DIVERSITY - Kirk Lee Aeder

What a journey it has been since my first surfing  photos were ever published in a 1976 issue of Surfing Magazine.  I was in the tenth grade at La Jolla High School.  My older brother Erik, someone who would go on to become one of the most accomplished surfing photographers ever,  was a tremendous influence upon me.  I just looked at what he was doing and determined I wanted to do that too. And well, why not?  I had no way of knowing at the time,  but I was embarking upon my lifelong endeavor.

Growing up in La Jolla was a blessing.  We lived just a few blocks from the Shores and Blacks, and a quick drive uptown to the Windansea reefs. These waves and the surfers who rode them were my early subjects in surfing photography. The individual who drew most of my attention was my great late friend Chris O’Rourke. We had photo sessions at Big Rock, Windansea, and Simmons Reef that today are still fresh in my mind.  I truly pray that no one ever has to go through what Chris did. A California prodigy in the mid 70's, he was one of the most competitive surfers ever. After his death from cancer in 1981 I named my photojournalism company ‘IMOCO Media’(In Memory Of Chris O’Rourke) after him.

I have been a contributing photographer for Surfer Magazine since 1978. After graduating from UCSD in 1983 with a BA degree in Communications, I took the first of what would become MANY trips to Japan. One of the surfing magazines there had been using a fair amount of my photos.  Going to Japan that first time really opened my eyes to a vastly different culture.

In 1985 I left La Jolla for Maui.  The move seemed natural and highly overdue.  The windsurfing boom on Maui was also a big allure and offered a nice alternative to shooting surfing.  I was also began to write a lot more which helped to fill the void between swells. My photos and article became more widespread and began appearing publications like Outside Magazine, American Way, Sports Illustrated, Endless Vacation and ESPN cable guides. 

As a photojournalist I was at least able to maintain a niche,  one that ultimately became big in Japan. My friend Takashi Isobe,  the long time editor of Surfing World Magazine Japan, has given me an incredible amount of work over the years. I kind of felt like one of those American baseball players who end up going to Japan to play instead. But in this business you gotta do what you gotta do. The surf magazines were no longer bimonthly, and the amount of surf photographers was increasing drastically.

Between 1988 and 1993 I went to Japan so many times I lost count. One particular trip lasted six months. I absorbed the culture, learned to speak the language, and journeyed to magical locations and surf spots. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the country, and I still work for Isobe today.

While time has since  passed quickly,  I now find myself living on the Big Island,  a place I first visited as a ten year old in 1969.  Leaving Maui in 1993 for what seemed like uncharted waters was a risk. Knowing that Pe’ahi was only just beginning to emerge didn’t exactly make me feel any better either. But I needed a change, and where I had now relocated to is the birthplace of surfing,  It doesn’t get more mysterious than that. The things that I have experienced here have been eye opening.  I even ended up marrying a Big Island girl, my beautiful wife Nita.

Over the years I consider myself  privileged being able to shoot Dorian here in his homeland.  There is another surfer, Ian Haight,  who has really showed me the ropes.  While I hold those two surfers in very high esteem, I have a lot of respect for all the surfers on the Big Island. They have a ton of resilience because it’s a tough place to surf and get good.

Finally,  over the years I have been fortunate in gaining access to shoot other formidable pro sports like the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, the Summer Olympics,  and PGA Golf. Being a huge sports fan it never gets old, and it only helps to keep the surfing photography fresh. In 2002 I had a book published entitled ‘The Great Hawaii Sports Journal’,  a culmination of my sports images. I have always used Canon equipment, and there is never, ever one day that goes by when I don’t realize how fortunate my life has been.

....Kirk Aeder’s biography as it appears in his photo portfolio published in the 2006/07 winter issue of Water Magazine

Windsurfer taking things to an extreme, off the Kilauea lava flow entering the sea.

Lava from Kilauea overruns Kalapana, Hawaii Island, 1989.

Windsurfer at Hookipa Beach, Maui, buried in avalanche of white water. 1991.