As some of you may know, I’m also a graphic designer. My biggest claim-to-fame so far is that I design & layout the new standup paddlesurfing magazine, “Standup Journal.” The mag photographically chronicals the relatively new sport that’s a lot like surfing, but you use a long paddle. It’s pretty cool ’cause you don’t need a wave to do it. Flat water, surf… they’re even starting to do it in white water rivers! It’s catching on fast and you’ll see celebs doing it in people mag, on TV, etc. We started out in ’07 and now we’re in the major US retailers, like Borders and Barnes & Noble, and globally we’re now in 24 countries. The cover you see to the left is the current summer issue, on stands now.

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