Making Waves: Dustin Humphrey

                                                       PHOTO COURTESY OF DUSTIN HUMPHREY

If there are two things that define Dustin Humphrey’s existence, they are the sun and the ocean: “If I am shooting, my day revolves around the light. If I’m not shooting, my day revolves around the surf,” says the Bali-based, award-winning photographer, who is as dedicated a surfer as they come. Conveniently, the sport that supports his life’s work is also his favorite pastime. Having studied Marine Science while in college, the Huntington Beach-born Humphrey began turning his lens to the Californian coast at a young age. “I first started shooting whales and dolphins as documentation of what I was studying. Photography was a tool that quickly became a passion,” he recalls. Today, Humphrey, whose passport has seen as much action as Mavericks’ notorious breaks, is one of the world’s preeminent surf photographers. “It kind of chose me,” Humphrey says of focusing his photography on fellow surfers. “My first trip to Indonesia, on my first day in the water surfing I was injured. I couldn’t surf because of a bad cut on the bottom of my foot. However, I could swim. So, I would swim out in the water every day and shoot my friends just to be out there.” Humphrey submitted the images he’d amassed to Surfer Magazine and, before long, they sent him back. “That was that,” he quips.

This summer, Humphrey’s breathtaking images will take up residence in the shop Tauk in Montauk, New York. These particularly evocative images were captured on a motorcycle and surf trip that Humphrey recently embarked on with a few friends up the east coast of Australia. (The wistful portfolio also appears on the blog, Loverslandblog.com). So, what does the perpetual jetsetter never leave home without? “My iPod is a must, although my music interests can change with the wind. Of course all the camera gear and as little clothing as possible.” As for his destination of choice? Humphrey maintains that his favorite place to shoot is “a little island off the coast of West Java.” But, if he’s not working, you’ll likely find the photographer taking a “surf mission” to Lombak. And, somehow, in between shoots and surf excursions, Humphrey has managed to pull together the final touches on The Deus Temple of Enthusiasm, “a combination photo studio, art gallery, motorcycle shop and coffee shop,” in Bali that he’ll open June 19th with a few of his friends.

DUSTIN HUMPHREY’S PHOTOS WILL BE ON VIEW AT TAUK THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER. TAUK IS LOCATED AT 54 SOUTH ERIE AVENUE IN MONTAUK, NY