Surf Photography of the 1960s and 1970s is a beautiful, coffee table worthy book sharing the thrill and excitement of vintage surf culture — sharing photographer LeRoy Grannis’s work, edited by Jim Heimann with text by Steve Barilotti.
LeRoy Grannis was a longtime photographer born in Hermosa Beach, California, and known as “the godfather of surfphotography” from his many years of surfing and ocean imagery.
Surf Photography of the 1960s and 1970s features the rise surfing took from a Hawaiian islander activity centuries ago to a mainstream sport spotlighted in the U.S. for decades.
LeRoy Grannis traveled the California coast up and down for an archive of work that beautifully captures the feelings of the “Gidget” era time.
Table of Contents
The nostalgia of The Endless Summer.
Flipping through the pages of Surf Photography of the 1960s and 1970s reminds me of The Endless Summer films’ sentimentality and nostalgia.
I grew up watching The Endless Summer and The Endless Summer II by Bruce Brown with my Dad on VHS before going on weekend family trips to Santa Cruz to visit the beach. We’d then head to Santa Cruz; my Dad would surf at the Hook, then we’d spend the afternoon at Manresa State Beach for smaller waves.
There’s something special about a day at the beach — whether alone, with friends, or with family.
The wind in your hair. Endless possibility for the day. Do you want to play frisbee? Catch a few waves? Dig a hole? Build a sandcastle? Sunbathe? Go on a walk? Eat some snacks? Take your pick — you can do it all during a day at the beach.
I know many haven’t had the joy of living only a few hours from the beach throughout life, so I don’t take my foray into surf life in youth for granted. I’ve always had a fearful appreciation of the ocean, but I come from a very aquatic family and enjoy its beauty and bounty.
