One year deep in SETX Surf Culture: From outsider to storyteller

Feb 17

A year ago, I walked into the Texas Surf Museum feeling like an outsider. My introverted nature plus a lack of surfing skills or knowledge put me in kook territory.
I didn’t own a surfboard. I’m not a surfer (then or now)…although I have attempted a few times and have always wanted to claim that title. Sure, I know who Kelly Slater is and have some surf-adjacent hobbies. But otherwise, last year I was just a photographer with a lot of curiosity and a half-formed idea that there might be some fun stories to document on the upper Gulf Coast.
What I didn’t expect was to be welcomed with open arms… The Texas Surf Museum became my first real doorway into SETX surf culture. Instead of side-eyes or gatekeeping, I was met with stories, history and generosity. People were genuinely excited that someone wanted to listen and learn about a surf scene that doesn’t always get the spotlight. It’s the kind of place where you walk in as a stranger and leave with curiosity piqued and list of new names to remember.

Kelly Daugherty, president of the Texas Surf Museum board, was the first person to really take time with me. She let a stranger wander the (yet-to-be-opened-to-the-public) museum while telling me about Texas surf history, how our stretch of the Gulf Coast has shaped generations of surfers, and the type of work that goes into preserving those stories. She didn’t have to do that. She was busy trying to handle an upcoming museum grand opening. But she did … taking the time and that moment to quietly open the door and steer me into my project.

At the time, “SETX Surf Culture” was a loose idea in my head. I knew I didn’t want to photograph surfing the way it’s usually shown, all action and postcard-perfect waves. Not that I wouldn’t be happy to have some of those shots. But I was more interested in the people and their connection to the coast and culture, with portrait features as the forefront, backed up by behind-the-scenes looks. I wanted the in-between moments, the places, and the camaraderie that forms around a coast that only rewards surfers who put in the time and grit for a good ride.

That day back in January 2025 helped me realize this project wasn’t about a few one-and-done portrait sessions. It was about showing up, learning the landscape (socially and geographically) and building trust. It was about understanding that culture is layered…knit together by storm-stirred waves, art and history, environmental stewardship, patience and long drives for short sessions, and the kind of loyalty that is built within community.

Almost exactly one year later, I came back to the museum … this time not just as a curious observer, but as someone who had spent months in and around this community with a camera, learning names, faces, rhythms and more. And this time, I had the chance to make portraits of Kelly, the same person who welcomed me in and helped me get “in the know” when I didn’t even know what I didn’t know yet.

What a full-circle moment! There’s something oddly satisfying about hitting the one-year mark and making that portrait I’d patiently waited for. It felt less like a photoshoot and more like a continuation of a conversation that started a year ago in a place filled with boards, stories and legacy.

SETX Surf Culture has grown into something deeper than a simple photo series for me. It’s a project that I’m getting heavily invested in with a timeline looking well into the future and a shot list as long as the Texas coast. It’s not just about surfers or filling a creative void in my career. It’s about a salt-water immersion (both figurative and literal) into this community, honoring the stewards of the Gulf and the surfers who show up even when conditions aren’t pretty, and the institutions quietly preserving the memory of how all of this came to be.

I’m still definitely a kook. Now I’m just a kook with two surf boards, one surf session in for the year, and 5,000+ photos on a hard drive. But I’m grateful to be a welcomed kook, camera in hand, trying to tell these stories with the care they deserve.