About the man behind the lens of the 2011 Swell Summer Catalog (and the 2008 Summer catalog, for those of you who have been following)…Jim Russi

So how does a guy turn a week long vacation on the North Shore of Oahu into a 30-year stay, a house at Pipeline, and a career as one of the best surf photographers in the world? It’s been a long road for Palos Verdes native Jim Russi who started his journey as the photo editor of his high school newspaper, and later earned a degree in fashion and advertising from Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara.
After graduation, Russi headed straight to the North Shore where he learned his degree hadn’t prepared him for the complicated curriculum of the “school of surf.” Such as, how, when and where to swim out, and with whom. However, Russi quickly received his “masters” in water photography with mentoring from Dan Merkel and Aaron Chang. (more…)