Gegensätze ziehen sich ja bekanntlich an. Bei dem kalifornischen Video- und Fotografen Morgan Maassen und dem schwedischen Profisurfer Freddie Meadows, der gleichzeitig auch leidenschaftlicher Entdecker baltischer Wellen ist, scheint dieses Sprichwort auf den ersten Blick ins Schwarze zu treffen.
Wie wir allerdings im Gespräch mit Morgan feststellten, haben die beiden eines ganz offensichtlich gemeinsam: eine unglaubliche Neugier, die sie an ihre Grenzen bringt. Freddie folgt in diesem Sinne seinem inneren Drang und scheut keine Launen der Natur, um unter extremsten Bedingungen die Wellen seiner Heimatmeere in Schweden zu surfen. Morgan vertraut seinem Spürsinn für besondere Menschen und Momente und ist ohne Zögern dabei, um diese einzigartige Reise zu dokumentieren.
Der Fotograf aus Santa Barbara findet mit seinem sensiblen Auge für Surf- und Naturbilder immer wieder beeindruckende Blickwinkel, die wir schon öfter in unseren BLUE Yearbooks veröffentlicht haben. Mit Rán zeigt uns Maassen die unglaubliche Faszination, die die Natur auf einige Menschen ganz besonders ausübt. In Form von nordischen Landschaften und fast schon majestätisch wirkenden Wellen.
Den Artikel von Freddie Meadows zu seinen nordischen Sagen könnt ihr online oder in unserem Yearbook '24 nachlesen. Vergangene Ausgaben der Yearbooks gibt’s übrigens bei uns im Shop.
Das Interview mit Morgan Maassen habe wir auf Englisch geführt:
In the introduction to your video, you mention that you got to know Freddie only a few years ago, in summer 2022. How does that feel, to go on a hunt for mysterious waves in extreme conditions with someone you hardly know?
It's interesting when you phrase it this way!
Photography and filmmaking involve approaching new people, places, and subjects constantly and understanding them with your camera immediately… so heading to the Baltic to explore with my new friend Freddie was a huge leap of faith.
That being said, Freddie is an incredibly intelligent and genuine person, two very strong traits that left little unknown on the table for me to question this decision… and after only a matter of hours together I knew my instincts were correct.
I imagine this mission was complex for a variety of reasons, but especially also because the waves you were looking for were mostly time breaks that work every so often when all stars align. How did you manage to organize yourself, coming from different places around the globe, trying to align with each other and nature on top?
Many opportunities were missed—for example, I'd be doing a photoshoot in London, and Freddie would ring me and say the following day looked promising in Sweden, but my film cameras and water housings were back in California. As I became more engrossed in documenting Freddie and Scandinavia, I found myself tightening my operation so I could pounce on any and every opportunity. Many were missed, some were skunk missions, and some played out perfectly. I felt like I was constantly on standby and would regularly head to Europe with the intention of spending downtime in/around the Baltic. This, combined with patience, actually led us to a lot of incredible adventures and moments that otherwise would never have been possible.
Genug essen und warm anziehen - Morgans Survival-Lessons im Norden
What was the biggest challenge for you as a photo-/videographer? Because surfing in ice-cold water is already hard enough, not to mention big wave surfing. But submerging yourself completely to capture all these moments must be an experience that brings you to your limits.
Shooting in 3-5 degree water is miserable, and having to wear thin gloves to operate my camera means that 45 minutes in, my body and soul have died. It's horrific, something I really don’t wish upon my worst enemy, but at the same time, that pain and misery open up a creative realm and mindset that is so unique. Secondarily, the logistics—sometimes we were driving for 2-3 days to get to places that had such unpredictable weather systems. The Baltic and Scandinavia are huge, lonely, and very temperamental.
I always wonder how photographers who also surf deal with the “fear of missing out” while shooting but maybe also wanting to surf. In this case, any fomo? Or was dealing with the conditions as photographer enough of an experience?
I’ve always felt pangs of envy and sorrow when photographing perfect waves around the world throughout my career.
While I am a totally average surfer and would never win any awards, the waves that I've seen break in front of my camera have brought tears to my eyes while mind surfing their perfection.
The waves in the Baltic/Arctic... actually diffuse that feeling. The water is so cold, you’re immobilized by all the rubber, and the conditions are so fickle that surfing becomes very extreme and slightly unappealing to my fragile Californian body.
Der Tag des großen Swells - Freddie in einer Barrell, von der am nächsten Tag schon keine Spur mehr zu sehen war.
Rán tells the story about Freddie's soul project to find waves up north that are even more ephemeral than normal waves. Being such a personal adventure, did it put in a way even more pressure on you to document the journey?
It was actually the opposite; I started this project with no intention other than getting to know Freddie and exploring his corner of the world. When the big swell came, it all of a sudden framed our time together and adventures as a story. From there, I worked backwards, trying to do justice to both Freddie's lifestyle and his journey to scoring the biggest and best waves of his life.
Now that you’ve already had this experience, what would be the biggest advice for the Morgan of 4 years ago, before starting this project?
On a macro level, I'd tell myself that whenever I meet someone so unique and fascinating as Freddie, to immediately plan to tell their story. There are so many moments I missed, because I wasn’t prepared or thinking about the bigger picture! This whole process and project was such a fantastic learning experience in that regard. On a micro level, I'd tell myself to always pack an extra layer and prepare for the weather to feel 5°C colder than it really is.
Technical question: How did you have to adapt your gear working in these extreme cold conditions?
My equipment was pretty streamlined from the beginning, as I spent a lot of time shooting travel/adventure work in the ocean and snow. I’d say I was incredibly well-equipped for a project like this and the different scenarios and environments I found myself in. The area where I had to change and adapt the most was for my body, whether it was wetsuits or clothing and the overall process of being cold and avoiding exposure almost all day. Freddie really helped me with this, as well as brands like Mystic that we worked with that create really specialized ponchos, wetsuits, dryrobes, etc., to help in weather that I really had little experience in.
Snow on mountains is one thing, wind, and waves at the beach are another, but combining freezing storms with the ocean was entirely outside my working experience.
What about the light? Was that a challenge to capture with difficult lighting of the cloudy skies up north?
I’ve always enjoyed low-light shooting, making my favorite work at dusk and dawn. Most of the time I spent with Freddie was during winter/spring in northern Europe, and light was limited. This made me more excited, more focused, and more inspired than shooting in perfectly sunny California or Australia.
Morgans Lieblingsshot, keine Wellen, keine Action - einfach nur die Ausdrucksstärke der Natur.
Could you pick one favorite shot and tell us what makes it so special?
I think my favorite shot would be Freddie staring at the massive rock druid in the Baltic. These rocks are actually fossilized coral from the Pangea era… the shift in the landmasses over millions of years means that that land we were on was actually from the equator! Inspecting all the geology, the fossils, and patterns was breathtaking. We didn’t find surf this day, but we came so close. The distances we covered by car and foot, and to walk out to a potential wave and not finding surf but instead a huge rock formation that looked like a face, was a beautiful reward.
There are also some splitboarding scenes. Hands on heart, what is your personal favourite to shoot, snow or water?
Surfing will always be my favorite subject to shoot; I bleed for the sport. However, as someone who has only been snowboarding since Covid and is very new to mountaineering and splitboarding... I can’t tell you how much I enjoy the struggle and learning curve involved with this new pursuit.
Powder-Abfahrt ganz ohne Menschenmassen
What did you enjoy most working during these years on this Baltic adventure?
New people, new places, new environments, new wildlife, new challenges. I feel like I discovered a new planet. Every moment there was so mysterious and inspiring.
For anyone who is keen enough to look for waves in the Baltic Sea, what is your best advice to get warm again after a session?
A lined poncho to change in and out of is so much more convenient than your normal street/winter clothes. Brands like Mystic and DryRobe make these, and they are absolute game-changers. Secondarily, having a car with seat and steering wheel warmers. Such a small but critical comfort that seriously feels like it can prevent you from getting sick after a freezing surf. Finally, Scandinavia is famous for its saunas, and rightfully so. Always know where the closest sauna is, and head straight there after surfing.
Thanks a lot for taking your time to answer our questions. We’re looking forward to seeing your next adventures!
//Credits
Fotos + Video : Morgan Maassen | Website | YouTube | Instagram
Interview: Giulia Parise
