ISLE OF WIGHT SURF PHOTOGRAPHY WITH SOUL
Welcome to the Isle of Wight Surf Photography blog and website of West Wight photographer Jason Swain. As well as occasional ramblings on all things surf related, the website is designed to be a showcase of my surf photography & promote the beauty of surfing the Isle of Wight and around the English coastline. The Majority of photos are from my local breaks of Freshwater Bay and Compton Bay. It’s also grown over the years to include a few product reviews (surf or photography related), some of my favourite surf related videos and also photos of Kitesurfing and SUP and other water-sports that take place on the IOW when we’re not surfing.
The best surfer out there is the one having the most fun
If in doubt, paddle out.
There is not one right way to ride a wave
Winter Surf check at Compton Bay
Winter Surf check at Compton Bay by Jason Swain. We've all been there, driven all the way to Compton Bay, and no matter how long you look at it, the swell's just not picking up and its so cold that the knee high glassy peelers just cant tempt you in. If it was the...
Vintage surfing style – Light leaks & imperfections at Freshwater Bay.
Vintage surfing style by Jason Swain. I found this old surfing polaroid snap from Freshwater Bay in the bottom of the cupboard… Full of light leaks and imperfections, or is it? maybe i just had a little fun in photoshop? what do you think? Light leaks &...
Longboarding on the Isle of Wight
Longboarding on the Isle of Wight by Jason Swain. Plenty of people come on an Isle of Wight holiday in the summertime looking for waves, but the reality is that its 'out of season' when the island really gets its best waves. You might get the occasional bit of...
Easy on Surfing – The Surf Jimmy
The Surf Jimmy review by Jason Swain. Sometimes an idea is so simple and so clever you kick yourself for not thinking of it yourself, i think i'll have to put the easy-on surf Jimmy in that Category. It's one of those things that at first glance you wonder what the...
Endless summer – Isle of Wight style in November
Endless summer - Isle of Wight style in November by Jason Swain. After months of blogging a fews weeks AFTER the event, I've got my act together and today's post actually happened today! Lovely waves this morning at Compton Bay, nice clean groundswell with just a...
Dancing in the dark – Surf photo gallery from Freshwater Bay
Dancing in the dark By Jason Swain. Apologies as I'm a bit late in getting round to posting the images here, but its been a very busy last few weeks for me with lots of weddings, parties and business events to photograph (you can have a look at the gallery page on my...
O’Neill wetsuits
It goes without saying that O’Neill is one of the most recognisable surf brands out there-they’ve built their reputation up into possibly the most well-known suppliers of quality suits, used the world over. So why are they so popular? Firstly most O’Neill suits have...
Sundown Surfer – One more wave at Compton Bay, Isle of Wight.
Sundown Surfer - One more wave By Jason Swain. Beautiful light and fun little waves at Compton Bay on the Isle of Wight from a week ago now, this was the last evening of that swell and those still out on the final session weres squeezing every last drop of juice...
Bokeh Surfing on the Isle of Wight
Bokeh Surfing on the Isle of Wight by Jason Swain. After a very long time with hardly any decent surfing at all, during the summer months here on the Isle of Wight, (a choice i made through a combination of rubbish blown-out waves out west, and being too busy to be...
Surfin UK – BRITISH SURF PHOTOGRAPHY from OB approved.
BRITISH SURF PHOTOGRAPHY by Jason swain. Orlebar Brown, home of some very trendy and seriously upmarket clothing (well it might not be to everyone else, but it is definitely upmarket when compared to my usual budget 🙂 are running a 'Surfin UK' feature on their OB...
Surf Chick – Got Wellies, Will Surf
Surf Chick By Jason Swain. We finally had some nice waves over the weekend, it inspired me to go back to the archives and find this from earlier in 2012, shot at Compton Bay. Will have a little photo blog from friday mornings session at Freshwater Bay ready in a few...
Kitesurfing photo gallery – Compton Bay, Isle of Wight.
What do you do when the waves are crappy and the wind is onshore? Local kite-boarders (Tom Court, Andrew Court, Will Rome ) didn't let it spoil their fun and can be seen here tearing it up under crazy skies at Compton Bay on the Isle of Wight earlier this week. Shot...
Kitesurfing at Compton Bay, Isle of Wight
By Jason Swain. Not quite surfing photos yet, but getting closer, and this quick blast of Kitesurfing action from the Isle of Wight was a lot of fun to shoot. I met up with my good flickr friend Andy Teo (photocillin) this week for a bit of photo exploring. We had a...
No Surf Beach Boule Monday Blues
By Jason Swain. There has been no new surfing shots for the soul surfing blog in such a long time, so i'm sharing a little bit of beach life action with the tenuous link that 4 people involved in this shot playing beach boule own surfboards / bodyboards, 2 of which...
Sea Fog at Priory Bay, Isle of Wight
By Jason Swain. I've not posted much on this soul surfing blog recently, hardly any decent surf for me during the summer months and when i have been in, no time to hang around and take photos after, so thats my excuse for posting a non-surfing related image from a...
Isle of Wight SUP – Pond skimmers
By Jason Swain I've been looking back through recent archives (2012) and have found another composition i like from the Isle of Wight SUP (stand-up paddle board) shoot in April at Compton Bay. It was taken back on a gloriously sunny and warm spring evening at the...
Alpha NEX Cameras
Following on from my recent blog post on my related website isleofwightpictures.com, where I looked at the alternatives to always carrying my heavy professional DSLR kit around with me at all times this Sponsored Post looks at one of the options available in the...
A week of ups and downs… from wight surf history to Ocean Seen.
By Jason Swain I started the week by helping Paul Blackley dismantle and pack away the very successful Wight Surf History exhibition, and ended it by putting up my own canvases on the same walls for my part of the 'Ocean Seen' exhibition which starts at Dimbola this...
The Shutes at The Wight Surf History Diamond Jubilee Party.
By Jason Swain So, its yet another quick blog with a tenuous surfing link, this time watching The Shutes at The Wight Surf History Diamond Jubilee Party at Dimbola Museum and Galleries on Saturday 2nd June. Didn't take the camera with me that night, this wasn't about...
The tenuous surfing link restaurant review / blog – Justin Brown at Farringford
By Jason Swain Yesterday was my girlfriend's birthday and seeing as she puts up with cooking for me and my son william all year round, i thought it might be a nice idea to treat her to a night off and take her to a fancy restaurant. Living in West Wight can narrow...
Play that Funky SUP – Stand up paddle surfing on the Isle of Wight
A slightly different view of Stand up paddle surfing on the Isle of Wight. Shot with the 500mm sigma zoon lens, this tight crop makes me think of playing funky bass guitar for some reason, and i really like the bokeh caused by the light on the breaking wave. Play that...
The Sweeper – Isle of Wight SUP
Another Isle of Wight SUP photo, and again its looking at stand up paddle boarding in Compton Bay. This 2 frame vertorama (vertical panorama) composition is all about reinforcing the space and sense of freedom. The Sweeper - Isle of Wight SUP, originally uploaded by...
Compton Fields Beach Clean, Isle of Wight
A quick photo-blog about the beach clean that took place earlier today at Compton Fields on the Isle of Wight. The bad news is the sheer amount of crap, the good news is that people are prepared to do something about it, so well done to all those that turned up on a...
Isle of Wight Water Sports
It's pouring down with rain here again this morning so i'm forced to dig out a bit of sunshine and Isle of Wight Water Sports from the archives. I found a few more different views of stand-up-paddle boarding in Compton Bay from that time when the sun was shining...
Wight Surf History exhibition of surf memorabilia and photography 2012
By Jason Swain After a few years of research and getting in touch with all the old faces, the ‘Wight Surf History’ Project opens an exhibition of surf memorabilia and photography from the last 50 years of surfing on the Isle of Wight. The show takes place at Dimbola...
One man and his gull – Stand up Paddle Surfing
Another from the Stand up Paddle Surfing (SUP) shoot at Compton Bay, Isle of Wight, on a gloriously sunny and warm spring evening. Using the sigma 50-500mm telephoto lens and deliberately shot into the sun for a silhouette and maximum shimmering sea. It was then...
We are sailing (well stand up paddle boarding actually)
A bit more stand up paddle boarding (SUP) action from Compton Bay, Isle of Wight, on a gloriously sunny and warm spring evening last week. Bit of luck getting the yacht in the background! Deliberately shot into the sun for a silhouette and maximum shimmering sea, and...
On golden pond ( SUP on the Isle of Wight )
A bit of stand-up paddle board action from Compton Bay (SUP on the Isle of Wight). On a gloriously sunny and warm spring evening earlier this week. Using the Sigma 50-500mm I deliberately shot it into the sun for a silhouette and maximum shimmering sea effect. I then...
The swell that kept on coming…
So, its five days and counting now that this spring swell has hung around, and thats pretty good going for the south coast, especially accompanied by offshore winds. Only had time for a really quick surf at lunchtime, and no photos either, but i did get back in the...
I was there yesterday!! an overdue surf blog.
By Jason Swain Following up on the theme of my last surf blog, where i'd missed out on the good swell at Freshwater Bay because i had to stay in and have my broadband line fixed. This time i'm happy to write about the waves I did get on a glorious days surfing at...