​Capturing a moment is not an easy task.

 

Especially when the subject of that moment, the mortal art, is hurtling along a bright, unpredictable and profoundly transient surface in any possible weather condition...

Photography, like everything in life, is all about timing. The most important thing is to be in the right place, at the right time.

And that is where Tim Borrow has spent most of the past year.

 

For the record, how long have you been photographing surfers?

 

Umm... I've been surf photoging since BUCS 2011, I'd gotten all my camera gear together and that was the first time I ever got to properly try.
But I'd been shooting skateboarding for 3-4 years before, I'd shot for Sidewalk skate magazine. The UK's leading skate mag, and it's the only one now I think...

Do you feel like those skills transferred into your surf photography?

Yeah, I had learned how to compose a shot a bit differently, a bit 'arty' and stuff because thats what magazines want these days, and so I just transferred that over to surfing. Obviously it's a lot different, I had to learn the manoeuvres, because I didn't have much knowledge of surfing in general. But I soon picked it up and yeah, seems like it's going well.

 

So why surf photography?



I love extreme sports... I love getting out there. Skating obviously... I've skated myself for 8 years and when I went to Plymouth I wanted to try something new. Skating got a bit old, and painful... And I'd always wanted to try surfing. I started surfing (not just shooting), and I found it quite difficult to balance photographing and getting out there... Naturally that was a big part and I cant 'really' surf still, but I've shot some good photos!



Lets talk about Wavelength...



Yeah... 2 double page spreads in the first... kind of... the first few shots. The first shot I ever had run was a small kind of, tiny little thing in the user section. A shot of James Woods, a professional surfer for O'niel, which I shot in France.
And then working in France gave me the opportunity to refine my skills and meet new people that could do big stuff on a wave, and to shoot bigger and better waves than you see in the UK.
The first double page spread was a pretty epic day, which was renowned, in august at Hossegor. And the second was another epic day at little Fistral, on the BUCS (2012) weekend...



So you've shot France, anywhere else?



Umm... The Canary Islands, Morocco and England of course. I'm heading to Morocco again soon, in January hopefully... With my new water-housing, which is kind of the 'next step' for my photography. Then I'll be going to California, maybe... France for a while, the Canaries again... And then I hope to go to Iceland, to do some cold-water stuff.

Good on you, you havent dropped any names... So I'm going to have to pry. We've heard down the grapevine that you are photographing some heavy hitters...



Haha a few UK Pro's... Alan Stokes, Harry Tinson, Miles Hargreaves... I've become known to a few of them and they're giving me calls occasionally to go and shoot them.
It's going well and it's been a great help, shooting all my boys... My mates from the UPSC (University of Plymouth Surf Club) have helped me to refine my skills, learn new stuff and shoot from different angles... And it's good getting those shots (of the pro's) because those are the ones that people pay for... So it's starting to pick up momentum, yeah.



Anything you would like to add?



A few thank-you's... Cheers to Gul, they sponsor me... They sort me out with wetsuits, coats and anything I need to keep me warm, dry or wet. They've given me a great opportunity and helped me out a lot.

Thanks to the boys at Star Surf Camps for giving me the summer in France, and the Canaries whenever I decide to go... Thats going to be sick.

Tim (Timo) Borrow

And... Cheers to Josh! (Josh Cleaver team captain of UPSC) Just for driving me round f*****g everywhere haha!

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Great stuff! Thanks for your time and good luck for the future! I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of you.



Cheers!

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http://timborrow.tumblr.com/
All photos by Tim Borrow
Words by Josef Williams