We all like like our exclusive big-monied show-TV pieces. You know what I'm talkng about - something that shows you've got taste, originality and you're not scared to splash round the green. On the third day of a boat trip through the Hinakos in April, CJ Hobgood was stealing the limelight, talking up the new crib he's been "building in Florida. "Dude, the stereo is gonna blow your mind," beamed Ceej. Turns out he did okay in his recent signing with Globe and his new crib features a $US45,000 stereo system. That's right, nearly fifty gees on a system that'll spend its neat and ordered life hacking Coldplay and U2 out of its woofers!
Anyways, as Ceej stood there looking like the cat who'd just eaten the canary and as the other surfers in the room looked on in awe, photog Hump quietly started piecing and screwing together pieces of graphite rod. Focus shifted as Hump slowly unveiled his latest piece of photographic gimerackery. Questions were fired from the surfers: what angle will it shoot, how will you overcome the physical logistics of such a magnificent invention? CJ's surround sound system was good but Hump's Giant Fetid Prong™ was the trump card.
The technical side of the Giant Fetid Prong™ is a mixture of planning and hope. The weight of the housing and lens along with the bend of the pole meant it would be impossible to swim with. The only option was to drive with and balance it on the back of a jetski and capture the action below the pole - achieving a chopper-esque perspective without the $ 1500 an hour expense.
I was the designated driver and we made up some crude buoy devices including an empty water bottle, fishing line and stickers in. case Hump dropped the Giant Fetid Prong™. Oh, and to keep the photographer from falling off the ski, I actually strapped myself to Hump, so, like if he fell, I'd be dragged to the bottom of the Indian strapped to his 100-kilo frame. Oh man.
When you're at the top of the photographic dung heap, rolling your digital turds into the magazine office to great acclaim, it's essential you're always improving. Hump enlisted the help of Aquatech housings in Australia and had the Giant Fetid Prong™ delivered to his home in Bali. Because of its weight and lack of portability there was no way any photog could swim with the thing and shoot as per usual. The only way to shoot using the Giant Fetid Prong™ is to track alongside the surfer on the back of a jetski. While the driver tracks in the front the wave, Hump sits backwards, nursing the base of the Giant Fetid Prong™ between his legs. The wide-angled lens enables Hump to get all the action in frame despite having no idea whether or not he's lined up with the surfer. On this air reverse by Yadin Nicol, Hump twisted the camera down over Yades as he jumped across the ski wake.
Surf photography pioneer Ted Grambeau believes Hump is one of the most sophisticated surf shooters in the world. Says Grambeau: "He's climbed the learning curve faster than anyone. In surf photography, there are a lot of talent in certain areas of action but he's great in all aspects. His eye and his vision with light make him one of the most intelligent and talented photographers out there. Good photography is about solving problems and working out how to deliver a unique result. He interprets things so well, all the while adding his own signature." Says Hump of this Giant Fetid Prong™ angle of a CJ air: "I love backgrounds, I'm always looking for a background, the fact that he's clearing that roof, any time I can get buildings or trees or people in the background or foreground I'm gonna try. I'm always looking for added elements, anything that adds dimension."
