Conrad Petzsch-Kunze has always found photography to be the most challenging and rewarding artistic medium. He notes that unpredictable oceans and fluctuating conditions means that waiting for the right moment to capture an image can be gruelling, yet rewarding at the same time. Conrad currently lives on the Gold Coast which means quality surf is in no short supply. Here are five of his favourite shots, with Part 2 to follow soon.
MICK FANNING AND THE ENTOURAGE. DURANBAH (F/6.3 @ 1/1600 – CANON 7D MKII). One of those dreamy autumn mornings at Duranbah watching Fanning take apart an empty line up. This moment happened fast and I remember having to hustle to get a perspective that worked. Having a fixed focal length of 400mm has its challenges and I didn’t want my frame to be too cropped.
RYAN HIPWOOD AND DH. (F/5, 1/60 SONY 7R MKII). When chaos enters the shaping bay. DH and Hippo crafting a masterpiece.
ELLIOT MARSHALL. CLOUDBREAK, FIJI (F/7.1, 1/1600 – CANON 7D MK II). This shot was taken late afternoon out at Cloudbreak while on a trip with Ryan Hipwood. It was a full day of filming on the judges tower which was covered in sea snakes and a thick layer of bird poo. I finally made it back to the boat to grab some snacks but the swell started to peak again. It was insane to see this wave’s perfect form. Elliot scored until dark. The colour of the wave keep getting better as the sun dropped lower.
LIAM O’BRIEN. DURANBAH (F/5.6 @ 1/1600 – CANON 7D MKII). I was on a project for DHD so my focus was to capture the detail of the board. This day was a junky wind swell that most people wouldn’t get much out of. The corner near Lovers lefts had a rip bowl giving LOB the chance to light up.
THE GOLD COAST (F/5.6, 1/1250 – CANON 7D MK II). The cold currents rising from the deep during a Northerly pulse.
Want to see more of Conrad’s goods? Check him out on Instagram here.
