For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a camera in my hands. My lens has carried me on tour with bands, into forgotten towns, across coastlines, and deep into the restless rhythm of the ocean. Photography has always been my way of translating adventure into memory — capturing fleeting light, the texture of places, and the pulse of community.

The sea has been my truest muse. From dawn patrol surfs to long days chasing waves, the ocean shapes both my craft and my perspective. Sometimes with paint, other times a camera. My goal has always been to seek and share the culture and style surfing shares with the world. Beautiful moments that shape our experience.

This project is a convergence of everything I love: surfing, photography, and storytelling. Surf shops are sacred spaces — part workshop, part clubhouse, part cultural anchor. By photographing each one in the quiet hours before dawn, I’m building a visual archive that honors not just the places, but the people and spirit that keep surf culture alive.

You can see more of my work at www.markkley.com.