Clark Little

Introduction: For the Love of Shorebreak

By Jamie Brisick

Clark Little never set out to become the world s best wave photographer, but in hindsight it seems as if he s spent his entire life training to be exactly that. He s been a devout surfer since the age of six, on the North Shore of O ahu, where the waves are big and powerful, and the light and water color are majestic. Clark and his older brother, Brock, were thrill-seekers. While Brock heaved himself over the ledges of thirty-foot beasts on the outside at Waimea Bay, Clark preferred the Waimea shorebreak, where swells bounced and torqued and tripled up before exploding on shallow, neckbreaking sand. His amygdala registered no fear, and his pain threshold was like an MMA fighter s. Clark is designed to be in dangerous water.

In 2007, Clark s wife, Sandy, bought a photo of a wave, shot from the shore, to hang on their bedroom wall.

Clark saw it and chuckled. Honey, what are you doing buying a picture of a wave? he said. I ve surfed the shorebreak all my life. I m going to go out and get one from inside the barrel.

With a cheap point-and-shoot camera encased in a water housing purchased on Amazon, he threw himself into the Waimea shorebreak, the same wave he grew up surfing, not far from their family home. After a series of requisite beatings, he nailed some shots.

The results were spectacular. The fast shutter speed froze what in real time happens way too quickly for the naked eye to study. The way the wave sucked up the sand. The way the heaving lip resembled blown glass, with reflections of trees and the shoreline.

Because a barreling wave is so powerful and fickle, the tube is an almost sacred space that most surfers see rarely, if ever. Clark had spent his entire surf life getting into the tube and out of it without breaking his neck. His lifelong relationship with it was palpable, and the shots he took that day had a sort of ultrasound-like intimacy. For years he had

Award-winning photographer Clark Little grew up on the North Shore of O‘ahu, where he made his name as a pioneer of surfing at the lethal Waimea Bay shorebreak. His images of waves have been shared around the world, from the walls of the Smithsonian to the pages of National Geographic. Clark and his work have been featured in Nikon television commercials along with appearances on CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell, Good Morning America, Today, and the Discovery Channel. He lives on O‘ahu and can be found at the beach under a detonating wave most days of the week.
 
A lifelong connoisseur of waves and a former professional surfer, Jamie Brisick has authored books including Becoming Westerly: Surf Champion Peter Drouyn’s Transformation into Westerly Windina, We Approach Our Martinis with Such High Expectations, and Have Board, Will Travel: The Definitive History of Surf, Skate, and Snow. He was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship and his writings have appeared in The New Yorker, The Surfer’s Journal, and The New York Times. He lives in Los Angeles.

How do you photograph the world s most dangerous waves? You get thrashed. Clark Little uses his knowledge and love of surfing and the ocean to show people rare glimpses into the inside of Hawaii s most powerful waves. USA Today

Stunning images from inside the barrels of some of the most powerful and dangerous waves on Earth. . . . The Art of Waves chronicles [Clark s] adventures in the ocean. Associated Press

The Art of Waves brings together [Clark Little s] most remarkable work to date . . . a unique glimpse into a world most of us only experience from the safety of the shoreline. Outdoor Photography

In a stunning newly released coffee table book, surfer and award-winning photographer Clark Little shares a rare perspective of waves. Western Art & Architecture

Clark Little is in love with the sea. The images in the book are from the dreams of every surfer on the planet. Adventure Journal

Clark Little s love letter to shorebreak . . . The Art of Waves is a worthy coffee table addition to any surfer s collection. Surfline

Check out Hawaii photographer Clark Little s new book. . . . features more than 150 transporting photos of waves and ocean life from Hawai i, Southern California, French Polynesia, Tonga, and the Galápagos. Sierra Magazine

There s an undeniable allure to surfer and photographer Clark Little s aquatic photography, and it s one that teeters on the edge of dangerous attraction and childlike excitement. HILuxury Magazine

This gorgeous hardcover book is a rare study of waves for the water lovers, surfers, nature seekers, art enthusiasts, and tropical island travelers around the world. . . . Little takes the reader through a dynamic vision quest of his deep, colorful, frozen-in-motion wave photography. Standup Journal

Trust me, you want to check it out. This will be the pièce de résistance of your coffee table books.