When Craig Hubbard moved from Brooklyn to Venice Beach in 2013, he had an established creative career as an animator and comic book colorist, but it had been a long time since he had picked up a camera. The golden hour hues of the West Coast’s legendary sunsets reacquainted him with lens-based work, and he began documenting the areas he frequented in his spare time. “As an avid surfer and former skater, I gravitate toward skateparks and water,” he tells Colossal. And with the ocean, of course, come the waves.
Venice Beach is a funky, coastal Los Angeles neighborhood that has retained its laid-back, surf-loving vibe despite new developments. Surfers await swells in areas like the Breakwater and the Venice Beach Pier, and Hubbard heads out with his own board and his camera. “Dusk, dawn, and fog banks activate my senses,” he says. Tapping into his enthusiasm for graphic design, he focuses on bold outlines and forms, high contrast, and the energy of directionality and motion. “Nature ultimately does the heavy lifting, though,” he adds.
Hubbard’s photos are ethereal and cinematic, with surfers and wave crests illuminated by the early morning sun or backdropped by the marine layer. Sometimes the intense spray, curl, shoulder, or lip become the sole subjects of the portraits. “The water is the muse and artist,” Hubbard recently told an interviewer. “I’m just a biased translator and documentarian. Lastly, my ego relaxes in the ocean; the need to peacock recedes. This is where my best work comes from—or favorite, I should say.”
Follow Hubbard’s work on Instagram and see some of his videos on YouTube.
