A Winter Weekend in Huntington Beach

I went to the pier to shoot some photos of the new swell coming in, but I also wanted to try to show a different side of a winter weekend in Huntington. So I wondered whether I should shoot lifestyle shots? the backside of waves? mini barrels in the shorebreak?  Not until I pulled into the North side parking lot at the Pier and looked around did I find my approach - "people watching".

You see as a surfer and a surf photographer I sometimes miss what's going on around me in that space between the car and the waters edge. I usually park the car, look to see how a swell is lining up, who's in the water, where's the best place to sit, then run to the shore to paddle out. I realized today that I'm missing a lot of the sights that I take for granted, which is crazy because I'm a huge people watcher. But today I did just that, I sat back and watched. When you stop and take a good look around, you see some unique and subtle things about the beach and the way each of us spend our days: surfing, playing beach football, looking at beautiful people, staring at that dancing fool who just wants to dance and buyingcrazy parrot shaped kites, among many-many other things.

It was refreshing, and good weekend. Sometimes I forget the reason I love to live at the beach, it's the best place in the world to watch life go on.