Lake Surf Season Has Arrived

When brisk autumn winds howl out of the northwest, green tubular white-capped waves peel onto the shores of Lake Michigan. Dark gray lake effect clouds roll over Lake Michigan and surrounding neighborhoods, calling an athletic and hearty group to action. Wet suits, boards, and kites are loaded atop cars and S.U.V.'s, and for many, a sick day is called into the boss at work. For Chicagoland surfers, these unique conditions mark the start of another season of surfing on Lake Michigan, a season that will stretch well into the winter, and will end only when pancake ice drifts ashore and puts the waves to rest.

I started shooting lake surf in 2004 by accident. One morning, while out with my camera gear looking for wild art, I decided to take a drive to the lake front. As I rounded the bend on a road that encircles a park I frequent, I noticed two surfers out on their boards in the water, something that I'd never seen there before. I shot the action that day for a few hours and made some new friends while I was at it. Ever since then, whenever conditions are right, I head to the lake with my long glass, wind breaker, and gloves, to photograph a sport that always seems to offer up unique moments and, usually, frequently changing lighting conditions that make things interesting. Some of the surfers I've shot over the years will even call or email me to give me a heads up when things are really "pumping."

Kite surfers enjoy a typical fall day on the Lake Michigan shore.

While heading to one of my favorite spots this afternoon, I was surprised to see the sky dotted with colorful kites as I approached the parking lot. Around eight kite surfers were out enjoying the waves. Since I've never shot kite surfing before, I was especially excited to get down to the beach and focus my lens on something new. Unfortunately, most of the guys were wrapping up their session as I arrived, but I did sneak in a few OK shots of the few kite surfers that stuck around a bit longer. Kite surfing is definitely something I want to revisit a few times this season, but for now, here's a few of my favorites:

Kites line the beach as surfers take a break from the action.

As another session got underway, kites dotted the sky above me. While these look small, many of the kites measure around ten feet across, and are quite large when at ground level.

One thing I really love about shooting surfers on Lake Michigan is the industrial background Northwest Indiana presents, quite a departure from the bright blue skies and palm trees usually seen in surf photography.

This seagull scared me to death! I knelt down in the sand to shoot with my 400, and I looked down to see this guy posted up less than three feet from me! It slowly turned its head and stared at me, not moving an inch. I quickly backed up and shot a few frames of it from afar. I think something was wrong with it, its movements were very subdued and it didn't seem alarmed by my presence. Either that, or it was just chillin'!

One thing I really liked about kite surfing was the frequent air the riders get as they hit the waves. Too bad this guy has his back to me. Oh well, like I said, I want to shoot more of this, today was just an intro.

A pretty light pocket hit a light house just before the sun dipped below the horizon.

Finally, an artistic shot of the beach with the Sears Tower in the far distance.