strands beach in Dana Point. It just so happens that the Watermans Ball is being held right above this spot at the Ritz Carlton.

"Touch Down" © Sam Olson

www.samolsonphotography.com

Metal Mulisha team riding at Deegan's

2011-07-24T21:11:00.000-07:00

I headed out to Brian Deegan's house this past week to shoot the Metal Mulisha team practicing for X Games. Its always a great time and this day was no different. Todd Potter, Taka Highashino, Ronnie Faisst and Brian Deegan all got some jump time in. For anyone up against these guys at X Games, good luck.
Here are a few photos from the shoot.

Todd Potter and one of his legendary whips © Sam Olson

Taka Highashino, soft focus © Sam Olson

Brian Deegan © Sam Olson

Taka with style © Sam Olson

Brian hitting the step up © Sam Olson

Faisst getting some practice in © Sam Olson

www.samolsonphotography.com

Good Old Camping Trip Photos

2011-07-18T17:51:00.000-07:00

Had a great camping trip with some friends a few weeks ago. We headed up to the wilderness behind Ojai, California. Our site was at about 7,000 ft which gave us some amazing views of God's creation.

The View from 7,000ft or so. From this point you could see from Point Mugu to Santa Barbara

all photos © Sam Olson

www.samolsonphotography.com

Pat Gudauskas photos

2011-07-10T16:55:00.000-07:00

Pat in the studio © Sam Olson

Pat just won the Mr.Price Pro Balito, South Africa. And with that in mind I wanted to post some of my favorite Pat photos.

Pat Gudauskas © Sam Olson

Good Night Rivies © Sam Olson

A lot of afternoons at Off The Wall are a blur © Sam Olson

Pat at T-Street in the evening © Sam Olson

Check out more from the Gudauskas trio at www.the3tree.com

www.samolsonphotography.com

Happy Accident

2011-07-07T15:40:00.000-07:00

Omar Etcheverry, Mainland Mexico 2004 © Sam Olson www.samolsonphotography.com

This was a "Happy Accident" that created by mistake in mainland Mexico. I was on a trip with some of the Santa Cruz boys Matt Rockhold, Omar Etcheverry, Bud Frietas, Kieran Horn and Sean Petersen. Waves and weather were pretty good and we had a few decent morning sessions. On this day in-particular Omar and I found a few great waves, but there was always something that went wrong. We connected on this barrel to finish off the end of roll. I swam in to change rolls and as I opened the camera I instantly slammed shut the back of the camera. Frame 36 of my roll had not been shot and now I had exposed the end of the roll to the blazing Mexican sun. How bad I didn't know until I got the film back from the lab after the trip. It turned out that Steve Sherman thought this sequence had a good look to it and Surfing Magazine ran it as a full page showing the four shots as individuals. All in all I got lucky and I'm happy with the end result. Although I don't recommend trying it to often.

Omar Seq of film scans put together.

www.samolsonphotography.com

Metal Mulisha Poached ad Campaign

2011-07-05T12:27:00.000-07:00

During my time working for La Jolla Group Metal Mulisha's marketing team approached me with their idea for an ad campaign. The idea was to ride in out of the norm places that were preferably illegal. This became the Poached campaign. Our first trip was to San Francisco, Ca with Larry Linkogle, Derek Garland and Trigger Gumm. The riding on that trip was impressive to say the least. With the help of Jimmy Romero we produced some great images and from there the poached missions continued. The campaign was very successful, winning the Transworld Motocross Campaign of the year for 2010.
Here is the first ad that was published and to see more go to
http://www.metalmulisha.com/poached/

Larry Linkogle Metal Mulisha Poached Ad SF

Three Photos, one session, Mason Ho

2011-07-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

These photos were from a long day at Rocky Point on the North Shore of Oahu. I was working with ...Lost shooting Mason Ho and well, he has the place wired. But I guess that's what happens when you surf a spot every day. These three photos never made it out of my hard drive and I thought they deserved some exposure.

Thanks to Mason for the surfing and Todd for the flash.

Fins free in the afternoon light

Mason Ho in the evening light

Flash shot with Mason Ho. Todd Glaser on Flash. Canon 1D- Mark III, 100-400 set at 400mm @ f5.6

Pre-visualization

2011-06-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

"You don't take a photograph, you make it." - Ansel Adams

Making photographs is easy these days. Isn't it?

This thought of "making photographs" has been intriguing me lately. Am I making, or taking, photographs when I shoot? And what does this even mean to a photographer in the digital age?

Before DSLRs, the process you went through to see your images was drawn-out. A majority of "photographers" today probably haven't even heard of developer, fixer and stop bath. Now we think Lightroom, Photoshop and 9 ink printers. There are obvious speed advantages to the digital photography process, but I think one major disadvantage is the convenience of it. Convenience develops laziness. For us photographers I think that laziness is exposed in our lack of pre-visualization.

Pre-visualization was a focus of the legendary Ansel Adams and it changed the way that photographers approached their camera. What camera, lens, filter, film, developing technique, type of paper to print on were all things to consider when approaching each shot. When you think of how many less clicks of the shutter someone like Ansel Adams made you realize his percentage of quality images was very high. How many pictures do you take to get a good one? Three? Seven? Twenty eight? Why is that? The answer is a lack of pre-visualization.

During the recent judging for the Follow the Light Foundation 2011 Grant I had a conversation with Pete Taras, Photo Editor of Surfing Magazine, and Jeremiah Klein, Photo Editor of Surfline.com about this topic. As we viewed thousands of images from photographers all over the world we started talking about style. You can identify someones' style in many ways, but we got on the topic of color correction. Some of the photographers had a certain look to their images. This was either created in their post production or some used a Holga or grainy film to construct the look of their images. Our conversation was about the ones that used post production to create their "look". We wondered whether the look of their final images was pre-visualized or not. Our conclusion was that most of the time it was not thought out prior to the light hitting the digital sensor in their camera. I found this to be a disappointing verdict. I know that the quality of their work would skyrocket with a little planning.
Then last week I was on a shoot for Silver Jeans and one of the assistants asked "how did people do this before digital?" She was referring to how many shots the client was requiring before we got the perfect shot. I responded by saying, "when it wasn't this convenient there was more thought before each click."

I am realizing that in my own body of work, the images that are the most successful are undeniably the ones I pre-visualized.

So, with that I encourage anyone who wants to "make pictures" rather than "take pictures" to take some time before you click the shutter. Think about what you are trying to say with the image. What do you want the lighting to be? What Lens, filter, camera body combination will best get you the picture your looking for? And last but not least in today's world, what post-production will you apply to the image? Depending on the type of photography you are working on some of these questions might not need to be asked, but any pre-visualiation will go a long way.

Rusty Wired Series Campaign

2011-06-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

Rusty - Wired Series product shots samolsonphotography.com

Last year I had the opportunity to help create an advertising campaign with Rusty Clothing. They had a new product they called the Wired Series. Rusty incorporated headphones into the drawstrings of their hooded sweatshirts and jackets. This way you could plug your iPod into the pocket of your sweatshirt and just put the end of the drawstrings, which are headphones, into your ears. I loved the idea right from the start, but being able to help showcase the product through my photography was even more exciting.
I worked with a good friend, Erik Adolph, to come up with the idea and as the product became available we created detail oriented imagery of these garments.
Above you will see some of the original images that we created in the campaign and then below are some advertisements that were produced from them.

Rusty Wired Hoodie Ad

Rusty Stealth Hoodie Ad

Rusty Wired Series Ad

www.samolsonphotography.com

This video is amazing.

2011-06-17T21:41:00.000-07:00

I wish I thought of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=awq90APEVgw

Waves Portfolio Page up on the site

2011-06-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

My Waves page is up on SamOlsonPhotography.com now. Go check it out.

http://www.samolsonphotography.com/page4/waves.html
Let me know what you think by adding a comment on my facebook page. Also while you are there give my page a like.

www.samolsonphotography.com

New Waves Page on samolsonphotography.com Soon

2011-06-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

A new page of my wave images will be up soon. Here is a glimpse at a few of the images in the works.
I will post again when the page is live.

peek at wave images for Sam Olson Photography

Shooting Surfing with a PhaseOne P65+ back

2011-06-13T11:48:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since I shot surfing with my Hasselblad 500 C/M. It used to be a staple in my bag when I headed to the beach, but as of late it was sadly left behind. Recently I hit the road in search of some slightly larger waves and decided to bring my dusty camera along.
A friend of mine Brent Siebenaler was meeting me to work on a film project and it just so happens that he is employed by PhaseOne. And, he brought along some of their camera backs, one of which fit on my Hassy. Now it still doesn't quite compare to the feeling of loading film, but it felt great looking through that old glass viewfinder again.
As I look through my files from that PhaseOne P65+ I found myself excited about the possibilities. A new tool was now in my tool bag, ok well I won't own one anytime soon, but it will be on my list when the right opportunities present themselves. Thanks Brent.

www.samolsonphotography.com

Landscaping in Newport, CA. www.samolsonphotography.com

Brent Siebenaler www.brentjohn.com

Example of the work from a Hasselblad 500C/M, 80mm Carl Zeiss and PhaseOne P65+

Same image as above zoomed at 100%. This shows the resolution of the PhaseOne P65+ back

Check out the Photography of Chris Burkard

2011-06-08T15:08:00.000-07:00

In my time as a photographer I have always looked to my peers for inspiration. One of them that has a God given talent for capturing moments with a clean, simple and innovative style is Chris Burkard. He has just rolled out a fresh website to display his work for everyone to enjoy.

I encourage you to visit the site http://www.burkardphoto.com/ and if you have a chance hit him up on Facebook http://facebook.com/burkard.photo to let him know what you think.

Wave Image from Sam Olson Photography

2011-06-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

Prints of my work will soon be available on SamOlsonPhotography.com

This is one of my favorite images that will be available for purchase.
I love this image for the motion and the moment that was captured. For those who have experienced the power of the ocean you know what it feels like to have a wave land on you and this moment brings back that feeling for me, yet still captures the beauty of the ocean.
I hope you like it and please email me sam@samolsonphotography.com if you want to order prints.

Kallie's Tough Mudder Video

2011-06-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

More Tough Mudder Pics Snow Valley CA May 29 2011

2011-06-02T11:49:00.000-07:00

Notice the Ice cubes flying

Again Ice but on the mountain. Think anyone was cold

Tough Mudder Big Bear California May 29, 2011

2011-05-31T17:10:00.000-07:00

Tough Mudder "Probably the Toughest event on the Planet."
This is the tag line for an endurance race that my sister-in-law Candra ran this past weekend up in Big Bear, Ca. Well, it lived up to its name not only with a ten mile run/hike through ice baths and electric shock obstacles, but the weather proved to be the toughest obstacle of them all. It snowed, the winds reached at least 30mph and with ski slopes to climb it was definitely tough.

No easy way across

Here are a few photos I captured as a spectator.

Candra and Andy hitting the mud

Many of the mudders were military

A leap of faith

Gotta love emergency blankets

Why would you pick the biggest piece you can find

You could carry your wood alone or as a group

A nice "easy" downhill section of the course

Electrified wires to work your way through

Again no easy way through this. Some ran, some crawled and some fell on their faces

Sandspit lineup

2011-05-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

Kelly Slater Surfing Sandspit

2011-05-24T10:03:00.000-07:00

Just to continue on the Sandspit visuals, I remembered this image that I shot of Kelly Slater one evening from the pier in Santa Barbara. It wasn't until about two years after this session that I noticed it was Kelly. A nice surprise.

Kelly Slater, Sandspit - Santa Barbara

Waves and Tasks from a new angle

2011-05-23T12:10:00.000-07:00

Photographing waves is one of the most enjoyable parts of my job. Not one image of a wave is the same and there are so many techniques that can be used to see each wave in an original way. While living in Santa Barbara I had countless days to envision images of Sandspit. When the west swells appeared on the charts I was ready to hit it from all angles.
Maybe there is an analogy here? Most of us walk through each day repeating our routines like a McDonalds employee making Big Macs. Yes, there is comfort and reliability in routines. But maybe we need to break free from our mold and approach our daily tasks from a fresh angle. I'm sure we could find new beauty in our everyday duties.

O'neill Sandal Ads

2011-05-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

When I was working with O'neill I was able to shoot a great underwater footwear campaign. Here are some of the images and the way they were used as ads in Surfing and Transworld Surf Magazines.

Original

Sam Olson Photography Prints

2011-05-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

Soon I will have a way for everyone to order prints of my work. They will be of the highest quality. Here is one example.

Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards

2011-05-03T14:08:00.000-07:00

This past weekend brought together the majority of the best big wave surfers in the world for the Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards in Anaheim, CA. I had the privilege to attend as a photographer at the event, thank you Bill Sharp, and enjoyed the night with the rest of the surfing community.
A few favorite moments:
• Greg Long's indoor sunglasses, thanks to a recent pterygium removal surgery
• Sion's family taking the stage together to receive his award for Mens Overall Performance. Sion's father gave a touching speech.
• following and being followed by Jeremiah Klein as we seemed to be on the same mission for great images.
• Danilo Couto being awarded Ride of the Year and $50,000 with a Toyota truck to boot. He was so deserving and had my vote.
Check out his winning wave http://www.billabongxxl.com/roty_nom/index_2.html

Master of Ceremonies Sal Masakela

Bill Sharp - the man behind it all

Danilo Couto and excited daughter

Shane Dorian

The Milosky family

Danilo w/ Ride of the Year Check

Mark Healy and his tassels

Greg Long

The Nights Winners:
Danilo Couto, Ride of the year
Benjamin Sanchis, Biggest Wave
Shane Dorian, Monster Paddle
Shane Dorian, Monster Tube
Mark Matthews, Wipe-out of the Year
Keala Kennelly, Girls Overall Performance
Sion Milosky, Mens Overall Performance

Jordy Smith in Cabo

2011-04-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

I had a chance to go to Cabo with Jordy Smith a couple of years ago. When shooting someone so talented there are always many photos that never see the light of day.
Here are some great ones that never found a home.

Follow the Light Foundation 2011 call for submissions

2011-04-19T11:16:00.000-07:00

April 18, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FOLLOW THE LIGHT FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES CALL FOR ENTRIES FOR THE 2011 FOLLOW THE LIGHT FOUNDATION SURF PHOTOGRAPHERS GRANT

SAN CLEMENTE, CA- The Follow the Light Foundation (FTLF) is calling all photographers to submit their applications for its annual $5,000 grant in honor of the late Larry “Flame” Moore. The deadline is one month from today: entries must be received no later than May, 17, 2011.

The FTLF was founded after Moore’s passing to ensure that up-and-coming surf photographers continue to get the recognition and support they deserve. Flame — legendary Photo Editor of SURFING Magazine for more than three decades — made it a priority to teach and inspire anyone with a passion for photography. This grant helps keep that legacy alive. The application and details can be found on the FTLF website. http://followthelightfoundation.org/

Now in its sixth year, the FTLF continues to recognize photographers on the rise and help fuel their vision. During this year’s submission process, photographers will edit their images and cue it to the music of their choice. The “visual presentations” of the Top 5 finalists will then be shown at an awards night at the Shorebreak Hotel during the US Open of Surfing on Tuesday, August 2. “Recognizing the world’s best up-and-coming surf photographers fits right in with the spirit of the US Open of Surfing,” says FTLF sponsor Bob Hurley. “It’s so fun to see such an amazing showcase of young talent in one place — very inspiring.”

Judging from the career paths of past winners, the FTLF recipients will continue to inspire. 2010 recipient Morgan Maassen is quickly becoming the surf world’s freshest eye. Former winners Chris Burkard and Todd Glaser and Ray Collins are three of the most prolific and talented photographers in the sport today, and they all give credit to Flame and FTLF for helping their dream job come true. “It was such an honor to be picked for this grant,” said 2008 winner Todd Glaser. “To be recognized and critiqued by legends like Aaron Chang — and get funding on top of it — will always stand as a career highlight.”

To help round out the wide spectrum of gifted photographers, FTLF will be honoring the late Leroy Grannis this year, a surf photography pioneer and founder of Surfing Magazine.

Follow The Light also wants you to be a judge. The People’s Choice Award will be a text to vote format, where you can vote for your favorite. Winner will be announced at the Shorebreak Hotel.

To submit an application, contact Peter Taras peter.taras@sorc.com or Jeremiah Klein miahklein@s7mg.com

The FTLF is proud to be working with Surfing Magazine, SWELL, Hurley and Oakley to provide this year’s grant. For more information, go to http://followthelightfoundation.org/

About Follow the Light: On October 10^th, 2005, the surfing community lost one of its most influential figures. After a nearly three-year battle with brain cancer Larry “Flame” Moore, the Photo Editor of SURFING Magazine for 30 years, passed. He left behind a legacy of brilliant photography and an army of photographers trained by him. Through his work at SURFING Magazine, Larry literally gave three decades of surfing their “look.” Today, honoring Larry’s request, we have established Follow the Light Foundation (FTLF), an organization that will help finance the dreams of surf photographers, pushing the sport and its lensmen forward.

Recent Favorite

2011-04-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

My Favorite Subjects

2011-04-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

What an enormous gift from God it is to have children. I am the luckiest Dad in the world to have two beautiful healthy children. Not everyone has that and so I do my best to make them feel important every day. Not just important, but loved. As any parent knows this is a constant work in progress as you are learning to adjust to new twists in life each day. Thankfully the Lord has given me a wife who loves our family and stands by my side as we go through life together.
Of course since I am a photographer and I take a lot of pictures of my family. I thought I would share a few of my favorites today.

Rob Gilley's Blog on Surfermag.com

2011-04-06T11:16:00.000-07:00

Being a surf photographer is glamorous at moments, but over the past few years with the influx of photographers and the digital age things have changed significantly. Staff photographers at the major magazines are an even more elite group than they were before.

Rob Gilley has started a new blog on Surfermag.com that gives you a great glimpse into this world he has lived and breathed for so many years. I have been on both sides of the coin. I have been let go and I have been a part of the editing staff sitting the photographer down to say "we can't pay you your meager retainer any longer." Either way the situation is not fun, but Gilley's blog is very entertaining and his candor is refreshing.

Check it out:

http://www.surfermag.com/blogs/rob-gilley/the-expendable/#comment-115367

The 1 Lens Challenge

2011-03-31T10:21:00.000-07:00

It seems that most photographers are under the impression that they always need more lenses. I know I felt that way for a long time and I still dream of owning a 14mm f2.8 Superwide or a 300mm f2.8 telephoto.

The point is that you don't need them. Yes, they have their time and place like any tool, but you can get by without them. I challenge anyone with an SLR to go out and learn their lenses one at a time. Each lens has its own personality and as you shoot more photographs with each one you will utilize them in new ways. A wide angle lens, for instance, is not just a great landscape lens, it can force you to produce expressive portraits as well.

One of my favorite lenses is my 100mm f2. It is so sharp and has a wonderful character. Originally I purchased it for medium long lens surf photography, but I found out instantly that it could do so much more. I have shot some of my favorite lineups, portraits and even product photos with it (see the images in this post).

So here is the challenge:

Pack your camera, and pick the lens in your bag that you use the least. Preferably your lens will be a fixed focal length and not a zoom lens. If it is a zoom, then get some tape and lock it at a focal length you don't usually use. Then, go out and shoot. This exercise will be more enlightening then you think. It may frustrate you a bit, but push through it and your bag of tools will become even more versatile without spending a dime.

If you take the challenge let me know how it goes? And even send me the resulting images so I can post them here.

sam@samolsonphotography.com

http://www.samolsonphotography.com/

Landscaping

2011-03-28T17:47:00.000-07:00

From the start of my photographic interest, I found landscape photography very enjoyable. It is relaxing and you get to focus in on specific pieces of God's kingdom. Of course everyone loves the photographs of Ansel Adams, Galen Rowell and John Sexton. I am completely inspired by what these photographers have done. Their images are no small feat.

A certain amount of planning and patience go into being in the right place, at the right time, with the right equipment and the knowledge of exposure to compose a beautiful landscape photograph. Ok, not always, you can luck into it.

Despite all that I felt like I should go back to one of my original photographic influences and shoot a landscape. I am extremely lucky to live near an area, Laguna Beach, that is rich with scenes to photograph. So yesterday I took a part of my afternoon to go out and try my luck. Half the fun is the journey to find your subject. I have lived within 5 miles of this beach and have never taken the time to check it out.

Here is what I found.

Portrait Series

2011-03-25T14:07:00.000-07:00

About 4 years ago I began shooting a portrait series. It was something to keep my creativity flowing. The idea sparked from a portrait of Keith Richards shot by Steve Pyke. This image really stood out to me and became one of my all time favorite portraits.
What drew me to this image was the tightly composed moment with lighting that creates such a stunning contrast.

I thought I would share a few of my portraits here. Everyone can use a little motivation. So hopefully this can stimulate someone else to seek out some inspiration and launch down a road of their own.

Lostcha campaign

2011-03-22T13:35:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege to work with Ryan Divel and Rich Wilson on a great ad campaign for ...lost enterprises a while back. I guess it became known as the Lostcha campaign since it was a spin off of the Gotcha campaign they created back in the 80's. I photographed the lifestyle imagery that supported the action images. Thank you Jimmy for assisting and the ...lost crew for being over the top.

Old Scan

2011-03-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

This is an image from Feb. 2006 shot in Santa Barbara. I was going through some old CDs and found a disk of some scans. This was probably my favorite. The look of film grain just can't be beat. You can almost touch the gritty silver halide.

A day at The Office

2011-03-15T12:59:00.000-07:00

This past week I had the chance to experience a part of the entertainment world. My wife's uncle is the sound mixer for the NBC show The Office. Anytime I get an opportunity to watch someone else at work I learn a lot and observing a television show being filmed was no different.

It felt funny driving up to this place

So I commuted to Dunder Mifflinn on Wednesday morning. It was a funny feeling to pull up to a building you know so well, but have never actually been to. For those who are interested, The Office is filmed at two separate warehouses near Burbank where they have created their own studio. The Office is a very mellow set compared to the average Hollywood production. Going in, the most alluring thing to me was the lighting and photography. What I learned was that the lighting is very subtle and the camera work casual yet precise. These technical aspects attribute so much to the feeling that the show gives off to the viewer.

the office between scenes

the window on the left is the Dunder Mifflin conference room

As I drove home through the wonderful LA traffic I thought about how I could apply what I saw there to my photography. Whether it is the lighting or the communication with my subject the simplest approach is usually the best. It reminded me of a quote by Leonardo da Vinci. He said "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."
He was so right; it's not easy to simplify. Why do I always complicate things in my mind? Not just work, but my relationships or even my prayer time. Something to think about.
Thank you Uncle Ben and the crew of The Office for the experience and the lessons I learned.

Keep taking pictures

2011-03-07T11:22:00.000-08:00

It has been said before, but I will say it again. Photographers need to take pictures.
   There is a tendency these days for photographers to spend much more time in front of the computer than behind the camera. I am just as guilty of this as anyone, but every now and then I remove myself from the imprint in my office chair and compose something with my camera.
   I find that if I don't click the shutter often enough I loose track of my passion. When I get out there and shoot, I see the world through a photographers eyes again and that gets me excited to make pictures.
   It also reminds me how fortunate I am to have such a creative outlet. For someone like myself that uses photography to earn a living, I can find myself looking at the camera as something I need to use rather than something I want to use. I can't think of any photographers that are interested in making photographs just because it's good money. They found it exciting to capture a moment. I'm reminding myself to keep taking pictures. I want to go capture a moment right now!

The picture above is from a trip to San Francisco on an advertising shoot for Metal Mulisha. We were just driving along and this building looked intriguing. From the window of the car my passion for the work that I do was re-ignited.

New Action images on the site

2011-03-04T14:48:00.000-08:00

added a couple new pages to the website today. All in the Action section.

http://www.samolsonphotography.com/page1/page1.html

Updated Website launched

2011-02-28T15:30:00.000-08:00

My updated website is now up and running. If you have a chance please take some time to check it out.

www.samolsonphotography.com