People often try to imagine what the ultimate, illusive ‘dream job’ would be. Believe me, I’ve come up with a few, although I have a sneaking suspicion that most of them are not actually real jobs.

However, when you think about it, being a world-renowned surf photographer based in one of the most beautiful places on earth, being sent around the globe with some of the world’s best surfers, chasing the best swells the oceans can throw up, surely can’t be far from the top.

Steal-Life caught up with surf-shooting genius and Hawaii resident, Sean Davey to find out just how bad it could be.

You are regarded as one the world’s leading surf photographers, give us a quick rundown on how you got to this stage in your career.
‘I pretty much spent my teens in Sydney's city beaches of Bronte and Bondi, so I pretty much lived and breathed surf. Once I finally discovered photography, it was on from there. That was back in 1977, so I've been doing this now for 27 years or so now. I pretty much stuck with it because I really like to shoot and it's my main creative outlet. It certainly was no overnight success story. I gradually worked my way through various magazines all over the world.’

You are originally from the mystical isle of Tasmania, did growing up surrounded by the sea influence your decision to become a surf/ocean photographer?
‘Hell yeah! Tasmania is the most beautiful place that I've seen with so many cool surf spots and beautiful ocean scenes. The only places that compare for me are Tahiti and Hawaii, but both are of course quite different to Tasmania.’

Which came first for you, a love of the sea or a love of photography?
‘Love of the sea! I was surfing for several years before I thought about capturing it for others to see.’

Is there anyone in particular who has influenced your photographic style?
‘There's been a few over the years. Guys like Bob Barbour, Aaron Chang, Jeff Hornbaker, Peter Crawford, Warren Bolster, Woody Woodworth and Ted Grambeau. All very accomplished photographers.’

How well and often do you surf?
‘Ummm, not so much these days. I know it's pretty lame of me, but when the surf's good, I'm usually shooting it and if it's small, then I'm body-surfing. I LOVE to body-surf. Still, I do like to get my Mark Richards twin fin into the soup every now and then though. He really does shape incredible twin fins.’

When you know that it’s ‘going off’, do you reach to grab your board or your camera gear first?
‘Camera gear always takes priority these days.’

Surfing the kind of spots you shoot can be pretty risky, have you had any accidents at sea while photographing?
‘Nothing serious thankfully. Big Pipe and Backdoor can be sketchy though. Nothing is worse than being caught out at Backdoor by a sneaker set from the west or out at Pipe by a huge sneaker set from the north. Both will show you who's in charge. A lot of us full time shooters joke about it a bit, but it's pretty normal to have at least 1 NDE each season.’ (NDE = Near Death Experience)

Has there ever been a time when people have been riding a spot which you have refused to get in the water to shoot? Are there spots that just can’t be shot from the water?
‘Generally, if they are surfing it and it's not life threatening size, I'm usually up for it. But there are certain places that you just don't swim like Haleiwa on Oahu's north shore. That place just isn't worth the beating that you'll get. The current is so strong there, that you're gonna get caught out by a set every time. I'm over that place. I'm not really into shooting anywhere that there's a lot of fan coral either. That stuff will just cut you up like nothing else.’

What are your tips for taking a good water-based shot?
‘It's way too complex to get into too much detail. It sure helps though if you have some kind of direct sunlight even if you're shooting right into it. It's just a good thing to have lots of tonal range which you generally won't get in most overcast light situations. The other thing is that most water shooters don't shoot much else than fisheye. It's kind over-done already, so get out there with a small telephoto and get something a little different. Also small telephotos will give you interesting backgrounds where as a fisheye will push it all away.’

What would you do if you weren’t a photographer?
‘Dunno really, probably something art driven though.’

What are the best and worst things about living in Hawaii?
‘Best thing is that it's warm all year round. Worst thing is the intense heat during the summer months and the ever-increasing crowds, not just in the surf but everywhere. Hawaii's tourism industry is absolutely booming at the moment. The fact that there are several TV series and all manner of movies being filmed here, also compounds this.’

Have you got any projects in the pipeline, so to speak?
‘No trips or anything at the moment. I've recently gone digital and it's like going back to school all over again, so that's been keeping me very busy.’

How do you find that the digital format compares to film? What are the advantages for you in using digital, and are there any functions that make it particularly well suited to your area of photography?
‘To be honest, I resisted digital for the longest time because I'm a bit of a purist, but I'm also very much a realist and I recognise that digital now is a very real alternative to film and it's only getting better all the time. That and the fact that the longer it takes for anyone to change up to digital means that they'll be that much further behind when push comes to shove.’

‘Until now, the surf media have vigorously resisted changing up to digital, but now are starting to embrace it en mass. I finally got my hands on a pro SLR a couple of months ago and was blown away by the quality. I ordered one straight away and am now working to gradually phase out regular film all together. That's something that I could not imagine having said just a few months ago. Make no mistake, digital really is here to stay and film is going the same way as records did. You're going to find that the variety of available films will dramatically reduce in the next few years and finally film and processing will become too expensive for most people. It will all ultimately depend on market preferences. My opinion though is that film will continue to be used, but on an ever-decreasing basis, much like 16mm movie film as opposed to video.’

‘In regard to ease of use; I no longer have to buy film and send it out for processing, so I'm saving on that and the time that it takes to see my work, but the electronic workflow has increased dramatically.’

‘Anyone who shoots a lot of photography and is thinking about making the change to digital would be well advised to do some kind of professional course/s as this will help ensure that they get it right from the start. There's a million different things that can be done wrong, so the more knowledge that one arms themselves with, the better equipped they will be to handle the change to the digital realm and contrary to what some might tell you, digital really is better than film, a lot, lot better, but only if you know how to properly handle your digital files. That will only come with educating yourself about it.’