Hanging out with Aaron Chang

I stared in awe, entranced by the music. I have never seen such breathtaking waves in Indonesia, or steep mountains of Alaska, or wild animals of Africa so close to my face. I was inside the world of photographer Aaron Chang.

Aaron Chang is a phenomenal surf photographer. He is senior photographer for Surfing magazine, and has traveled the world photographing and surfing the best waves in the world. He traveled through Wrightsville Beach last Tuesday putting on a slide show at Red Dog’s for the local surfing community.

"It was incredible, insane," said Roy Turner owner of Surf City, who invited Chang as a part of Surf City’s 20th anniversary celebration

"We had two shows, one for the kids and one for the adults. Those kids were so amazed. They sat perfectly still the whole time. I couldn’t believe it."

I sat pretty still too. I gasped when I saw this little speck on an Alaskan mountainside. It was a snowboarder dropping in, completely vertical. I was nervous when I saw a lion trying to swipe his paw at Chang, only inches from the camera. I groaned when I saw a surfer free-falling down the face of a twenty-foot wave. And then I thought about Aaron, he was in the water taking the picture.

"I’ve been in dangerous situations many times," said Chang about water photography.

"I try to calculate the risks and not make any mistakes. My swimming ability and understanding of surfing helps a lot."

Chang uses a special housing around his water cameras, one that he designed. It enables him to hold the camera and have all the functions of holding the camera in his hands. He favors Canon gear, and says Canon understands the relationship between professionals and their products. Chang said 95% of sporting events are photographed with Canon cameras.

"Surfing in their world is a minor thing, although we use their cameras in really extreme conditions. We really put them to the test," said Chang.

Chang’s life is extreme. He photographs wakeboarding, off road road racing, and volleyball. He’s been published in over 75 magazines, has done portraits of executives for Fortune 500 companies, directed music videos, and has a few surf flicks under his belt.

Chang’s most recent endeavor is a clothing line for surfers, Aaron Chang photoactive wear. The clothing bears his logo, a camera behind a burst of light, shining around the world. T-shirts have vibrant, true to life photos of waves around the world. The resolutions of the photographs are unlike anything else in the surf industry.

"A friend of mine spent seven years of his life developing the film emulsion process," said Chang when I asked him the secret behind his shirts.

"We have the exclusivity of this process, so I can also enjoy graphic design."

Chang stoke locals by giving away t-shirts after the slide show and signing autographs of wave photos. He was very relaxed and personable answering questions and sharing his advice with aspiring East Coast photographers.

"I see lots of potential here. Here’s a tip. If the surf is small, get as low to the ground as possible or get out in the surf with a fish eye lens," said Chang.

But don’t get too excited. It’s almost impossible to break into the surf industry as a photographer. Chang says he was lucky, in the right place at the right time. The generation of surf photographers he looked up to when he was young is still there. After all it’s quite a nice lifestyle.

"I’ll do it forever. I get to travel the world and go to all the best breaks. I’m not going anywhere"

This interview appeared in Juice magazine and is copywright of Anne Beasley