The Dark Side of the Lens

A short film from renowned surf photographer Mickey Smith. Smith worked with Allan Wilson (director of photography) from the Astray Collective to present a side to surfing that few of us, as observers or surfers, will glimpse: the photographer's life.

What drives him to spend countless hours in cold and hostile waters in search of a single shot?

There is an interesting subtext to the film, too. If your life is spent simply observing and documenting what you see, are you ever really present?

It's this willingness to go unnoticed, hide in the shadows, and sacrifice personal notoriety for the sake of one's art, which remains a hallmark of the very best watermen.

Mickey Smith is no exception.