Contest lay days and free surf sessions on the North Shore.

Check it out in full screen mode

North Shore Surfing Part 2 - Images by Travis Rowan>

Despite the continuous rain there were still plenty of nice waves around the North Shore today. I first drove around looking for a nice lineup shot and ended up at Rockpiles. I grabbed a few photos incorporating the warning flags and perfect A-frame peaks rolling in. With an 80-200mm lens I shot the rock piles themselves as a foreground for the nice barrel ride that went on beyond them. It's always good to incorporate the location in the surf image because the locations are part of the surfing lifestyle. Exotic travel, beautiful places, adventure etc. The full cloud cover left the light very diffused which I tend to like. The cool softness works well with the deep moods of the Pacific.

Familiar faces are every where on the North Shore this time of year. Matt Archbold and Danny Fuller were having a look at Rockpiles. Daniel Jones, Steph Gilmore and a Hawaiian Monk Seal at Rocky Point. Mick Fanning, Taylor Knox, Dustin Barca at Backdoor to name a few. It's tough to identify everyone accurately during these free surf sessions so feel free to help out in the comments. I hate to have a bunch of unidentified guys in here. They deserve the recognition.

Three days of photographing on the North Shore and I've got some of my best surf photos so far. More to come...TR

Highlights from the Billabong Pipeline Masters 2010 Day 1 + free surf action.

North Shore Surfing - Images by Travis Rowan

Check out this selection of photos I've shot in the last few days on the North Shore of Hawaii. Click for full screen for the best look at them.

Kelly Slater Wins his 10th World Title! Sports history in Puerto Rico

Kelly Slater wins his 10th World Title - Images by Travis Rowan

Sports history has occurred at the Rip Curl Pro Search Somewhere in Puerto Rico. Nine time world champion and surfing legend Kelly Slater has claimed his tenth world title. Slater secured this unprecedented sporting feat during the ninth event of the 2010 ASP World Tour in Puerto Rico. Kelly Slater has once again secured his position in sporting history placing himself among other greats like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. Congratulations to Kelly Slater.

I've been anticipating this moment for the last two years and finally it has come. I was selfishly hoping he would lose his heat today and force the title race on to the Pipeline Masters in Hawaii so I could be there to photograph it. Either way, I'll be there at Pipe in December to shoot the final contest of the year and possibly Kelly's last contest of his amazing career.

Above is a photographic tribute to Kelly Slater from my archive. See you at Pipeline. TR

Former World Champion Surfer Andy Irons Passes Away

Three-time world champion surfer Andy Irons died on Tuesday at the age of 32. photo: © Travis Rowan /mokensurf.com

Sad news today of Andy Irons' untimely death. He is an icon to competitive surfing and his sudden passing is a shock to the surfing world. RIP Andy and condolences to his friends and family.

Official Irons Family Statement:

[The world of surfing mourns an incredibly sad loss today with the news that Hawaii’s Andy Irons has died. Andy was a beloved husband, and a true champion.

Irons, 32, withdrew from a professional surfing event in Puerto Rico last weekend due to illness, and passed away during a layover en-route to his home in Kauai, Hawaii. He had reportedly been battling with Dengue Fever, a viral disease.

At this time the family thanks his friends and fans for their support, and asks that the community respect its privacy. The family also asks to not be contacted so their focus can remain on one another during this time of profound loss.

Irons, who began his career with the elite ASP World Tour in 1998, went on to collect 20 elite tour victories, four Triple Crown of Surfing Titles, three consecutive ASP World Titles and change the sport forever with his unparalleled ability and comprehensive approach to surfing.]

Billabong's Official Statement:

[Official Statement: HONOLULU - (November 2, 2010) -- The world of surfing mourns an incredibly sad loss today with the news that Hawaii's Andy Irons has died. Andy was a beloved husband, and a true champion. Irons, 32,withdrew from a professional surfing event in Puerto Rico last weekend due to illness and passed away during a layover en-route to his home in Kauai, Hawaii. He had reportedly been battling with dengue fever, a viral disease. At this time the family thanks his friends and fans for their support,and asks that the community respect its privacy. The family also asks to not be contacted so their focus can remain on one another during this time of profound loss.

It is with deep sadness that Billabong has learned of the news of Andy Irons’ passing. Andy was one of the greatest surfers of our time. More than that, he was a much loved son, a devoted husband and a soon-to-be father. The thoughts of all Billabong employees worldwide are with wife Lyndie and Andy’s family at this most devastating time.]

The ASP has posted an Andy Irons photo tribute on their site.

Transworld Surf's online article here.

Mick Fanning wins his second World Title!

Mick Fanning has just won his second World Title at Pipeline. I've been watching the webcast all day. The event is still going on. Round 4 has just started. Unfortunately, I don't have any new shots of Mick this year so I picked a few from the archives.

Here's Mick Fanning famously focused before his heat at the Boost Mobile Pro 2008.

Archive search: Afternoon Bol

Not much going on for me right now on the surf photography front. Not until they get a wave pool in Tennessee anyway...so I'm searching my archives for some unseen gems.

The above shot is of one of my favorite Balinese surfers "Bol". Always stylish. I shot this one back in August on a perfect afternoon in Bali.

Who is J.O.B? : Jamie O'Brien's new movie

Here's a shot of Jamie O'Brien bailing out of a switch-foot attempt during the Rip Curl Cup at Padang in Bali.

His new movie, Who is JOB? looks incredible. Check out the trailer below.

Indo dreaming

I've been back in the states now for about two months. Winter is almost here or at least it feels like it. So here's a little vision from Bingin in Bali to warm me up a bit. Can't wait to get back there...

Standing out from the crowd

In the crowded lineup, this surfer found an escape route. Bali.

Balinese Surfer: Rahtu Suargita

Rahtu Suargita takes a peak at the heaving barrels of Padang Padang in Bali following his session. Below is Rahtu turning it on in Kuta.

Tricky Water-Padang and low tide

This unusual view of Padang Padang in Bali was made during a large swell and very low tide. Of course, it's not as bad as it looks. There were plenty of surfers and photogs out in the line up. From this angle though, it's not very inviting.

Kelly Slater: Icon

This is one of my favorite shots of Kelly Slater. I shot this at the 2008 Boost Mobile Pro and Trestles. Slater won that one on his way to his Ninth World Title.

Luke Cederman lands in Bali

Here's Kiwi aerialist and Volcom rider Luke Cederman working on his repertoire in Bali.

Padang Padang super low tide

This is kind of a different angle of Padang in Bali. The tide was so low that I was able to walk out on the opposite reef. It almost looks like a slab wave with the heavy lip and churning foreground.

Garut Widiarta airlines

For the next several months I'll be back in the real world. Well, my real world anyway, which means I won't be shooting any surf for a while. So I'll be regularly posting some new pics from the last five months to keep the blog fresh.

That's Made Widiarta, aka Garut in form in the afternoon soon.

UPDATE: SOLD-Macbook Pro and Lumedyne for sale on Ebay

I've just put some equipment up for sale on Ebay. It's all nice gear in excellent condition.

Check them out here:

Lumedyne 400 w/s strobe kit

15" MacBook Pro

Leaving Bali: It's been a blur

The time has arrived. Time to get back to the real world for a while. The last five months in Bali have been the best. I've had great opportunities to shoot great surfers in the best waves and I can't forget the epic Rip Curl Cup. It's all been a blur...but I will return.

The above shot is from Kuta beach a few months ago.

The gear bag ritual

Preparing to return to the states to get back to my other life means that I am performing a sacred ritual: Laying out all my photo gear and packing it properly for a safe airplane journey.

This seemed a good opportunity to take a shot and post it for anyone interested in the gear I regularly travel with.
My gear list below

All Cameras and Lenses are Nikon
D300
D2X (not shown)
3 x Lexar 8GB CF cards
4 x Sandisk 4GB cards
10.5mm fisheye lens
17-55mm F2.8 lens
80-200mm F2.8 lens
85mm F1.4 lens
12-24mm F4.0 lens
300mm F2.8 lens
Sb-28 Speedlight
Sb-600 Speedlight
Sb-800 Speedlight
Sc-29 remote flash cable
MC-30 Cable release
Wein Optical Slaves
36" Refector
Lumiquest Softbox III
Honl flash accessories
Pocketwizard Plus Transmitter and Receiver
Home slave attachment cables
77mm Polarizing filter
Micro fiber cloth and lens cleaning kit
Blower
Manfrotto Tripod with Ball head
DIY Remote flash housing
SPL Water housing
Dive belt with quick release clips for water housing
MacBook Pro 15" (not shown)
4 x Western Digital Passport External Drives (not shown)
Card reader (not shown)
Lumix LX2 compact camera (not shown)

All of these items can be purchased through the Adorama and BHphoto links in the sidebar. ...Read more

Classic "Bol": Bali

Made Adi Putra, aka Bol once again delivers a money shot. Here's Bol in Kuta painting the sunset sky with perfect fin strokes.

The Wild Life: Bingin Bali

I grabbed this shot a few months ago down at Bingin in Bali. You don't see much wildlife around the surf breaks or anywhere in Bali really, so this was a nice change.