One of the very cool things about working on this magazine is that I get to see hundreds of amazing photos from the world’s top professional watersports photographers, everyday. This has been, not only incredibly enjoyable, but it’s also been instrumental in adding knowledge and insight to my own photographic pursuits. Particularly in the areas of post processing and learning about pro gear (i.e. lenses, etc.).

One of the photographers we work with a lot, is a legend of sorts in the surfing photography world. His name is David Pu’u. David’s work speaks for itself, and it’s  regularly appeared in well-known publications such as Surfer, Surfers Journal, Sports Illustrated, National Geographic, The New York Post, The London Daily Mirror and Time. In the June issue of Standup Journal, We did a ‘featurette’ based on a photograph taken by David. It’s an amazing photo taken in the water just before David got slammed by the wave he was focusing on (fortunately, he didn’t get a surfboard in the head!). I love this photo and was so excited to get to use it in our Mag. I was pretty happy with the way it came out, but I was super-stoked (hey, why not throw in some surfing lingo?) when Standup Journal publisher and friend, Clay Feeter, forwarded me the following comment Mr. Pu’u himself made about my treatment of his photo in the article:

“…man, nice work. I am proud to be included and consider that page (the “Perfect” article) …to be the best single page use example of my work in my entire published history.”

To quote Steve Martin, “Wow! …wow! …All I can say is, WOW!” I am so honored by this incredible compliment from David. This affirmation means so much to me, because I did not go to college. I am completely self-taught in this field. I do not have a degree or college diploma in this world where a piece of paper is SO important to people. Standup Journal and this accolade from a surfing photographer heavyweight is my “piece of paper.” Thanks David. Here’s the article with David’s beautiful photo:

"Perfect." article in June '09 issue of Standup Journal, photo by David Pu'u

I’d also like to give a HUGE shout-out-thank-you to Clay Feeter, publisher of Standup Journal, who gave me a chance even though I didn’t have that ‘piece of paper’. As Clay has said, we make a great team! In addition to bettering myself as a photographer along with my best friend, Taylor, I look forward to being a part of the Standup Journal team and producing this killer watersports photography showcase for a long time.

-kerry

Who Are We, Anyway?
We are Birch Blaze Studios, aka Kerry & Taylor Struble. Birch Blaze, a name brilliantly conceived by my partner in crime Taylor (I’m Kerry, just in case you weren’t clear on that), is a small design-slash-photography studio happily nestled somewhere between the White Mountains and Lakes Region (have you heard of Lake Winnipesaukee?) of New Hampshire. We’re a bit off the beaten path, but thanks to the World Wide Web soundly beating its own path to our door, our design work has found its way all over the world, on a pretty regular basis (more on that later). 

When Taylor and I met in ’04, one of the many things we found we had in common was a love for photography. Although you can risk losing your passion for something when you decide to try and collect a paycheck for it, you’ll also find that high up on the ingredient list for many a successful business man or woman, is a love for what they do, create and ultimately, sell. So Taylor and I decided that design (something I’m good at) and photography (something she’s good at) would be the perfect duo to fund our adventures together, allowing us to collaborate spend more time together—something I’m extremely pleased that we both like to do!

Ok, but Why a Blog?
Fair question. I touched on it in the opening paragraph, but it’s pretty obvious that blogs are SO much more conducive to interchange than a typical, ‘brochure’ Website. Like an ongoing conversation, that you keep adding to whenever you have something to say. Of course, like everyone else, we love those bloggers that post nearly everyday…we probably won’t quite be able to keep up that pace, but at this point the plan is to keep it moving.

The primary purpose of this new blog of ours is to promote and grow the photography side of Birch Blaze. Although we can hopefully share a photography tip or two from time to time (we know we have lots to learn and that is truly exciting), this blog will serve as a journal to share our photographs and our path, and a cork board for friends and passers-by to grab a tack and stick up a note just to say hi, introduce themselves or offer an observation and maybe even a gem of time-tested wisdom.

So, we hope this little introduction piques your interest, answers a question or two and maybe even puts the thought in your head that you might just check back in from time to time. We plan to populate this little ‘net canyon so that when you do come back around, you’ll be glad you did.

l8r,
k