Tarish Zamora

Years in surf photography: 8 months, actually. 🙂

Favorite camera: My Nikon D750!

Favorite board: My 9’0 brown longboard shaped by KM69 named “Latte”

Instagram: @tarishzamora

Photography websites: www.tarishzamora.com

Do you surf as well? Yes! I was interested in surf photography first before surfing, but I tried surfing first because it was more convenient. When I still didn’t have my underwater case.

What inspired you to take photos in the water? I was honestly interested in surf photography first before I got into surfing. I would stalk different Instagram accounts of surf photographers and would think, “Man, I wanna be able to shoot surf as well.” I even ended up tearing up sometimes, that’s how much I wanted it. And I figured, to be able to capture the most crucial parts of surfing, to know where I needed to position myself in the water, I needed to learn the sport as well. That’s when I started taking surfing seriously. I’d drive up to different spots every week, wherever it’s working, to understand, study & practice – little did I know that I’d end up falling in love to the sport as well. So here I am, addicted not only to shooting surf, but also to the sport itself. The lifestyle, the stoke, and everything else about surfing.

Most memorable surf moment? It was almost sunset, and everywhere from where I was, the waves were huge and messy. My friend and I almost gave up from waiting for the waves to calm down and actually decided to just get drinks for happy hour. On the way to the bar, another friend of ours suddenly called at 4:30PM, saying “(This spot) is finally working! Let’s go!!” We looked at each other and said “I’m already so lazy, do we still go?” We gave it another 10 minutes, then we decided to go anyway, and it was the BEST decision. We got to the surf spot and the waves were so clean. There were just 12 people in the lineup, and all of them were our friends. The water was just full of laughter, everyone was just taking turns and cheering on each other while catching waves. The rides were 20-30 seconds long, and good vibes were overflowing from everyone. We watched the sun set beautifully set before we decided to get out of the water because it was getting dark. My heart felt so full. I knew I wanted more moments like that in my life.

What do you love or hate about the culture around female surf photographers? Being a female photographer is one of my ways of showing how women are at their most beautiful in their simplest and happiest state. Shooting in the water, there’s no glam team, no extra lights. Just you, the camera, the surfboard, and the surfer. It has always been my challenge to myself to be able to capture the purest form of anyone, or anything, because this is when I find things the most beautiful- even at their most vulnerable state. I like being able to tell a story in my photos. I like being able to capture grace & beauty, despite surfing being such an extreme sport.

How has your life in the water affected the rest of your life on land? Surfing has changed my perspective in so many ways. Surfing made me me appreciate life in its most simple form, it made me understand that you don’t need much, that life actually is simple. Surfing made me more aware of the surroundings and made me want to take care of our environment. It’s so humbling to be into a sport where Mother Nature will always be boss. It teaches you to accept whatever it gives, it taught me to be patient. And that you need to respect it too, because it gives us happiness in return.

It also helped me to acknowledge failures without a heavy heart. It helped me not to dwell on issues so much. Just like when you’re surfing and you wipeout, just pick yourself up, move one and catch another wave. It made me feel extra grateful because not anyone is given the chance to experience this kind of life.