JC’s Pic of ‘09

JC selects his favourite photo from the 2009 season.

We’re ending ’09 and bringing in 2010 with PWA World Tour lens man, JC, selecting his most memorable image from a year on tour.

Over to JC…

Well its extremely hard to choose just one picture out of all the shots I’ve taken during the PWA season and call it PWA picture of the year. There have been so many events in completely different locations, each with its own special storyline, different disciplines and conditions. Then there is the question of what sort of picture to choose... classic action, something unusual caught on camera, an emotional moment, a beautiful scenic or an unusual portrait.

Over the year there were so many moments that made great pictures. I remember the raw emotion when Tine Slabe (RRD) qualified for his first ever slalom final, some of Phillip Koster’s (Starboard, NeilPryde, Dakine) spectacular jumps in Gran Canaria or the look of shock on Alex Mussolini's (Tabou, Vandal) face when he won the waves in Sylt. 

Pictures can also portray sad moments, anger, and those times that many sailors will want to forget rather than re-live through a photograph. There was the crash in Korea when Josh Angulo (Angulo, MauiSails, Dakine) was sandwiched between Ross Williams (Tabou, Gaastra) and Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (Exocet, MauiSails). The massive forward loop from Thomas Tarversa (Tabou, Gaastra) in Gran Canaria and the push loop bail out from Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde) in Sylt. 

What about the winning shots? Ross Williams celebrating his first PWA slalom victory in Austria, Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne) clenching his fist after winning a round of slalom in Gran Canaria, and Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic, North) jumping for joy after securing his third PWA freestyle world title.

So if I’m really honest there isn’t really a PWA picture of the year. For me that would be an impossible choice. However I’ve been asked to single out a shot so I’m going to go for this one of Marcilio Browne (Fanatic, North, MFC) in Cape Verde. The reason I’m picking this shot is because it was from the water and not only captures an explosive aerial but for me the wave underneath says it all about Cape Verde. I remember the moment quite well... I was in the water with Marcillio coming down the line straight towards me and can picture the look of adrenaline on his face when he hit the lip and was boosted into the air by the lift of the apparent wind over the barreling wave.

I think I was just as shocked as him when he launched into that air and luckily I managed to catch a few shots before the wave slammed me onto the reef seconds later. When I looked at the shot back on the computer I was a bit gutted that you could not see a bit more of the wave underneath but I guess you can't have it all! Marcillo went on to take fourth in the event, which was a great start to the season for his new Fanatic/North sponsors.

The shot was taken with a Canon 40d camera using a water housing in the waves at Punta Preta, Cape Verde.”

We look forward to JC capturing more action and emotion in 2010. And don’t forget, if you’d like to purchase any of the pictures from 2009, all you have to do is head over to www.pwaworldtourpictures.com.