Blog | Jakob Berr Photography

I was at Terry’s surf shop again yesterday. Apart from Vic, an acquaintance of Terry’s, glassing two boards, there was not much going on. However, Terry and I got a chance to sit and chat for a while and get to know each other a little more. I did shoot a little, though – here are a few of the frames I came back with. Let me know what you think about them!

Vic takes a break from working on one of the boards to talk to Terry.

Terry pulls masking tape off a freshly glassed board. I hope I’ll get a chance to work this shot again, because I like what is going on with the background and the colors. This one doesn’t really work as you can hardly see the tape and what’s happening with it.

Here’s another idea that I’ll need to follow-up on with a wider angle. Terry has four workshops, with two being each door-to-door. With the right boards, light, colors and focal length, I think it could be an interesting shot.

This is where you really get to feel the downsides of a rangefinder. I had to reframe that shot at least three, four times, until I finally had Terry’s head in the frame.

Terry hand-signs and numbers each board that he shapes. This one is number 35,152.

This guy saw Terry in his truck and ran to get his board from his house. He wants Terry to shape him a new board, and needed to show him something on his old one.

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.