Lauren Pai Submits Joni Sternbach

Joni Sternbach is an alternative processes photographer who mainly works with wet plate collodion tin types to create landscapes and seascapes. Her solo exhibition, SurfLand, is a series of portraits of surfers in tintype. She is drawn by the way sea and land effect us and aims to capture what draws people to the same spots every season. 

This series was photographed is an on-going project still and it aims to capture contemporary surfers on the west coast of North America and Australia. All of these images are coated and shot with a large format camera, then developed on the spot, which draws a lot of attention on the beach, and also entices new subjects for her series. Hence, every image is truly unique and has a mysterious character all its own. 

Even though this series of images are all contemporary, they still feel like memories of loved ones from decades ago. I am especially drawn to these images because they remind me of my background and my family in Hawaii. It makes me think of when I found pictures of my Dad surfing in Hawaii in the 70's. 

http://www.jonisternbach.com/gallery_surfers.html