7 Questions for surf photographer Steve Fitzpatrick

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A native of coastal New Jersey, Steve Fitzpatrick now lives in South Florida with his wife, Dery, and their three dogs, Ruby, Ema, and Olive, all of whom are bilingual.

Steve is a passionate photographer, know for his progressive approach. We caught up with him to find out what he has been up to, and to view some of his latest surf photos.

1. Hi Steve, how’s your day going? 
 
Hi! Well, this morning I was working in my yard at home doing some landscaping. Then I played ice hockey at midday, went fishing in my neighborhood lake just before sunset, and finally went for dinner and a movie with my beautiful wife.
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2. Sounds great! What was the last photo you took – and what did you take it with? 
 
This is the last photo I took. It was taken with my iPhone.
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3. Can you talk us through your favourite shoot in the past year? 
 
My favorite shoot in the last year was for the US Department of Labor in Miami. The Chief Photographer for the DoL is a client of mine and when the Secretary of Labor comes to South Florida I usually get the call to be his official photographer.
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4. Do you use any digital kit or is everything shot on large format cameras?
 
Nowadays everything is digital. Clients demand a quick turnaround and even if I could shoot film it would be difficult to get processed. Before 2005 I shot exclusively film and used a medium format system often.
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5. A more philosophical question… who has inspired Steve Fitzpatrick – and why?
 
I find inspiration from all kinds of people all the time. From artists to athletes to everyday people doing extraordinary things. Lately I’ve been inspired by a 73 year old teammate on my ice hockey team.
A wave breaks at the surf spot in San Juan, Puerto Rico known as Chatarra.
A wave breaks at the surf spot in San Juan, Puerto Rico known as Chatarra.
 
6. If you could conjure a dream photo shoot who would be there (can be anyone living or not), where would you be and which camera kit would you be using?
 
Wow, thats a loaded question! Maybe I’d do a portrait of Julius Caesar in the Roman Coliseum with a 20×24 Polaroid camera!!
 
7. Thanks so much for your time… how can people connect with you to find out more?
 
People can check out my website here or connect with my on Facebook here and here.
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