I’d like to personally welcome you to theFINproject–a visual exploration of the design, craft and personalities behind the most instrumental, yet overlooked element in surfing: the fin.
I believe that developments in fin design from pioneers such as Tom Blake, Bob Simmons, and George Greenough, among others, have propelled surfing more than any other single element in the history of the sport. They are surfing’s unsung heroes. Through theFINproject’s photographic study and documentary film, I want to thank them and to tell their story, which is ultimately the story of the fin.
The documentary will show the pivotal importance of the fin in surfing’s evolution. I will profile the innovators and their creations and explore the common thread of passion and craftsmanship that unites them. I will also address the question of handmade versus machine-made, which is especially important in this era of foreign production and its threat to craftsmen everywhere.
Through the photographic study, theFINproject will elevate the iconography of the fin in much the same way Bernd and Hila Becher honored architectural forms through their work. Individual fins photographed in a consistent manner encourage the viewer to compare and contrast each fin from its siblings while highlighting each fin as a work of art in itself.
TheFINproject is the union of my experience as an award-winning commercial photographer and my passion as a lifelong salt water addict. In this website, you’ll find a snapshot of my vision. Follow the project as it progresses and buy beautiful photographs for your walls. The proceeds of these photos go directly to the production of the project and to several worthwhile charities. It will take the combined effort of a team of skilled professionals, plus quite a bit of equipment and materials, to bring theFINproject up to the caliber it deserves. I thank you in advance for any support you can provide.
As theFINproject progresses, www.theFINproject.net will evolve along with it. Currently up and running as the promotional center for the growing project, the ultimate goal is to expand it into a searchable archive of fin designs, concepts and history as a companion to the documentary.
The journey and story of theFINproject will be compiled into a 60-minute documentary that will examine the impact of fin development on surfing’s progression, highlight the unique personalities and inventors behind the fins, and explore the challenges that mass production presents to the craft and the inventors. Through ground-breaking surf footage as well as interviews with iconic surfers, board shapers, and fin designers, the film will use the history of the fin as a technological marvel and its contribution to the progression of the sport to frame a new story of the surf industry as a whole.
Mahalo,
Timothy
