Video and photography at Surflife

Next summer it is that time again: I am leaving for the sunny south, France, for the third time. Here I will shoot the most beautiful pictures over a two-week period.

But of course, it’s not all about work… chilling out on the beach, having the odd beer and improving my surfing skills are all part of the fun too! Secretly, I wish every week could be like a week at Surflife.

The first year I was at Surflife, they were stuck with me for six weeks straight. Thanks to the close-knit crew and the friendly atmosphere, you really do feel as though you’re living on another planet. During those six weeks, I spent my time filming a promotional video. I also took photos of the surfers as an extra service for the surf camp. It might sound as though I did nothing but work for six weeks, but when you’re editing photos in the French sunshine with a beer in your hand, it really does feel more like a holiday.

What did I actually think of it? from?

You might say: the perfect picture! Sun, sea, beach and a bit of work. That was, in fact, the case, but I’d initially misjudged that ‘bit of work’. You really need to have a good workflow and mindset so that you can work as efficiently as possible. This proved – especially in the first year – to be very tricky. Because you become part of the crew at the surf camp, you often end up with other tasks on your plate that have nothing to do with video or photography. I often had to set my boundaries here; otherwise, I’d have been working 24 hours a day!

Besides, the sun does not always shine in France, as it can sometimes rain heavily.
You need to clean your gear more often and keep a close eye on it. The salty air and dust at the campsite is not really good for your gear. I therefore cleaned it thoroughly every week.
The heat can also be a problem. Both cameras and laptops get quite warm even at normal temperatures when used intensively, but when it’s over 30 degrees, you could almost fry an egg on them. The likelihood of your equipment failing then increases significantly.
These are all factors you don’t have to worry about here in our chilly little country – at least… not every day!

Besides having a great time there, it is also a very convenient way to network. Every week there are over 100 new people with whom you often have a chat or a photo shoot anyway.

It’s all about the mindset

As if six weeks in France wasn’t enough, I packed my bags again in November to head off to Portugal with my cameras. Not just because the waves there are brilliant, but also because this is where the owners of Surflife live. Here, I shot a number of crew member videos and a promotional video for an advanced surf coaching week. Whilst in France I did a lot of photo shoots and was sometimes ‘working’ for up to 12 hours a day, I didn’t have to do that in Portugal, which meant I could focus even more on the quality of drinking beer… er… I mean filming.

All in all, I can recommend a holiday like this to everyone. The moral of the story is actually contained in the previous sentence; I call it a holiday, after all. Sometimes you’re getting your camera ready as early as 8.00 am to film the first shots of breakfast, and you don’t put it away until 11.00 pm whilst sitting round the campfire. These are long days, but I’m convinced that with the right mindset, you won’t even realise you’re working.

So I really see this as a holiday where I have to work sometimes. Not as work where I can sometimes have a bit of a holiday! ✌

Thanks for reading and who knows, I might see you at Surflife!