On the eve of winter storm Juno, while most East Coasters hunkered down for a Netflix marathon or stampeded the grocery store for last minute provisions, Nick LaVecchia, 40, was calmly driving along the frigid coastline with his camera in hand, a warm thermos of coffee in the cup holder.
Or, at least, that’s how we pictured him—cold weather is an old and welcome friend to the renowned surf photographer.
“The ocean, the raw coastline and close proximity to the mountains,” he muses about his home in York, Maine. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
And it’s not like he doesn’t have perspective. LaVecchia is a well-traveled man, having shot surfers in much warmer climates around the globe for publications including Outside magazine, Surfer, Monster Children, and National Geographic Adventure. But to LaVecchia, nothing rivals the thrill of slipping into the frigid winter Atlantic to capture the most dedicated surfers of all.
So what does it take to be a surf photographer, in the dead of winter, on the wind-battered shores of New England? Well, besides spare batteries, a jug of hot water waiting in the car, and some seriously thick neoprene accessories, it takes unshakable steel will.
“When it’s below zero degrees and the wind is ripping at 30 knots, you really have to want to jump in the ocean to make an image,” he says. “Keeping gear warm, shoveling snow, brain-freezing duck dives … shooting people enjoying and living their lives in crazy, raw conditions is always fun. Everything seems more dramatic. You may enjoy a picture perfect winter day with only a couple other humans on the beach. That’s pretty special.”
Above, LaVecchia offers a sampling of some of his favorite cold-water surfing shots.
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