Ben Cook has teamed up with Surfrider Foundation Australia to capture a beautiful series of portraits of surfers along the east coast of Australia. From his home town of Bondi to his happy place of Byron Bay, Ben and Creative Director, Scott McClelland, have met, shot and gotten wet with surfers to help capture the breadth and depth of the surfer community.
They have captured grommets, grannies and surfing legends such as Ozzie Wright, Barton Lynch and Tom Carroll and the local surfers of The Pass, Watego’s and Suffolk Park. The photos are being used by Surfrider Foundation to connect with surfers and spread their cause of beach and ocean conservation.
Artist Profile: Ben Cook
Ben Cook is a Bondi-based photographer who focuses on capturing the characters of societies subcultures, from music to sport to surf. After nearly 2 decades in London shooting the who’s who of the music industry, including Ronnie Wood and Eminem, he returned to Australia to create campaigns with brands such as Nike and continue his own personal projects, including his recent partnership with Surfrider Foundation Australia.
Surfrider Foundation
Surfrider Foundation Australia is a registered not for profit sea-roots organisation dedicated to the protection of Australia’s waves and beaches. Their Mission & Vision is to inspire an engaged sur ng and coastal community who are passionate about protecting oceans, waves and beaches.
Surfrider Foundation Australia was founded in 1991, largely in response to poor water quality issues along Australia’s east coast. Local surfers, being at the forefront of water quality, began recruiting volunteers for a series of demonstrations and actions to persuade decision makers to take action on this ongoing issue. The group has been working hard to protect Australia’s coastlines ever since.
Since its humble beginnings and as we approach our 25th year of operation, SFA has grown to over 13 volunteer branches and many more volunteer beach representatives tackling local and national coastal environmental issues at a sea-roots level around Australia.
SFA Maev ambassador from Surfrider Foundation Australia on Vimeo.
Say hello to legendary ocean swimmer and Surfrider Foundation Australia ambassador, Maev Kerri Fitzpatrick.
Shot by Ben Cook
Music by Ben Howard