Call us imaginative, but after looking through Ryan Tatar’s (extensive) surf-based photography portfolio, we formed a rather solid idea of what this man may resemble. He’d have salty sun-bleached hair, tanned skin like an old leather handbag, and would be heard humming The Mamas & the Papas’ 'California Dreaming' at intervals throughout the day (just a hunch).
He’d also have some form of old-style vintage camera glued to his hand. Always. As in, whilst eating, sleeping, showering, and surfing the great waves of this earth. For this Southern Californian seems to always be snapping the environment around him.
Ryan’s series of images show like every single beach holiday you wish you’d had as a little kid. It’s the stuff of lazy weekends, salty skin, sticky icy-pole sticks and "Slip Slop Slapping". What makes it different to a lot of other surf photography, however, is that it’s all documented on film – most of it primarily originating on cameras dating between the 1930s to '80s.
Series such as
Sea-Tribes,
Big Sur Polaroids and
The Cape Fear Kooks are beautiful for their over-exposure, misty lens and unique film processing techniques (resulting in those amazing colours you see). His work has been shown in galleries internationally and published in various surf magazines across the USA, Australia, Germany, the UK, and Brazil.
More at
ryantatar.com.