dFRANKS Photo.com Blog

Upcoming Transworld Issue

2010-05-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

Upcoming issue of Transworld, "the BIG issue" will have some shots of Nation Surfboards. Look for the West Coast 2nd Down, Los Dos and Qualifier-

Jon Steele And Steve Thomas Photo Fun

2010-05-06T13:22:00.001-07:00

The curse of the un-updated blog-

The Gudangs Getting Weird With Art At Home

2010-05-06T13:20:00.001-07:00

Oldies But Goodies

2010-05-04T21:30:00.000-07:00

I've been lazy, I've been busy, I've been looking for any reason not to update... whoa is me.

Surfline Boardshort Buyers Guide

2010-04-16T07:35:00.000-07:00

Randomly got a shot in the Surfline Boardhshort Buyers Guide, funny thing to it was of my brother-

The Adventures of Panos and Hiking

2010-04-12T16:59:00.001-07:00

Fun times hiking...a few pics from the good times

Working on Set- Fun Times

2010-04-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

So... this week... a model almost burnt a studio down by setting some clothes to be shot on fire. Pictures of the mayhem... funny times.

Catch Surf Ad ESM Magazine

2010-03-22T17:12:00.000-07:00

Just saw the ad, take a look-

Steblay in Aus

2010-03-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

Just checked the blog of my buddy Chris Steblay and he updated since his time in Aus.

Have a gander at http://chrissteblay.com/blog/?p=572

San Felipe 250 2010

2010-03-16T08:01:00.000-07:00

Its that time of year again.... had a great time down in Mexico for the race. Saw old friends and met new ones. Thanks Mexico for the good times-

Chad Cammack on Omatic Snowboards Site

2010-03-11T22:20:00.000-08:00

Snowboard Shots

2010-03-05T07:50:00.001-08:00

Went to Mammoth this past weekend, rode and shot a few photos. Here's two of Omatic rider Chad Cammack. Took a while to set up, but was well worth it-

Thanks to Chris and Kevin for helping out.

SIMA Womens Boot Camp

2010-03-05T07:49:00.001-08:00

Shot the SIMA women's boot camp last week. Check out the link for a few photos and a story-

http://shop-eat-surf.com/news-item/1433/report-from-sima-women-s-boot

G Boys and Dylan Graves in Mexico

2010-02-24T17:48:00.001-08:00

Fins

2010-02-22T18:27:00.001-08:00

Loving This Video

2010-02-20T19:13:00.000-08:00

Loving things that inspire me lately...

Catch Surf Surf Expo Booth

2010-02-18T19:50:00.001-08:00

Pics of Redmond on the Beater in the Catch Surf booth. Look for the new Catch Surf ad in ESM's April issue.

Pier Has Been Fun?

2010-02-16T20:02:00.000-08:00

San Clemente Pier has been pretty decent as of late, and so in turn Steve Thomas and I decided to go get some photos against the wonderful pilings as a backdrop. Here is one from the mornings few waves.

Steblay and Surf Girls

2010-02-12T17:39:00.001-08:00

Friend of mine Chris shot this vid for Surfer, came out killer. Check it out below.

For more info on Chris, check out his site at here.

Fun Day At Mt. Baldy

2010-02-11T10:37:00.000-08:00

Went and rode Mt. Baldy for the first time ever yesterday. Had a blast with a few friend and work partners. One shot of the great conditions yesterday.

The 1D Mark IV Is A Monster

2010-02-07T12:59:00.000-08:00

Love this video of the 1D Mark IV at high iso's

Canon 1D mark IV...maybesomesunwilldomegood from gnarly bay on Vimeo.

Eric Koston Kills It

2010-01-29T14:38:00.000-08:00

Eric Koston kills it. Check the first few minutes of this video to see what I am talking about-

Lani Doherty Blows Up At Lowers

2009-11-29T18:25:00.001-08:00

Ran into Lani Doherty, her sister and father down at Lowers the other day. She was out surfing and killing it, making the boys out there take second and third looks. Heres one hack from the day-

Johnny "Beater" Redmond

2009-11-28T16:45:00.000-08:00

Catch Surf's new stand up guru, John Redmond, was in town this past week and went shooting a few different locations. Heres two of John killing it doing stand ups. Note: Finless 54" bodyboard makes up "The Beater". Check them out at Catch Surf.

Wack off the top

Showing the Lowers crew how its done

Bogus Media-7d shoots surf

2009-11-04T22:08:00.001-08:00

Friend, photographer and video artist Morgan Maassen

lash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340">

Check out his blog at www.Bogustard.blogspot.com

morSURF Cover- Steve Thomas

2009-10-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

Just got an issue of the new morSURF and was happy to see that I got the cover with Steve Thomas longboarding on a recent trip we did. Congrats Steve-

San Clemente High Still Filthy Premier

2009-10-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

San Clemente High premiered the new surf flick "Still Filthy" the other night. Kids were psyched with free give a ways and Firewire even dontated a Taj board. A few photos from the festivities.

Getting ready for the new flick

Watching the world's finest blow up

Groms stoked to make off with free Kustom sandals

The Firewire board winner and Coach John Dowell

Nation Surfboards In New Transworld Surf Board Buyers Guide

2009-10-14T17:33:00.000-07:00

Nation Mfg is in the new Transworld board buyers guide. Shot all the the board shots and the boards and photos came out killer. Psyched to see the Guru killing it. Order a board or two from him and check out the buyer's guide below.

BLORR in BLISSS

2009-10-02T13:54:00.001-07:00

BLORR shot in the new BLISSS mag.

Amazing Video From A Few Artists

2009-09-23T18:13:00.001-07:00

From Under The Pier

2009-09-22T17:56:00.001-07:00

A few shots from under the pier.

I Miss This Place...

2009-09-16T16:50:00.000-07:00

I miss this place. Hopefully getting back there soon.

BL!SSS CD Review

2009-09-14T22:13:00.000-07:00

A music review of Polar Bear Club at the Glass House in Pomona. Same shot as the one posted a little while back, published this time in BLISSS

Waterhousing Group

2009-09-10T23:23:00.001-07:00

So a while back, I decided to start a group on Flickr about waterhousing surf photography. There was nothing at the time, and it was me and few learning photographers at the time who started to contribute photos. Well, time has passed and there are well over 400 members, most of which have some sort of waterhousing or just take photos with a waterproof camera, dedicated for the most part to surfing. If you get a chance, check out some of the great stuff that has surfaced through that group. You can click the link below to get there.

Fall Is Coming

2009-09-08T11:03:00.000-07:00

Fall is slowly creeping up, one of my favorite times of the year. The waves get better, the crowds go away, the light gets a bit softer and the talent blows up. Whether it be long boarding little ones or hacking on a shorty, I'm happy to shoot and enjoy whats around. Few projects coming up in the future, until than, here are 2 from the past week.

Nike Motel No Tell Randoms

2009-08-31T21:45:00.000-07:00

A few random shots over the past few weeks. Basically photos that struck me as interesting...

Surf Has Been Good

2009-08-30T23:48:00.000-07:00

Surf has been great the past week. A number of south swells hit the Southern California coast, along with great weather, made for a great time at the beach whether in or out of the water. Here are a few shots from the swells. More to come.

Kolohe Andino

Luke Davis

Jordy Smith

Dustin Franks

Polar Bear Club

2009-08-28T11:24:00.000-07:00

Had the opportunity to shoot this band at both the Nike No Tell Motel and than later that evening at the Glass House in Pomona, Ca. Basically, a bunch of punk kids from New York who have been blowing up in their respective scene and have a new album coming out. The guys were a blast to cruz with and put on a really good show. Ill post more photos of the their Motel experience later but here is a double from the other night at their show-

Check them out at: www.myspace.com/polarbearclub

Oh Brother...

2009-08-27T08:39:00.000-07:00

Kolohe Andino kills it. Lowers the other morning. I watch him surf all the time, and I am still amazed at what he can do.

BLORR Photo Fun

2009-08-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

BLORR, or Bastard Lovechild of Rock and Roll, is a band out of Flordia I had fun shooting this past week. Here are two panels of two of the members, Adam and Chris. Really impromptu, but had fun doing it.

Nation MFG Surfboards

2009-08-18T12:45:00.001-07:00

Have the pleasure of working with Ryan Engle of Nation MFG Surfboards to do some photos and website work for his new site soon to be unveiled. Here are a few pics from the other day, and more to come in the future.

Nike Mock Up

2009-08-13T20:14:00.001-07:00

A test shoot for a few jerseys designed by Katie Redmond. Brazil 2010-

Tres Face

2009-08-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

Art by MADSTEEZ
As seen at the Nike No Tell Motel

Summer Fun

2009-08-12T18:12:00.000-07:00

One from whenever. C. Wach perched.

More fun stuff soon to come-

NIke Motel No Tell

2009-08-05T22:40:00.001-07:00

Doing some stuff in the coming weeks for the Nike No Tell Motel. Should be a lot of fun and will post pics of events when I get a chance. Here is the new home for a few weeks.

Back to the Basics: Travels in Baja

2009-07-27T23:52:00.001-07:00

Mexico was great. Had a great trip with two friends who made it relaxing and super worthwhile. Stumbled on to new surf spots, took a few photos and caught a few waves. Loved every minute of it. Busy in the weeks to come so will continue to update this as I go along-

Two photos from the trip:

A surreal boat.

Right hander that was flawless and about 10 foot

Gone South

2009-07-22T17:19:00.003-07:00

Off to Mex tomorrow morning. Should be a good time. Will update with pics and stories when I get home.

New Site and Blog

2009-07-17T12:50:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Happy to announce that I have a new website along with a new blog. Check it out at www.dfranksphoto.com and the blog here at www.dfranksphoto.blogspot.com

Will be posting much more as I was pretty lazy about it before-

San Felipe 250

2009-03-18T12:46:00.000-07:00

It was a great race, a great time and even more satisfying after loading up the memory cards to find I got quite a few good shots.

Nalu Editorial

2009-02-16T12:45:00.000-08:00

One recent shot from the Japanese surf magazine Nalu. Shot over looking Churches Beach in San Clemente, Ca. Pic is the top one

Baja 1000

2008-11-25T12:44:00.000-08:00

Got back yesterday from beautiful Mexico. Went down to watch the Baja 1000, take shots, hang out with friends, and pit for a few buddies who race. Had a great time just relaxing and wandering around. Went to Ensenada first, then from there to Punta Cobras, and finally back up to Punta San Jose for a quick surf and relaxation time. Regardless of all the problems currently in Mexico, it is still a beautiful place, with amazing people.

Socal Surf

2008-10-16T12:41:00.000-07:00

Surf has been great these past few weeks. Been shooting quite a bit here in San Clemente at various spots. Picked up a new to me 1d and paired it with my 600mm for the first real test this week. I am amazed at the quality, focus speed, and pretty much everything else with this combo. At times it can be a little too zoomed in, however, still getting use to it, for sometime I'm sure. Planning a trip to hopefully hop over to Oahu this winter and shoot, but who knows at the moment. I'll continue to post up shots with the beautiful October light and hoping that it lasts in to November. Daniel Franks

Surfer's Path Article

2008-09-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

This has been posted on www.surferspath.com for sometime now but I was unaware of it. I knew they were going to run a feature article, but, I didn't know when it was going to come out. I just recently found it so I thought I would post. Its the same article as below, but check it out if you would like-

Click Here

Boost Mobile Pro

2008-09-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

Went to the Boost Mobile Pro this morning to watch a few quality heats and snap some photos. Had a great time watching Kelly and Sonny's heat, as well as Fanning killing it.

Hope all is well-

Daniel

Scratching Them Off The List

2008-07-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

Story from my recent trip to Nicaragua.

Photos: Daniel Franks

Words: Dustin Franks

In the midst of the winter doldrums, the travel bug had set in between a group of surfers, brothers and friends. An international jaunt to escape for a bit before the madness of a California Summer was in order and we were left with the task of deciding where to capitalize on a stirring Southern Hemisphere. The willing group eventually came about and when the tickets were finally booked, Steven Thomas of Santa Cruz, Grant and Andy Gold, and the three brothers Franks, Danny, Steven and myself, Dustin were ready to go.

Central America had proven itself time and again, and between the six of us, every nook and cranny of the chain-linked countries had been explored. The last on our collective list was Nicaragua. Surf tourism has been blossoming in the country for the past five years despite a tumultuous past and the expectations of fun surf, good accommodations and enough adventure to keep it interesting looked promising. Recent experiences from friends and fellow surfers had reassured the decision, so we took notes geared up and hopped on a plane set for Managua.

Once off the plane, we rented a 4x4 Toyota, a must on the Nicaraguan roads, and proceeded to head south. We arrived three hours later at the gates of where we'd be staying for the first five days of our trip. Nicaragua has been heralded as being "the next Costa Rica" and for good reason. Since the stabilization of the political climate, international investors have bought up land in prime locations and developed "haciendas" which offer up decked out surf pads, and community amenities. There are two communities, which lie next door to each other and span about a 10-mile stretch of coast. These 10 miles contain 4 of the best spots in the region. Access is definitely an issue and the vehicle of choice for really being "on it " in terms of surf is the ponga. The variety of surf crammed into the countries southern stretch of coast is absolutely mind-boggling. With near constant offshore winds from sun-up to sundown, it really becomes a matter of what you feel like surfing that day. A beach break that looked like Puerto Escondido's friendlier little sister kept us content for the first five days. A big outer reef A-frame down the beach had us bouncing back and forth between the two.

While checking the surf one morning we started conversation with local Nicaraguan surfer Ivan Saballos, who had gotten into the business of running charters throughout Nicaragua. We quickly got to talking about the region's endless surfing resources and he began telling us about the area's crown jewel; a shelfy, secluded left point break that changed moods with the tide and offered up the best waves in the area. Ivan Saballos and his partners, Armando Segura and Fermin Guerrero, run www.nicasurfing.com, which offers up five star accommodations at some of the country's best waves. The trio had a few days before their next crew arrived and offered the utmost hospitality by offering to drive us in to the left point break they had been raving about. We immediately jumped at the opportunity.

We jumped ship the next day to our second destination up the road. The remainder of our trip found us sampling the local cuisine, finding 400 different species of insects larger than a size 9 shoe and figuring out which ones you probably shouldn’t screw with. We made way too close of friends with small primates, drank beer and the finest rum in the land with our new Nicaraguan friends, and found a new shade of pink to apply to our skin. All this in between what little down time we had while absolutely surfing our brains out.

Nicaragua proved to be well worth the trek. We arrived back at the airport itching to change our flights and figure out how to blow off the obligations of home. The good surf, warm vibes, and laid-back lifestyle was nearly impossible to leave. Surfed out, sore, and garnishing trophy sunburns, we hopped on the flight headed back to California vowing to re-investigate this little nook of the globe again as soon as possible. This name on the list was worth a second look.