All photos and captions by Jon Carter. For more of Jon’s epic imagery check him out on Insta at @joncarterphotography:
In the wake of the unexpected death of East Coast Hall Of Fame lensman, Mickey “2M” McCarthy, who chronicled surfing life along the Outer Banks of North Carolina like no one before ( or after ) him, there appeared to be a gaping void in who would carry on in his stead. Or, even more strikingly, who could? Well, we should have know better as, first and foremost, 2M was a true believer in sharing his surf photography trade craft with anyone who might be interested, something we had talked about many times. He was as generous as they come not only with his time, his knowledge of all things mechanical in making a picture but also with what he knew about weather, ocean topography, where the good sandbars where and when they would be firing. Hell, the man even built his own waterhousings! Jon Carter paid very close attention to what intel this legend / mentor had to offer him and was inspired not only by Mick’s photos but also who he was as a human being. Now we would never say Jon is the next Mickey Mc Carthy ( nor would the ever humble Carter ) as there will simply never be someone like him again. But we know somewhere Mickey Mc Carthy is smiling his trademark Cheshire cat grin and nodding approval of Jon’s 12 Favorite Photos of 2019 knowing there are others like him to carry his, and the Outer Banks, rich surfing legacy forward while creating one of their own. – Mez –
A Carter self portrait. “Jon is such an awesome person because he is one of those people that is always stoked and enjoyable to be around. His good energy motivates me to keep pushing my surfing so I’m so lucky to have been shooting with him over all the years and, more importantly becoming a close friend in the process”. – Quentin Turko, top OBNC young gun and prime target –
Outer Banks OG Noah Snyder. What can you not say about Noah? Noah charges and has done so much for the Outer Banks. Noah always keeps me in the loop on all the big swells and is always ready to charge. I love anytime I get to shoot with Noah!
Sometimes magic happens. This was one of those magical moments when the sun peaked through the clouds just for a couple minutes as the sun was setting and it made for some magical colors as Brett Barley took off on this wave. I was really stoked on this shot as it was the runner-up photo for the Cold Shot Challenge.
One of those magical mornings when beach nourishment was going on and I was shooting some pulled back images. Erik Schub was in the perfect spot on this gem. I love that the legend Mez was in the photo getting the shot as well of somebody he’s been shooting since he was a wee grom.
I got the chance to go to the BSR wave pool this August with a talented group of rippers. I love this shot of grom ripper Will Deane because he was perfectly slotted in the barrel and I love the colors as this was the first session that morning. You would think its easy to shoot in a wave pool, but the water that moves around in there is insane, its actually pretty challenging.
The one thing that really inspired me to shoot surfing was Mickey McCarthy’s legendary pier shots. For some reason I love this shot, maybe its because of the clarity or the colors in it. I can always feel Mick’s presence with me when I shooting up on the piers. We all love and miss you 2M!
Photography is about timing and being in the right place at the right time. Its pretty tough to get a good sunset and wave shot together on the northern part of the Outer Banks since the sun sets so far to our west. I was stoked on this shot at Avalon Pier and its colors. Guess I got lucky and was in the right place at the right time.
Anytime I get to shoot with Quentin Turko it’s enjoyable. I’ve shot with him since he was a little grom. I love shooting in the evenings when the light is just right. I love this shot of Q as he’s slicing this one up and the light was on point.
Jeff Myers……the eternal grom. I’ve shot with Myers a lot over the years and I’ve learned a lot from him. I never pass up on a chance to shoot some water shots with him. I love his style in the barrel and the colors on all his boards always make the photos pop.
Two things I love, shooting slow shutter photos and shooting with Bo Raynor. This was a recent shot of BoBo from our last good swell on the Banks. Bo’s been on a tear this year. He’s one of the rawest and most talented surfers I know. It’s nice to slow him down every once in a while. I love the way this came out with the shadows and the colors. You can feel his speed in this one.
When you’re on the WQS full-time, you’re away from home a lot. It was nice to see Luke Gordon back up here on the Banks a couple weeks ago after finishing 60th on WQS this year. The East Coast is proud of you Luke! I’m stoked when ever I get to shoot with Luke. I love all the colors in this one and the posture of Luke as he’s setting up for this barrel.
Sterling King had a rough year after breaking his fibula surfing back in May and after months of rehab he’s back and better than ever. You can’t keep Batboy down for too long! I love the power in this photo!
This was one morning at Avalon pier with some swell filling in this fall. The pier had been capped at the end after losing about 300ft during its battle with Hurricane Dorian. Avalon is special place to us locals and its alway been kind of a meeting up spot. ( ed. note: All photos and captions by Jon Carter. For more of Jon’s epic imagery check him out on Insta at @joncarterphotography )
