Breaking Waves

Photographer Clark Little has dedicated his life to film the world's ultimate waves and has now published his favourite shots of all time.
Clark, 39, swims in terrifying seas and crouches on shorelines with his waterproof camera to capture rarely seen views from inside a 'tube' - a breaking wave.
He has now unveiled this set of images which he says are the best he has ever taken and epitomise the world's deadliest surf.
Many of his photographs are shot at Waimea Bay in Hawaii - the home of surfing and immortalised in the lyrics of the Beach Boys song 'Surfin USA'.
They show perfect arcs of water and crystal "caverns" which are turned into a kaleidoscope of colour by sand and rays of sunlight.
Father-of-two, Clark, from Oahu, Hawaii, says he often risks his life to capture the "perfect wave".
He said: "I love the ocean - I am addicted to the waves. Especially places like Waimea Bay. I started surfing there in the 1990s and now I like to photograph it as much as possible.
"I'm always in the water before dawn to try and snap that perfect picture as the sun rises.
"I try to capture the beauty and power of these monstrous waves from the inside out. I enjoy the power and beauty of the huge waves that roll through.
"Thanks to experience I can capture some of those heavy moments without getting slammed about myself. Well, most of the time." TheTamshee says: Big respect to Clark, this bloke can take these awesome shots while standing on a surf board, shooting the tube of all things. Photography at it's best, master of the board & lens. I have had the pleasure of trying his fun sport, it was on one of my visits to South Africa, when we started our adventure at Cape Town working our way around the coast until reaching surfers paradise at Jeffreys Bay

the gem of the Kouga Region, is also the gateway to the Garden Route. It boasts with endless unspoilt beaches and at some places quite a variety of shells are washed up the shore every day. Before you start your own collection, first visit the Shell Museum! Jeffreys Bay offers a variety of activities. You can go horse riding on the beach; you can watch the dolphins and the whales play between July and October to name a few. If you’re a surfer Jeffreys Bay is the place. Be sure not to miss the Billabong Pro competition in July every year. If you’re not a pro there are surfing schools for beginners with excellent training. If that still seems above you, there are even places ideal for paddle skiing and knee boarding - or you can go all out and just experience - what TheTamshee calls the tumble drier option, but believe me this is not the safest approach. My young coach on that eventful trip was born to balance on the board - glideding on the crest of the waves like a professional ice skater but he failed to prepare me for the wipe outs - some would say spectacular - while others felt the pain. O how the crowd laughed.

To be continued ---- the delights of Knysna

Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy (born 26 July 1956) is a British sculptor, photographer and environmentalist now living in Penpont Scotland who produces site-specific sculpture and land art situated in natural and urban settings. His art involves the use of natural and found objects, to create both temporary and permanent sculptures which draw out the character of their environment. He has been quoted as saying, "I think it's incredibly brave to be working with flowers and leaves and petals. But I have to: I can't edit the materials I work with. My remit is to work with nature as a whole." Goldsworthy is generally considered the founder of modern rock balancing for his ephemeral works. Andy was also the subject of a 2001 documentary feature film Rivers and Tides, directed by Thomas Riedelsheimer. TheTamshee says: I admire the talent of this earth sculptor with a particular liking to the photography. "Goldsworthy's approach is to keep it simple, almost routine. All work, good or bad is documented. He uses standard film, lenses and no filters. Taking the photograph is not a casual act. It is very demanding and a balance is kept in which documentation does not interrupt the making. Each work grows, stays, decays - integral parts of a cycle which the photograph shows at its height, marking the moment when the work is most alive. There is an intensity about a work at its peak that I hope is expressed in the image. Process and decay are implicit in that moment. A drawing or painting would be too defined. The photographs leave the reason and spirit of the work outside. They are not the purpose but the result of my art" As Yves Klein said of his monochrome paintings: 'They are the left-overs from the creative process, the ashes. Andy's pictures, after all, are only the title deeds to his property which he has to produce when asked to prove that he is the proprietor. See title link to view some creative work with -Green patch (Elm) Leaf patches made by finding leaves the same size tearing one in two spitting underneath and pressing flat onto one another, Middleton Woods, Yorkshire