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Claire Butler, 26, Rondebosch Cape Town
Firstly congrats on winning Shot Bru last issue, great shot of Crons. Thanks a lot guys, that is one of my favourite photographs, and I was super stoked to win.
How long have you been shooting? Years shooting: 3 years (surf photography the past 10 months)
What equipment are you shooting on? Canon EOS 7D usually with a 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens (only just got the 7D so most of my shots were actually taken on my old 1000D)
What is your favourite wave to photograph? Krans / Crons and Supertubes, JBay
Why surf photography? I've always enjoyed watersports-related photography. Before I started shooting surfing I was really into wakeboarding and I shot a lot of that (which I still love to shoot). Then one evening at Llandudno I just happened to have my camera with me and I was shooting some guys doing airs in the sunset and I got so excited about the shots that all I wanted to do was shoot more. It all snowballed from there until I found myself strategically skipping work and heading to the beach to shoot whenever the swell was good. What I really enjoy about it is that it's challenging and unpredictable - so many elements have to come together to make a great surf shot and no day of shooting is the same, which keeps it fresh and exciting. On top of that, I grew up surfing so my love for the sport was always there.
Do you surf yourself? I used to surf a lot as a teenager but then stopped and got into wakeboarding, which meant weekends were spent at the cable park instead of the beach. However I'm pleased to say that last week I made my official return to the water and I am really excited about getting back into it again. I've been watching from the shore for far too long.
Where would you like to go with your photography?
As far as I can possibly go with it! I resigned from a full-time job at the end of last year to free up some time to focus on my photography and so right now I'm just putting all of my energy into kickstarting a career in the field. In terms of surf photography, there are breaks all over the world that are on my 'have to shoot' list and I really hope to be doing some traveling to these places soon.
Thanks a lot Claire, we wish you the best of luck and look forward to seeing more of your great work.
Shot guys.
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