Raglan photographer catches the waves

Training in a pool balanced upright with flippers on and with arms held high above her head is all part of keeping fit for the job for Raglan Surfshot photographer Jane Alice.

Add to this the dynamic of being in the surf with the swell and surfers to watch out for while keeping a 5 kg camera up ready for ‘that shot’ and you start to sense how talented this young photographer is.

Jane has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography from Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design in Auckland.  From a young age she used to assist her father, a wedding photographer, with his work.  Given her background in competitive swimming since the age of seven and then later as an ocean swimmer, it is little surprise Jane ended up combining water and photography into her unique business.

Jane shifted to Raglan permanently a year ago and has spent most of her time taking shots of the surfing out at Manu Bay or on land getting her specialised photography business sorted.

“I bought the water-housing for my camera in 2008.  It has taken a few years for me to be capable of doing what I do,” she says.

Now, with the help of a Work and Income Enterprise Grant, her business has been given a kick-start as the surfing season approaches.

“I had to develop a business plan and financial forecasting to apply.  Then I didn’t hear anything for so long I thought I had missed out.   It was great when the call came through.”

Her surfshot website is up and running, and she markets her business by handing out wristbands to surfers on the water.

“When you think that my job is out there in the waves and action, a wristband is the perfect way to advertise what I do.  A business card was never going to work.”

While Jane loves what she does she admits to getting some ‘strange looks’ from people on the beach who see her sort-of swimming with arms out of the water.   She also tries to get as close as possible to the surfers.

“I have to hold my camera up above my head with one hand and have the other on the button.  I have a wide-angle lens and have to wait for the last second to get the best shot.” says Jane.

And while all this is happening Jane also has to keep an eye on the surfers around her.

“They are pretty good and aware of where I am, but every now and then one can drop down almost on top of me from behind a wave,” says Jane.

Perfecting taking great surfing shots has taken years.   As well as keeping up above the water Jane also plunges deep down under waves, an experience that she says can leave her feeling a little dizzy.

In what must be a gross understatement Jane says her work is ‘tiring’.

Back on land, surfers wanting prints contact Jane using the information on the wristbands.  She can also arrange specific surf shoots at times that suit.

Jane plans to spend plenty of time bobbing in amongst the waves this summer taking the perfect shot on the perfect wave.