Blog | Jakob Berr Photography

Surfing is not just a hobby in Southern California. Surfing is serious. It’s a way of life. For some people, it’s everything. Like Terry Senate. He’s been surfing most of his life, and he makes a living out of shaping surfboards. In surfer circles, Terry is a legend; his boards are sought-after all over the world.

I spent the evening shooting Terry in his surf shop in San Clemente. Over the next couple of weeks, I plan to work on a story on surf culture, and what better way to start the project than documenting one of the finest manufacturers of surfboards at work? I will continue to go to Terry’s shop and follow up on some of the pictures I took today, but I want to share some of the first “scetches” that i made.

There is this little window from the presentation room into the workshop. I want to play a little more with this shot. I wish I had a higher angle so one could see the board, and I definitely need a better moment. Note to self: Bring something to step on next time.

Terry shapes the boards right in front of his customers if they want to watch.

The boards are hand-cut from blocks of styrofoam.

Terry has a row of bright fluorescent lights running down both sides of the workshop at about waist-level – they create a fantastic light.

I like what’s happening with the shop in the background. I need to work on the sharpness in this shot, though. Maybe a somewhat faster shutter speed will do the trick. But I definitely want to follow up on this one.

Talking boards with a customer.