For me the ocean is everything, whether I’m taking photos of it, surfing it, bodysurfing it or just swimming about. The photos I have selected for this assignment show many forms of the ocean and how people and the environment interact with it. For me one of the most refreshing things is to swim out at Burleigh on a freezing winter morning by myself and watch the sun come up. It is truly one of the best things in life. The way the water and light interact is one of the many things that intrigue me. Though the ocean can be very dangerous, many times when I have wiped out or been sucked over the falls I’ve been scared that I may never come back up or get smashed into the rocks. Although that is part of the allure of the ocean, one minute it’s taking your breath away with a beautiful sunrise and the next minute it is literally taking your breath away. Photography and the Ocean are somehow inexplicably linked.  Though getting the perfect shot isn’t as easy as it seems. You need lighting, swell, wind, banks, weather and water quality among others to align. Just one thing can throw out all the others. There’s no point having perfect offshore winds amazing clarity with no swell. Many peoples’ interpretations of the oceans differ, though mine is certain, there’s nowhere I’d rather be.

Sam Pitman