Art Brewer, the legendary surf photographer, died on November 9, 2022, surrounded by family and close friends after a battle with liver disease at the age of 71.
Art Brewer began his career in 1967 as a teenager photographing local Laguna surfers and freelanced for Surfer Magazine in the late 1960s. A self-taught photographer who once studied with Ansel Adams, he has circumnavigated the globe countless times to photograph the world's best surfers chasing the most spectacular waves.
Over the next several decades, he became the dominant photographer in the surfing world. Brewer was known for both his action photography and his portraits. He dominated surf photography in the 1980s and 1990s with some of the most iconic action shots the sport has ever seen. Art Brewer demonstrated a shrewd eye for lighting and composition as he captured the thrilling sights of big surfers.
Art's images have captured the surf lifestyle, the sport and its evolution over the decades. His style and vision have been reflected in a variety of publications including Esquire Magazine, Rolling Stone and Islands Magazine. His fine art prints can be seen in gallery exhibitions around the world and in the books Masters of Surf Photography: Art Brewer and Bunker Spreckels. He later photographed for brands such as Nike, Gatorade, Vans Shoes, Yamaha, Sea Doo and teaches action surf photography workshops at the New York School of Visual Arts.
The whole SUNBOUNCE team mourns the loss of a good, long-standing friend.
Art Brewer and Sunbounce
"Ever since I first picked up a camera in the 60's, my main light-source has been the sun. Shooting surf photography all over the world has taught me how to read and manipulate the light that exists. We used to use things like surfboards and white walls to bounce light for beach portraits.
Now, we just use a variety of sunbounce scrims, swatters and reflectors to get soft, magical lighting at any time of day. Shooting beachwear advertisements and catalogs from first light to last light means that something has to be shot in high sun. Sunbounce helps me transform high noon blowouts into soft highlights that compliment the content shot during magic hour."
Please visit Art Brewer's website at: www.artbrewer.com
