WSJ #047 Brayden Rudert

The Wave Sliders journal

ENTRY # 047

Written By: Brayden Rudert

Intro By: Jack Ventura

INTRO:

There are certain people you meet where the connection feels inevitable, like the powers that be had a hand in crafting your paths so they would cross. I met Brayden through a mutual friend, but I believe it was our shared love of creating and surfing that really brought us together.

Surfing with Brayden is easy. No pressure, no ego, just a good time. He carries that same calm energy into his work, but you can tell that’s not all he carries. . . He’s driven, extremely thoughtful, and deeply committed to capturing surf, and specifically New England surf, in the way it deserves to be seen.

This month’s Journal is about highlighting one of the quiet craftsmen of our coast, someone who reminds us that surf photography is art first, and a huge part of the culture we all care about.

Thank you for sharing your eye with us, Brayden!

Who are you?

Share a few sentences explaining who you see yourself as these days...

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My name is Brayden Rudert, I’m a DP and photographer now based in Kittery, Maine/Portsmouth, NH.

What was your first job?

First jobs reveal a lot about who we were.

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I guess it depends on what you consider a “job,” but my first time working to make money was in high school doing odd jobs for a guy in town that had a lot of random side hustles.

Installing gymnastics floors, delivering bounce houses, home irrigation systems, painting and landscaping etc etc. I learned a lot of random stuff.

What have you learned through surfing that translates to everyday life?

What you have learned from surfing and how those lessons help you through daily livin'...

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Just to be present where you’re at and try not to dwell too much on the tradeoffs or over analyze simple decisions.

I go through ebbs and flows between shooting and surfing, so I just have to be at peace when I choose one or the other. I certainly have sessions I surfed where I wished I’d shot, and vice versa.

What is something you'd like to accomplish in the next 10 years?

Share a goal for the next decade, and how surfing might have influenced these aspirations.

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Shoot more photos and create more books and zines. I have two or three in the works, but for whatever reason I take them to a certain point and then inevitably start doubting myself. But none of this is that serious, so I really should just go for it.

The People, Places and Phrases That Drive Brayden

Someone in the surf community you are stoked on:

Mikel Evans is a shaper in Hampton that’s really opened my eyes to quality handshaped boards made for the Northeast. He also happens to be an amazing person and surfer. Korey Nolan of Hydrophile Surfcraft and Ian Dreher of Drab Fins are making sick fins in the area as well, so it’s really unique to be able to surf quality set-ups made entirely in New Hampshire.

Photo wise, I’ve always looked up to Nick Lavechhia and Brian Nevins, two great surf and commercial photographers based in the Northeast. To live here and carve out a reputation the way they both have definitely sets the bar for this zone. I think some people don’t realize how difficult it is to have a top shelf New England surf portfolio. The person looking at the photos sees that one scenario where everything lined up, but before that hero shot there were probably several failed missions, shitty waves, bad light, east winds and so on.

Also, huge shout out to Ralphs Pics. I don’t think I run into anyone at the beach more, and he’s been running his weekly New England surf blog with reckless consistency for as long as I can remember.

A quote you like?

“I’ll try anything once.”