Alana Spencer is a photographer from the North Shore of Oahu whose work focuses on capturing her subjects as one with their environment. This being the North Shore, that environment often happens to be in or around the ocean and her subjects are often surfers. She experiences defining moments alongside what she’s capturing, resulting in photographs with true stories to be told.
I sat down and spoke with Alana to uncover the inspiration behind her photography and delved into her life on the North Shore.
Does the ocean clear or cloud your mind? What do you find yourself thinking about in-between sets?
The ocean is definitely a place that clears my mind. Even if I’ve been toiling over something in my head all day, the ocean always seems to sort it out and give me a new perspective on how to approach it. In-between sets I’ll often find myself daydreaming about the environment around me, how the sun’s rays are hitting the landscape and people on the sand, and always, always how grateful I am to be there in the ocean doing something I love.
What helps you cope when you’re feeling uncomfortable?
I think being in uncomfortable situations is good for me. It’s a feeling that allows the option to grow and push harder or shrink back and wait for it to be over. Shooting in the ocean I’ve been in a ton of uncomfortable scenarios that made me wish I was back on the boat rather than treading an open ocean current or getting sets on the head. What helps me cope and stay calm out there is focusing on slowing my breathing then shifting my mind back to what shots I want to get. If there’s a break during a shoot sometimes I’ll find a quiet room and do five to ten minutes of guided meditation with an app on my phone to refocus on the remaining tasks.
I’m not a very outwardly expressive person, I internalize a lot and that drains me mentally, so taking the time to do even a short meditation gives me energy and clarity. Meditation means a lot of different things to a lot of people, but for me it helps with falling asleep at night, setting intentions in the morning, and re-centering during the day.
Having grown up on the North Shore, is this environment a canvas for creativity or a proving ground?
Growing up on the North Shore I’d say has maybe been a little of both for me. I’ve automatically been given the opportunity to be a part of a really special place in surfing, so I think I just really want to make my community proud more than I have something to prove. Creatively it’s where I feel the most inspired and I do feel a sense of responsibility to honor that by documenting it throughout my lifetime. I live in a tiny two-bedroom place across the street from the beach, my parents live a mile down the road, and I can run the bike path and see about five people I know every time. I don’t need much, but whatever that feeling is, I want a lot of it. This year has been a lot less travel, but that feeling of home is what gets me through months of being on the road.
Have you ever thought of the ocean as your workplace or is it strictly a playground?
The ocean is a unique workplace being a water photographer, but it’s definitely still work for me. It’s the greatest workplace I can think of but feeling mentally and physically prepared to swim in Fiji or during a rising swell on the North Shore is something I take pretty seriously. I don’t go out when it’s that big, but it still takes work to know where to be and not to be for your safety and the safety of everyone around you.
Is validation something you seek in your work or does that destroy true creativity?
Validation is always nice, but I’ve never thought it should be the driving force behind doing something. You’re never going to please everyone so you may as well go to creative depths because you want to explore that for yourself.
If you could lend your voice to any cause what would it be?
It’s tough to imagine advocating for only one when there are countless that come to mind. Black Lives Matter (BLM) and advocating for The BIPOC Project (Black, Indigenous, & People of Color) is huge. Everyone owes it to them and our future generations to take a look inward at what can be unlearned and relearned in this matter. The surfing community is not exempt. We need to continue to do the work.
I’m not the type of person to tell people what they should and shouldn’t do, but I think it’s good to listen to your own convictions and at least have an open mind to consider all perspectives. Mental health is another topic I would love to see the surf community continue to get behind. The stigma around therapy or seeing a therapist, unfortunately, feels so taboo. If I could afford it I would see one myself. We all have issues, denying that feels archaic. The surfing community has the opportunity to share a unique form of therapy through surfing and we’re already seeing the positive effects through studies and organizations around the world like Waves For Change, One Wave, and Waves of Wellness Foundation. I don’t think it’s a cure-all, but I do think we have an opportunity to help others through the ocean, as well as normalize the conversation amongst the surf community that we’re not okay all the time.
If you could take one last photo, what would it be?
If I could only take one more photo it would be a portrait of my family, no question. I would have them stand on the rocks in front of our house on the point at Waimea Bay. I’d shoot it from the water so you could see our house behind them. Nostalgia will always get me.
Editor’s Note: Head over to coconutcomradery.com or follow @coconutcomradery to explore more of Alana’s photography. And for more from Dan Woodward, visit MIND SWELL.
