Joni Sternbach

Joni Stern­bach is a tal­ented New York pho­tog­ra­pher who cap­tures iconic images of surfers using a tra­di­tional process called tin-type using a wet col­lo­dion process. She trav­els through­out the year cast­ing sub­jects for her project “Sur­fLand.” We caught up with Joni to learn more.

What was life like grow­ing up?
I grew up in the sub­urbs of New York. It was not a very inter­est­ing place. As a teenager, I often went down to the Bronx River Park­way as it was the only nat­ural look­ing green space. But my grand­mother had a cot­tage out in Rock­away and Long Beach, and it was there that I learned to swim and love the ocean.

Who did you look up to and admire when you were a young woman?
I think the women I admired as a young art stu­dent were Diane Arbus and Greta Garbo. Worlds apart, they both seemed to be these fiercely inde­pen­dent and cre­ative women.

When did you get your first surf­board?
I don’t surf, so I never got my first surfboard.

Where did you inter­est in pho­tog­ra­phy come from?
I was a Fine Arts major in a col­lege where pho­tog­ra­phy was a required course. I became very inter­ested in the cam­era and also with how new pho­tog­ra­phy was com­pared to paint­ing. After 1 1/2 years of study­ing it, I switched to the Pho­tog­ra­phy Deptartment.

What is your process when cre­at­ing your art?
When work­ing on the Sur­fLand project, my process is all about hap­pen­stance, spon­tane­ity and good will. I often just show up at a loca­tion, set up the cam­era and just wait to see who’s there and what will hap­pen. When I do start talk­ing with peo­ple, a whole new arena opens up. We talk about where we are from, what I am doing, if they’d be inter­ested in par­tic­i­pat­ing. And from that place, we begin to col­lab­o­rate to make a tin­type pho­to­graph. I let go of con­trol and leave a lot to chance.

Of all the places you have trav­eled to, what place in par­tic­u­lar stands out? And why?
Trav­el­ing as a tourist and trav­el­ing to pho­to­graph are two very dif­fer­ent expe­ri­ences for me. When I come to Cali to shoot, new beaches are a source of excite­ment and and a huge thrill. Each new land­scape that I visit seems to open up a whole new direc­tion or thought about how to be in that place and how to take the pic­ture. Like for exam­ple at San O the day I met you, the first photo I took was of Chris­t­ian fac­ing into the park­ing lot. I never shot into a park­ing lot before.

What code do you live by?
I live by the code that you should treat peo­ple with inter­est and respect.

What inspires you?
So many things-—the ocean, the coun­try­side, the light, a paint­ing, a baby’s eyes, peo­ple, energy, music.

What is the great­est thing you have learned in your life?
Not to take things per­son­ally. Wait … did I really learn it?

Do you have any regrets or wish you had done some­thing dif­fer­ently?
Some, yes. In a time of cri­sis, it’s hard to think straight and live in a way where your love for some­one is evident.

What are you most proud of?
My two children—Gabriel and Zoe.

What mean­ing does surf­ing hold for you and how has it changed your life?
Well, even though I do not surf, surf­ing holds a strong mean­ing for me and has changed my life.

What’s your favorite meal?
It depends where I am, but I love Ital­ian food. In Mon­tecito, there’s an awe­some sushi place called Sakana and the Who­didily Cup­cakes are amazing

What are you cur­rently lis­ten­ing to on your iPod?
I am wait­ing for the new Chief­tains CD to be released, but I am a sucker for Dylan and Feist.

What causes, projects or orga­ni­za­tions do you sup­port?
Surfrider, Doc­tors With­out Bor­ders and March of Dimes for their assis­tance (mine too) with pre­ma­ture babies.

What are you most grate­ful for?
This won­der­ful life

What’s next for Joni Stern­bach?
I’ve been work­ing with some of the girls from the Miss Shin­necock Teen Pageant at the Shin­necock Indian Reser­va­tion in Southamp­ton. I am hop­ing to con­tinue the project this Spring. I am also think­ing about the Sur­fLand project and how it relates to Amer­i­cana. I want my next stop to be Hawaii.

Find out more about Joni Stern­bach and her project Sur­fLand here. All images are copy­righted and may not be used with­out per­mis­sion.