UPY 2018 Portrait - Third}

UPY 2018 Portrait - Third
'Under The Wave'
Rodney Bursiel

I have been traveling with musician and professional surfer, Donavon Frankenreiter for about four years now. On a recent surf trip to Tavarua, Fiji I captured this shot of Donavon playing under the wave at Cloudbreak. When shooting surf photography I love being under the wave. There is just so much more going on there. Seeing the power of the wave from below and watching the surfers dive below it. It's the side of the wave that you don't get to see from the shore.

Judge's comment: We’re keen that photographers interpret this category their way. This picture doesn’t just perfectly capture the briefest of moments in challenging conditions, it is also a masterful portrait of a subject in its setting, a composition reminding me of the work of Annie Leibovitz.
Alex Mustard