GROWN: Behind the Lens Part 2

This is Part 2 of our ongoing raw and uncensored peak behind the scenes of GROWN operations.  Do you ever look at a photo in a mag and wonder what was happening on the other side of the camera?  Here are a few behind the lens snaps from one of our product shoots with none other than multi-award winning underwater photographer Matthew Shepherd! 
Be sure to go to growndesigns.com to see the final results and of course follow Matt and check out his personal portfolio at aquaseen.com, he has some of the Worlds best Underwater shots and you won't be disappointed!

Surfing Pipeline: Completely Blind...

Derek Rabelo is just like any other normal 19 year
old surfer, except for one amazing difference; he was born completely blind.   Derek hails from Guaranpari on the Northeast Coast of Rio in Brasil and a video released last month has been blowing up throughout the surf world, and spreading an amazing sense of awe to anyone who views it.   The Video (below) features Derek, not only surfing, but fully shredding barrels in the North Shore's famous Pipeline!

Rabelo proves again and again that being blind doesn't have to be an obstacle as he uses his other senses to guide him through the rips and onto his waves. 

Derek says he is still working on pulling through the entire tube at The Pipeline.  Check out the video and pass on this truly inspirational story!

The Musical Ninja; Blake Noble

Percussive 12-string guitarist and didgeridoo player, Blake Noble is a force to be reckoned with.  Impressive is an understatement for this predominantly instrumental guitarist from Byron Bay, who plays his guitar more like a drum kit while simultaneously hitting funky bass lines and stunning melodies and harmonics.

Blake's stunning songwriting skills, blended with his amazing NATURAL talent for guitar (he has never had a single lesson!), have already taken him far; and people are taking notice!
Blake is about to embark on a life and soul changing move to America where he is lining up a tour schedule and looking to hit the ground running.    The Good news for us is he has promised to keep us posted with Blog/Vlog updates from the good ol' U.S of A.


In the meantime, check out some of his vids below and hit up his site at blakenoblemusic.com

 

Above:  'Ninja'
The video below is for a song called 'Bundjalung' and is the first 'lap tapping' song Blake wrote and was inspired by the guitarist 'Erik Mongrain', and the Bundjalung (Arakwal) people of Byron Bay and surrounds. The Bundjalung nation are the traditional owners of Byron Bay, the most Easterly point of Australia. The song also hit #10 on the Triple J unearthed roots chart and stayed in the top 25 for four weeks!

GROWN: Seva Canada turns 30 years old!

Seva Canada is an international eye care charity which was developed in April 26th, 1982.  We at GROWN are proud to support the life-changing work they are performing.  Truly amazing!    

     Imagine being blind, never seeing your child's face. This was the case for a young Nepali mother blind from cataracts. Having heard of a Seva eye camp, her husband led her and their two youngest children, on a 10-day trek through the Himalayas to the Seva-sponsored eye camp where Dr. Spencer performed cataract surgery on both her eyes and restored her sight. "I will never forget the smile on her face, or the way she looked at her infant son," said Dr. Spencer. "You have given me divine eyes," the Nepali mother said to Dr. Spencer. 
    This is just one of the over 3 million stories which SEVA Canada has made possible due to their ongoing and righteous work.  We look forward to seeing them grow over the coming years and wish them a Happy Birthday!
Drop them a line and show your support!
Twitter: @sevaCANADA
Website: http://www.seva.ca 


Photo: © Ellen Crystal Photography

GROWN: Behind the Lens part 1 (Aquaseen)

We have long been a fan of legendary (and multi award winning) Australian underwater and landscape Photographer Matthew Shepherd.   We got in touch with him and met up for the first of many underwater photoshoots recently in Byron Bay, Australia. ScottyD helped out during one of his surf sessions. 
Matt has recently launched his new website and shows much of his work over the past 10 years, take a look here:  www.aquaseen.com and be sure to follow Aquaseen on facebook!
Have you ever wondered how those perfect shots are snapped?  Watch his behind the scenes wave photography VIDEO and find out!

The Journey. A story to remember.

 A Great story that we keep close to our hearts.  It will help bring you back to earth when needed. 

A tourist was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.

Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The tourist complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, "Only a little while."

The tourist then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?"

The Mexican said, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs."

The tourist then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life."

The tourist scoffed, " I can help you. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat: With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats! Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor; eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You could leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York where you could run your ever-expanding enterprise."

The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"

The tourist replied, "15 to 20 years."

"But what then?" asked the Mexican.

The tourist laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right you would sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions."

"Millions?...Then what?"

The tourist said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

Life is a journey, not a destination.  Remember to enjoy yourself along the way.  The author is unknown.

Duck Dive

A great photo shoot today on the shores of Byron Bay's Belongil Beach.  Legendary photog Matthew Shepherd was behind the cam and here are a few of the pics we came up with.   Always looking for new ideas so if you have some thoughts, send us a message on FB or Twitter!