Zak Noyle calls himself a water photographer. Actually he is almost a merman. From his pictures and his lifestyle he seems to spend most of his life in the water. Wow! What inspiring images he produces. Stunning shots, amazing insights.
What makes Zak so special is his complete dedication. In the videos below you can see how his whole life is slanted towards getting in the water and producing inspiring images. He is obviously in love with photography. But that love is surpassed by his love of the water. He trains for it and lives it. Dedication itself is inspiring, but when you are dedicated you are also in a position to be inspired; and that comes out in Zaks work.
If there is one lesson in this, it is about dedication. Photographers gain a lot from getting to know a subject. Not only do you see the deeper meaning in something when you explore it from all angles, you also get to understand the dynamics of your subject. You learn how it works and what is important. Like working the scene, dedicating yourself to a subject allows you time to get to know it in different light, different times of the day, different weather. It is about growing into your subject, learning to be at one with it.
I am not suggesting you need to become Zak Noyles in your own right. Instead I am saying that Zak shows us what it is like to get inside a subject. As photographers we can gain a lot of our own insights by having a project that we work on over days, weeks or years. Project photography is not only fun, it allows us to show a little of something that other people don’t know. Then they will look at your images to find that ‘something special’.
The original videos featured in this blog have been taken down. However, Zak has a number of videos available as a continuing testimony to his work and enthusiasm for water. Check out this YouTube link… Zak Noyal surfing 
Damon Guy (Netkonnexion)
See also: Editors ‘Bio’.
By Damon Guy see his profile on Google+.