Surf Photographer Mickey Smith On The World's Waves...

Mickey Smith spends his life on the waves. It's a dangerous occupation, arguably only a touch safer than the surfers he's often photographing, and takes him all over the world. He gets battered against some of the largest waves in the world, his heavily protected cameras thrown around amongst rocks and in heavy rollers, and he does all of it in order to sell photographs to magazines, an occupation that takes months to pay for his elaborate kit. He says it's something he grew up with, though we assume he’s referring to the adventure, rather than the fancy camera.

For an adventure traveller - usually a thrill-seeking, masochistic bunch that us mere mortals can only ogle in envy - Mickey's a cheesy character, but his heart seems to be in the right place, and there's a charming authenticity to it all. As he tells his story in the below mini-documentary, you get a glimpse of his passion, exploring cold coastlines and diving from cliff tops, camera in hand, just to get that extra little bit of perspective he needs to get the perfect photograph, or to snap things beyond the scope of most photographers. There are surfers and storms, the rolling weeds and the passing marine life. Lots of his work takes him to isolated spots, into areas where the average person would simply never go on land, let alone over the edges of the cliffs.

It's a lifestyle I'd love to have the skills to enjoy. Mickey's is the best taste most of us are ever likely to have, told in his own unique, poetic ramble. Wonderful stuff: