A cameraman committed into the wave !
Nothing better to be a good underwater cameraman, than to be a very good surfer. Laurent
Pujol has been surfing for ever, as they say, but really early he did get acquainted with powerful and
tubular waves in Hawaii, North Shore, Oahu. And more specifically with the famous
Pipeline/Backdoor wave. And when he gets the perfect score, 10 points, during a competition in
Pipeline, no doubt he receives the recognition of his peers on the North Shore. A personal glory that
deserves a title. From 1990 to the 2000's, Laurent Pujol goes regularly to Hawaii, while in France
he pursues a professional competitor career. In 1998, he finishes off second on the european pro
tour.
To his surfer and great tube rider in french Landes' waves talents, Laurent Pujol adds a
photographic eye. On the fringe of his travels for surfing, he photographs the places he goes
through. He enjoys to do portraits too. But whereas he's having an occupational retraining, it is in
the waves and in the action that it provides, that his taste for photography is being characterized.
Whereas the « image workers » using GoPros proliferate, Laurent Pujol gives true underwater
photography its respectability back, by putting his Canon in a water housing and taking place in the
tube so that he can shoots the surfers from behind, as it has never been done before.
To do so, he does surf the wave himself, following the surfer and taking pictures of him/her
from behind, catching the whole tubular perspective in his frame. Totally new ! Magnificent ! And
that at the price of a certain temerity and a high control, because at each shot, Laurent finishes
crushed by the wave that locks him up. But what a reward : his photos of Shane Dorian, Kelly
Slater, Mick Fanning, Bruce Irons, Benjamin Sanchis and Justine Dupont are published in every
surf magazines around the world, with supporting covers. One of The Surfer's Journal's cover,
showing the hawaiian Shane Dorian paddling and diving into the terrible wave of Nazare, is still in
every memories.
By his innovative work that dazzles the surfing world, Laurent Pujol shows that he is in the
lineage of his own underwater photography masters, which are the famous Don King, Van Lennep
and Scott Aichner... Then from underwater photo to video, there's just one step that our tubular
frame expert doesn't hesitate to make. After being one of the firsts to venture tow-in surfing into the
terrible wave of Belharra, he strives to film the “basque mountain” under an angle that shows its
true high, and that is far from being easy.
From wave to wave, from session to session, Laurent Pujol fine-tunes his underwater
framing art, using high operator skills that allow him now to film with the Rolls-Royce of video
cameras : the Red.
Persevering guy, meticulous and passionate, Laurent Pujol asserts himself now as one of the
actual bests professionals underwater camera operators. And with a wealth of a good physical
health thanks to surfing, he can endure any shooting conditions. An asset that is gold when you
want to have the insurance that you'll have beautiful pictures. Strong pictures, not like any one else.
By Gibus De Soultrait