Words: Matthew Walsh
One of the best ways to learn about surfing and it’s different cultures is on Instagram. Online, we can find what waves people are surfing in Bali, where the spectacular hidden spots are in Northern California, or simply see life through the eyes (and lens) of a particular individual.
We get a look into a photographers perspective and can become enraptured in their way of seeing the world. Learning about a culture is possible from the assemblage of images that pass our eyes as we scroll the endless depth of our Instagram feed, yet we have to question who is taking the images that make up our feed. For surf photography, that is too often predominantly men.
At WSPC (Womens Surf Photography Collective), we seek to make women surf photographers visible to a wider audience. Throughout surfing’s history, women’s perspective of the culture has been overlooked and forgotten behind that of the male viewpoint. As result, our image of surfing history has been skewed towards that of what men have thought is important.
With Instagram and other visual social media, we have the chance to change how surfing is seen. No longer should women’s perspectives be blocked, we now have a choice to follow a female perspective of the sport and follow the stories being told by women across the world.
The list below features women surf photographers that have few followers, but have exceptional skills behind the lens. If you want to discover the world of surfing from a woman’s perspective, visit our website and follow us on Instagram.
