by | Mar 27, 2015 | Daily Updates
Hi Frothers, Whilst Sydney was looking at 30 degrees, I was on my way to 60 degrees (!!!) colder weather. To be honest, it is not as bad as I imagined. The air is so dry, that the cold is somewhat bearable, with the right gear of course (thanks Patagonia!). I arrived in Greenland a few days ago, and after a couple of internal flights, I flew over by helicopter to Uummannaq, the last town before heading out to the middle of the sea ice the next day with my guide named Chimi. Half a day of snowmobile across the ice. The landscapes are beyond description. The space is immense. The light is elegant and soft. As much as I love the tropical climate of Australia, I am falling in love with the Arctic. It is hostile, but extremely rewarding. You need patience, perseverance and flexibility for everything you do. The last days have been very intense: getting used to my new base camp – a boat called WHY (…don’t ask me why…), learning about the safety procedures and rules to help face this hostile environment, getting to know the diving procedures, and of course diving, and shooting underwater (stay tuned). All of that make our days extremely busy. Everything takes a long time here, and the toll on the body is very strong. When the night comes (there is still a night…but it will soon disappear), we all take a glance outside, despite the -30degrees and the strong winds, just to see if there would be Northern Lights activities, and the last 3 nights, we’ve been extremely lucky. Long days… Stay tuned for more, or follow my instagram @franckgazzola Cheers, Franck Instagram: @franckgazzola / @frothersgallery |
by | Mar 13, 2015 | Daily Updates
Hi Frothers !
I missed you guys…It’s been a while.
I am now on the other side of the Planet, where the rain is white and the water solid blue. Winter. A real one.
Still, people froth the same on gliding object, nature and action sports. I bumped into those hybrid sliders the other night, making the most of the breeze and a flat mountain top surrounded by white peaks. This is their equivalent of our after-work surf. Same same, but different.
I realized in the last few days that Australia has tropicalized me. I remember that the first Winter I spent in Sydney, I was laughing at people talking to me about the ”cold” Winter in Bondi. 4 years down the road, I started calling 8 degrees ”cold” as well, and keep the wettie until the water is 20.
Stopping over in France before heading out to the North Pole was the best idea. Not only because It was an opportunity to witness the beauty of my home country, but also to get used to the mild European cold. I was frozen for the first few days. 0 degrees felt like -50. And then the body gradually adjusted, and a couple of days later, I was diving under the ice whilst the temperature outside was about -17 degrees. Yes, cold. But it felt better already .
Tomorrow, me and my extra layer of fat (blame the from the French cheese and cured meat…), we will be landing in the real cold. The -40 degrees cold. Where the sea water is hard and white. After months of preparation, I’ll finally be joining the Team of Under The Pole. The adventure is really starting now.
Frothing !
Franck
Instagram: @franckgazzola / @frothersgallery
by | Mar 6, 2015 | Daily Updates
Hi Frothers !
After a few weeks of endless rain and storms the water clarity is finally back. I am excited !
I went down my favourite spot on the Coffs Coast (top secret) to try and capture some unique images, something different, something FRESH .
Taking advantage of the insane clarity, experimenting with different angles, shutter speeds and apertures I’ve managed to capture some surreal ocean portraits.
I love shooting waves, such raw power and beauty. No two waves are the same, once they break they are gone, the end of the road. So capturing this moment is something very inspiring for me as an artist. I call them Wave Portraits .
You can hang them on your wall and have something unique an inspiring in your house, office or business.
Cheers,
Martin
Instagram: @surfvisionsphotos
by | Feb 27, 2015 | Daily Updates
Hi Frothers !
I am missing Summer and the Bondi Beach vibes already.
I am sorry for the lack of news and consistency with the up-dates lately, but the weather conditions have also been pretty poor (today is finally looking a little more like a Summer day, with 2 to 3 foot waves to ride), and we needed to make some adjustments at the Frothers Gallery in order to allow for my upcoming travels to the North Pole.
Yes. To the North Pole. For 2 months, joining the Team of the expedition of Under The Pole for a once in a lifetime photographic assignment. Now you understand why I am gonna miss Summer and the Bondi Beach vibes…Outside temperature: between -20 to -40 degrees. Inside the boat (my base camp on the sea ice): -5 to zero. In the water (under the ice): -2 degrees. I am going to be the most tanned person in the whole of Greenland when I arrive there, that’s for sure!
Some people have asked me ”how will you get there?”: well, I’ll be flying out from Copenhagen. After 2 flights, I’ll then take a chopper to the last village. There, a Inuit guide will be waiting for me with a sled and his dogs, in order to cross the sea ice and get to base camp. Just getting there is going to be an amazing adventure. And I’m not even talking about the diving part…
I am stoked that I can count on great partners: GoPro, to get the best footage possible, in and out of the water. The Dive Center Bondi, for all the support and training. And last but not least Patagonia, to keep me warm in the toughest of the toughest environments.
What about the up-dates ? Well, we are going to keep you entertained with great images. We are just going to be forced to temporarily reduce the frequency a bit to 2 times per week for the time being. The beauty is that we’ll be surprising you. You won’t know where the next up-date will be coming from: North Coast ? Central Coast ? Greenland ? Peru ? Fiji ?
What about the Gallery? Can we still purchase frames, prints & all other artworks? Of course ! No change there. Cally Sheehan will be running the show from Bondi. You can hit her up on [email protected] or on +61 (0)401 311 128. She will be managing all requests, orders and questions you may have. If you are interested in advertising on the Frothers website, Cally will coordinate that too. Easy.
D-day -2 for me to take the big white metal bird with a red Kangaroo on the tail. Wish me luck.
Have a great day.
Franck
PS: for more regular up-dates from the Arctic, hit me up on Instagram.
instagram: @franckgazzola / @frothersgallery
by | Feb 19, 2015 | Daily Updates
Hi Frothers !
The Bowl-A-Rama is just ’round the corner, and the Bondi concrete wave has some serious sliders right now. I went down for a pre-dinner surf check. ”Darling, I’ll going for a quick surf-check” ”Alright, but dinner is almost ready…”. ”I’ll be back in 5. I promise!”.
The surf did not get my attention, driving down Campbell Parade, but the crowd down at the skate-park caught my eyes. I happened to have the camera gear with me in the car, so I reckoned I’d go have a ”quick” look. 1 hour later, I was still laying low on the side of the bowl, mesmerised by the speed, the height and style of some of those riders.
Dinner was cold…
Have a great day.
Franck
instagram: @franckgazzola / @frothersgallery
by | Feb 18, 2015 | Daily Updates
Hi Frothers !
A very quick up-date today, just to give you a taste of this morning. Whilst in a middle of a photo-shoot for SurfAid, I managed to steal a few snaps of colours in the sky of Lake Bondi. I could not resist.
I can’t tell you how happy it made me to feel the warmth of a Bondi Summer morning. Soon, I will be shooting pictures by -30, sometimes -40 degrees, in the North Pole. In the sleeping quarter of the boat where my base camp will be, It will be -4 degrees. It makes me VERY appreciative of a warm morning like today.
Thanks to the incredible folks at Patagonia, I’ll be kept warm. One less thing to worry about.
Have a great day.
Franck
instagram: @franckgazzola / @frothersgallery
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