Chasing Clarity

Travis and I walk the elevated driveway to the legendary Peter Joli Wilson's residence. Perched atop a hill, we overlook the distant waters of the Gold Coast. "Please, come in," Joli greets us and invites us in. I've never done a podcast before!" He smiles as we sit at the family dining table. "Don't worry, mate," I reply. I've done a few." Joli as he prefers to be called is in the upper echelon o...

Dylan reassures me that we should paddle out here. I don't agree; I've surfed this place for 20 years. A bomb set washes through the keyhole further up where I'm pointing. "Ok, we'll go out here, I say." Dylan's already 20 meters away, paddling out...I'm arguing alone. lol. I've been trying to have a conversation with Dylan for over a year. His YouTube clips inspire me when I'm feeling flat to get...

Thundercloud...a surf documentary about MASSIVE waves at a life threatening location...this was Talon's pinnacle of his craft at the time...independent film making. Talon's an award winning Cinema film maker that's humble enough to only mention it after pressing him. In this Episode we talk about his experience working in the TV industry, being head of audio/visual for Billabong at the height of t...

Hannah Prewitt a former marine biologist, sits with me overlooking a beautiful morning on the shores of Dicky Beach. In this episode of Chasing Clarity she tells me of her worldwide travels, being mentored by famous surf photographer Joli, moving to Noosa and the trials and tribulations of going pro in her creative passion. There's plenty of learnings in this one including some advice on gear. htt...

Tom Woods and I met at an Aquatech event, I'd gone to support Sean Scott (not that he needs my support) but I'd met him through the Gold Coast Community and we'd talked about getting him on the show....something that hasn't happened as yet...anyway, I was perusing the gear, talking shop to one of the staff and Tom approached me, " I know that voice...you've got that podcast right?" We got to talki...

I've been apprehensive about releasing this, episode 20. It's always daunting bearing a little of your soul on a public forum, how much sharing of your personal life is too much and how much is actually related to the topic of the show, a feel-good show about something we do...it's simple, we love the ocean and we enjoy being creative around it. One of the topics of discussion is mental health, my...

"I'm the happiest I've ever been!" The Don says to me as we exit the water one afternoon. Once dry and walking to order our favourite Little Mali treat I turn and invite him back on the show to tell the world how he's progressing in his surf photography journey. In this episode I'm stoked to bring you a conversation with an artist that has progressed leaps and bounds since our last conversation ne...

Thomas Baertl sits opposite me over overlooking a different body of water, today we sit at the Power House on the Brisbane River and discuss how this German Banker turned his back on corporate life for the life of a creative. It takes a certain courage to walk away from a career 20 years in the making, Thomas gives me insight into this, and advice for any listener seeking to do the same. Thomas Ba...

In this episode of Chasing Clarity I speak to Larisa Cevallos or as she's known to most 'Sweet Ocean'. Sweet Ocean is a GoPro family member, we talk about how she achieved this and what lessons up and comers can take from it. What Larisa lacks in size she makes up for in passion and a pure unadulterated desire to heal the planet. She spoke with joy about her love of whales as a storm rolled in ove...

Amanda takes a seat opposite me. We overlook a crowded part of the ocean, not for over, away from the crowds the sea is still, we swam together taking images of surfers earlier that morning. Our eyes are red and our bodies weary as we settle in for a chat about water photography, droning, shooting weddings and the time she was swooped by a shark. In this episode I also address the reasons I have m...

The Froth brothers 1 + 2 join me on the show in this episode. They are shy lads out of the water and it was a snap decision to get them on. We had just surfed and shot a little favourite wave across the border. Geoff, as always made me look better at surfing than I am. These two are responsible for me wholeheartedly getting into IN water photography, coincidently I had met them unplanned at the sa...

At 6'3, 120kg Grant Morris, The Aqua Zulu takes up a large portion of the pre-dawn light as he approaches my borrowed NSW-plated car..."Just fit it in there" he says sounding like a bigger version of Tony Greg, his thick South African accent breaking the dark 5 am silence. I flew in the day before and stayed on the other side of the bridge, an hour away. I left at 4 am, drove for the first time on...

Adam Sellars, an Australian Free Diving representative sits with me overlooking a little beach on the Sunshine Coast. I sought out this discussion with Adam after getting smashed in a recent swell while shooting. The overwhelming feeling of being at the oceans mercy and short of breath was magnified as I found myself, heavy camera in hand, eyes closed, swimming toward what I thought was the surfac...

The King of Clarity himself joins me in this episode. It was a balmy morning on the Gold Coast, we grabbed our takeaway coffee and snuck into a little patch of quiet that didn't stay quiet long. Questionable parking from the pair of us, we were on the constant lookout for parking inspectors and foreign distractions pumping their rave beats at an incredibly early hour for such a high tempo beat.......

"What's up with your sunglasses in the water"..."Are they just regular sunnies?" I ask Scott Amos as we settle in for a conversation next to another Gold Coast body of water. Scott's distinguishable from other surf photographers by his sun-cap and Oakley sunglasses, years of constant glare have left his eyes vulnerable to direct sunlight "Never wear the polarised lenses" he says, "You can't see th...

16 years of filming some of the best surfers on the planet is what Craig Halstead brings to this episode. It's scorching hot on an early morning overlooking the famous Kirra right-hander, today a waist-high, fuller tide swell crumbles along the famed point. "There hasn't been a decent swell for a while now!" calls an older gentleman hunched over in pain and shuffling toward me. "I still get to the...

Travis "Don" Johnson's head bobs just above the water in the impact zone. This is where he's most happy, this is where I meet him the morning of our non-scheduled recording. "The Don" a flamboyant child of the 80's had attended the first-ever Water Rats event two weeks previous and had expressed his desire to be among the likes of Zac Noyle in the lineup of Pipeline. "That's a pretty big goal big...

Louis Mori, is a surf photographer who reached the highest echelon with the ASP. Allow the thick Latin accent of Louis Mori to tantalise your earbuds, as he recalls tales of four story sized waves smashing around him and how he got to the top of his game only to leave it all for something else. If you ever wondered how to be a professional surf photographer and wanted to peep behind the curtain, t...

It's raining and the wind is getting stronger from the South. Noel greets me on a blustery morning between the pines at Moffat Beach, we retreat into my parked car, a swell is building. Noel is a multi-award-winning photographer who creates fine art in the genre of ocean imagery. His approach to his craft is unique and his work reflects it. A surfer for many years until suffering an accident, he t...

Jase and I look over my favourite surf break and discuss his love for ocean imagery. He talks about how he started, what he loves shooting and the reason he uses an iPhone 8 with AxisGo housing from AquaTech. We also mull over most creators Achilles heel, social media, in particular Instagram and how it relates to his work. You'll enjoy this conversation if your just starting out, or a veteran oce...

This is an introduction to the show, a prequel to the discussions had with various ocean image makers. In this episode, Odell Harris talks about what to expect from the show, why you should subscribe and at the end, his first actionable takeaway. I'd love to see your work and hear your thoughts on my show 'Chasing Clarity'. Please get in touch via Instagram - @senseiodell If you want to help the s...