Surfers' Blood [Hardcover]

Patrick Trefz (Author, Photographer), Joel Patterson (Introduction), Rusty Long (Introduction), Margaret Cohen (Contributor)

Book Description

Release date: August 21, 2012

Surfers' Blood, the latest monograph from award-winning surf photographer and filmmaker Patrick Trefz, is a survey of decades spent photographing the lifestyles and bloodlines of surf culture across the globe. Surfers' Blood captures all the diverse elements that make surfing so gripping and that helped it maintain its vitality in the popular consciousness for generations. A beautiful collection of oceanscapes, portraits, and action shots, Trefz captures the most intense, glamorous, and frightening aspects of surfing along with moments of beauty, stillness, and serenity. The book juxtaposes world champions and unsung local heroes, monster waves and gentle rollers.

Surfing is all about mankind's intimate connection with the badass energy and beauty of nature. It is a deep bond, and for many surfing is a lifelong devotion and a spiritual outlet—a personal experience far removed from its much-hyped and commercialized public persona. Surfing is deeper than magazines and Hollywood depictions would lead us to believe—much deeper. For most surfers, surfing is in their blood and it connects them to an extended family that is linked through practice, tradition, craft, emulation, apprenticeship, and shared experience. Surfers' Blood reaches out to those hardcore, dyed-in-the-wool surfers through an honest and beautiful portrayal of their sport and its surrounding culture, while at the same time offering outsiders a peek into the intense undiluted world of surf.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Patrick Trefz's book Surfer's Blood encapsulates the thrill and bliss surrounding surfing and surf culture."
-Complex.com

"It’s precisely that chameleon-like personality and subtle, informed manner of approaching the world that makes Trefz such a valuable asset in our little surfing bubble [...] Need I even tell you how vital Surfers’ Blood is to your aquatic book collection?"
-Nick McGregor, Eastern Surf Magazine

"A gorgeous collection of portraits, action shots and ocean-scapes, Surfer's Blood, is an intimate, gritty take on surf culture all around the world."
-Ralph Lauren's Rugby blog

"Trefz’s images ultimately show that what draws people into surfing – and keeps them there – is a unique combination of sensations rarely found elsewhere."
-House

"In his methodical way he's amassed an impressive array of images, ranging from the Curren family at work and play, a skinnier, pre-jujitsu Joel Tudor, as well as his unusual cast of Santa Cruz cretins and lineups."
-The Surfer's Journal

"'Surfers' Blood' is a book that surfers and non-surfers alike could spend ample time with. The skill and breadth of photographic knowledge is evident in Trefz's adept use of film [...] Like a painter, his images are thoughtfully composed. And with an intuitive feel for what's meaningful to the greater surfing populous, his subject matter is relevant and interesting."
-ESPN.go

About the Author

Patrick Trefz was born in the industrial city of Dusseldorf, Germany and currently lives and works in Santa Cruz, California. Patrick is an award winning art, documentary, and action photographer and filmmaker. He has worked internationally with publications including Surfer, Big, Geo, and The New York Times, and is the author of Santa Cruz: Visions of Surf City (SolidPublishing, 2002) and Thread (powerHouse, 2009). He has also directed multiple music videos and shorts, as well as two feature-length documentary films, Thread (2007) and Idiosyncrasies (2010).

Margaret Cohen hails from New York City. She teaches in the Department of Comparative Literature at Stanford University and holds the Andrew B. Hammond Chair of French Language, Literature and Civilization. She is the author of multiple books, including Profane Illumination (University of California Press, 1995) and most recently, The Novel and the Sea (Princeton University Press, 2010). When she is not teaching or writing, she spends her time in and around Monterey Bay.

Joel Patterson grew up surfing and skateboarding in Newport Beach, California. In 1994, he was hired as an assistant editor at Transworld Skateboarding magazine where he worked for over six years, ultimately becoming its editor. In 2000, he became editor in chief at Transworld Surf, and spent the next seven years there. In 2008, he jumped ship and took the helm at Surfer magazine. Patterson now lives in Los Angeles and works as both Surfer's editor-at-large and as a freelance writer when he's not obsessing with Malibu's First Point.

Rusty Long's home break is Trestles in San Clemente, California. For the past 10 years, his passions for adventure and "elevated sensation" have led him all over the world—often to the outer fringes. He searches out extraordinarily large waves of power and beauty, and rides them with a close-knit, international group of friends who are widely considered this style of surfing's elite. He recognizes the good fortune he's been afforded through this life as a professional surfer and uses his camera and words to share his unique visions and thoughts. Much of Rusty's work has been published in major surf media outlets. He enjoys life in the moment and appreciates the wonderful connections he makes with people and nature every day. 

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: powerHouse Books (August 21, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576875938
• ISBN-13: 978-1576875933
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 0.9 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #404,515 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #61 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Sports
  • #92 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Surfing

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece October 15, 2012

By zeech

Format:Hardcover

Inspiring imagery from an inspiring character. This is by far Trefz' best collection of images amassed from a few decades of shooting surfing around the world. Not many people have been in the right place at the right time like Patrick Trefz has, nor have seen the incredible waves and eclectic people that surround the sport of riding Ondas... Bravo! - looking forward to the Film "Surfers Blood" and many more years of unique angles and compositions from Santa Cruz artist Patrick Trefz.

5.0 out of 5 stars Blood in the water October 14, 2012

By Virtual Charlie

Format:Hardcover

I have left blood in the water; my wife has left much much more. I know the meaning of a wave with a seriously thick lip like Trefz's shot of Mavericks on the cover of Surfers' Blood. The poetry of BLOOD in red letters over that radically breaking wave is the story. And the book pays off inside. A nicely printed Powerhouse hardcover; not too big, and so handy to flip back and forth. This is important because Surfers' Blood a more a graphic novel than an auto-biography you might read straight through. It is a complex rendering of Trefz's world of waves and those who would ride them. The documentation in the back is OK, the writing there if you need it. This book might also be described as a monograph on a skilled professional photographer whose specialty is a way of life called surfing. That makes the brief documentation important. Trefz's photography, having spanned so many years, has variety of style and technique. Surfers Blood, consequently, conveys a visual variety that is sadly missing with far too many contemporary picture books which are shot digitally, processed digitally and printed identically. It is a well told story: the German-born artist following the impetus of Humboldt to explore and report effectively. Is it all there? Does it fail anywhere? Yes, because no where in the story shown do I feel the instantaneous whole body chill imposed by having a big wave bury you deeply. That is one of the other-worldly moments in surfing, that and the fabulous first moment of glide before you get up and go on a big wave, or on any wave for that matter. Trefz gives you plenty of get up and go, making Surfers' Blood is a perfect gift for anyone interested in lives dedicated to the ways and whims of the weather.

5.0 out of 5 stars Unreal October 13, 2012

By J. Steinberg

Format:Hardcover

This book is beautiful. It is the surf photo book to give people who don't surf (and of course those who do). There is so much narrative and feeling in the shots, the pages run one into another seamlessly.Trefz get it and it shows. Super stoked.