Simon Perini

Simon Perini is an Aus­tralian surfer / pho­tog­ra­pher who cre­ates lay­ered com­po­si­tions that cap­ture the emo­tion and feel­ings of slid­ing waves. We got in touch with Simon to learn more about his life and approach.

What was your life like grow­ing up?
I grew up in the inner city ‘burbs of Syd­ney – skat­ing, bikes and street footy. Good times!

When did you get your first surf­board?
Not grow­ing up near the beach, I didn’t have a surf­board till I was 17. Before that it was just boogers and the occa­sional mates board.

What was the feel­ing you had when you first stood on a surf­board?
Head over heels!

Who did you look up to and admire when you were grow­ing up?
Being a short arse I looked up to all my mates who were get­ting taller every day. My par­ents have always been two very admirable peo­ple who I really respect and who have had a major impact on my life.

Of all the places you have trav­eled to, what place in par­tic­u­lar stands out and why?
Africa — for it’s sim­plic­ity, beauty and dan­ger. I was born there, but left too soon to remem­ber it. When I went back as an adult, I felt this real con­nec­tion and sense of belong­ing there. Cal­i­for­nia — for it’s cre­ativ­ity, cul­ture and In-N-Out burg­ers. If I had to leave home and move some­where else, it’d be Cal­i­for­nia for sure.

Who/what inspires you?
I get inspired by so many peo­ple and so many things — too much to say… Pho­tog­ra­phy wise — Kyle Light­ner, T. Camp­bell, Andy Mueller, Patrick Trefz, Matthew Allen, Kas­sia Meador, Drew Innis, Ron Stoner, and so many more. I really appre­ci­ate pho­tog­ra­phers who make there pho­to­graph a work of art, rather than just a good picture.

What do you look for in a good image?
Colour, con­text and creativity.

What is the great­est thing you have learned in your life?
One of the great­est things I have learned in life is the expe­ri­ence of grace. What it is like to have grace offered to me and then to offer that to others.

Do you have any regrets or wish you had done some­thing dif­fer­ently?
No, not really. Noth­ing in life is ever wasted.

What are you most proud of?
Scor­ing the best girl in the world for my wife.

What mean­ing does surf­ing hold for you and how has it changed your life?
Surf­ing is a gift that I am so thank­ful for on a daily basis. It keeps me ener­gized and hum­bled and thank­ful to be alive and healthy.

What brings you the most hap­pi­ness in the world?
My rela­tion­ship with God. My wife and the sound of her laugh­ing. My fam­ily and friends. And a glassy Autumn morning.

Who are some of the peo­ple you feel are shap­ing the path for surf­ing today?
For me, it’s any­one who appre­ci­ates and tries to con­nect with the beauty and priv­i­lege of rid­ing waves. I really admire guys like Dave Allee, Tyler War­ren, and Derek Hynd. These are peo­ple who are not afraid to get a lit­tle cre­ative in board design and inno­va­tion. I respect any­one who chooses aes­thetic over aggro and adver­tis­ing. Basi­cally any­one who is hav­ing fun on any board, on any day.

What is your favorite board? Your favorite surfspot?
I don’t really have a favourite board, because they each offer some­thing dif­fer­ent on dif­fer­ent days. My Almond ‘Kookum­ber’ is very sen­ti­men­tal to me. I can’t men­tion my recent favourite spot because the local crew will wail on me.

What’s your favorite meal?
My wife’s spaghetti bolog­nese washed down with an organic honey cola.

What are you cur­rently lis­ten­ing to on your iPod?
Fleet Foxes, The Matt­son 2, The Drums, Matt Costa, Cloud Control

What are you most grate­ful for?
This life that I’ve been so blessed with.

What’s next for Simon Perini?
I’m cur­rently study­ing graphic design. I am really keen to grow more in a vari­ety of cre­ative medi­ums. I love pho­tog­ra­phy, but don’t want to be con­fined to that. There’s so much more I want to explore and do. Stay tuned!

Find out more about Simon Perini here.