Jim Banks, a man of many talents, happens to be my next door neighbor. He’s well known as a true legend of the surfing world as well as the one pioneer of Indonesians waves. To me he is simply the lovely neighbor everyone dreams of. Listening to his stories or to his jamming skills on his handmade guitars is mindblowing.
I first created for Jim a couple of years back, when he asked me to film him surfing the new freshies he just shaped. With pleasure! Watching him surf and cutting turns and sprays with his unique style is next level entertaining. After a couple of product shoots and also shooting his team riders, i’ve got invited to his shaperroom, where he handcrafted my own Jim Banks Surfboard – the magic carpet. With so much passion and knowledge he explained every single step of the process. I have taken stills only, but the outcomes are alive. I’d risk saying that the photos happened to be my best work so far. Not sure if it’s due to the special moment i’ve got to experience, the mood and the light in the dusty shapersroom, or simply the words Jim has chosen to share with me his passion and knowledge throughout the process of shaping. I just know – the work is timeless and i’m not getting tired of what i’ve created.
