Story Behind the Iconic Image That Defined ‘Perfect Surfing’

Surfing photography is in itself a huge task, as the stability a photographer needs to capture those fragile and absolute moments of a surfer is not supported by the ocean. Yet the surfing photographers have captured some of the most astonishing shots of the surfers. In a similar case, surfing photographer Tom Servais captured surfer Tom Curren from the 1991 Pipeline event, which is often referred to as the "Perfect Surfing" pic. However, the backstory of the pic is more interesting.

The fruit of patience!

The day Tom Servais went to capture the 1991 Pipeline event, the waves were not good on the North Shore of Oahu. However, Tom kept his patience and got the chance when Tom started riding the waves.


The "iconic image" click!!

Since surfer Tom Curren was in top form that day, Servais captured breathtaking pictures of Curren that American surfer Taylor Knox referred to as "Perfect surfing" thereafter.

The artist wasn't aware of his craft!

Tom Servais wasn't sure if he had captured a great moment. However, he looked at the images, and his reaction was like, "‘Wow, yeah, that’s a good one,’ but with photos, you never really know.”

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