Words & photography by Tim Nunn

I’m from Norfolk on the east coast of England, which is not known for surf really, but I still managed to get in there and that sparked the obsession.

I’ve always owned a camera, but originally I started filming, and I contributed to about 20 surf-related films. Then my best mate Sharpy became editor of Surf Europe and I shared an office with The Surfer’s Path, and lived with the editor Alex [Dick-Read].

“We were totally out of contact with the rest of the world, and lived with bears, wolves and mountain lions all around us to surf this wave.”

Between them they persuaded me to ditch moving pictures and start shooting surfing, especially around the British Isles. That set me on the path of being a photographer.

I mostly shoot surfing, the more adventurous and cold side of it and loads of environmental stuff for The Plastic Project as well.

I’m inspired by wild places. That’s a bit cliche I know but it’s being out in really wild environments on the coast, in the mountains, in changeable weather, which really inspires me more than anything.

The shot below is one I’d wanted to try and get for years. It’s one of those rare shots where you really plan ahead in surfing, and this evening the light, the waves and the backdrop all came together. Micah Lester was totally alone in the lineup as well which really helped.

It was shot on a Canon 1DX and a Canon 50mm f1.8 lens, so a combo of the most expensive body and the cheapest lens Canon did at the time.