Surfing the world for his inspiration

A passion for photography has transformed into a lifestyle for former South Gippsland local Ted Grambeau.
Mr Grambeau specialises in adventure surf photography, which has taken to around 100 countries – give or take a two.
“I have been pretty lucky to be able to search the planet for new and unlikely surfing locations in some of the most bizarre places on the planet; places like Russia, Iceland, Madagascar, as well as the usual Tahiti, Bali and Hawaii annually,” he said.
Mr Grambeau has been in the photography profession for around four decades. His interest piqued on the beachside of hotspots of South Gippsland.
“I became interested in photography as a result of a football injury. I would go to the surf on the weekends and because of my injury I couldn’t surf and started to take photos of my friends at Walkerville, Waratah Bay and Wilsons Promontory,” he said.
“Living in Foster at the time, I joined the local camera club at Port Franklin and took a greater interest in photography.
“Later on, when studying for an economics degree at La Trobe University failed to excite me, I switched to photography at RMIT.”
Mr Grambeau has gone on to work for magazines and for commercial clients in the surf industry such as Rip Curl, Billabong, Quiksilver and Patagonia.
He has also worked for non surf companies, including Speedo, Apple, Redbull and BMW.
Mr Grambeau considers the opportunity to make a living doing what he loves and sharing his experiences is his greatest achievement.
“This was made possible by my parents’ unconditional support to follow my chose path and the ongoing support from family and friends to pursue my dreams,” he said.
“I have sailed throughout the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. I have ridden a motorcycle from Los Angles to Patagonia at the bottom of South America for eight months. I have worked with the world’s best surfers for the last 40 years and life still has plenty challenges to excite me.”
Mr Grambeau’s wealth of experiences led to the production of three photo books; Masters of Surf Photography (USA), The Surfer and the Mermaid and Adventures in Light.
The Surfer and the Mermaid is a children’s book with an environmental message.
The most current book – Adventures in Light – is a photographic collaboration with Recur and contains some of the best surfing moments of the last 40 years.
Mr Grambeau admits his career path hasn’t always been the wisest financial decision and he is grateful for his family’s unrelenting support along his journey.
“Ironically, I would have to consider myself one of the richest people if you count life’s experiences and countless amazing friends,” he said.
Mr Grambeau grew up with his family in Wonthaggi.
His father – Russell Grambeau – was one of the first professional coaches in the area. He coached Wonthaggi Blues and later Foster.
Mr Grambeau attended St Joseph’s Primary School with his brother Patrick and sisters Maureen and Kate.
He attended Wonthaggi Secondary College until Year 8 and finished his secondary education in Foster.
Following his injury, most of his photography was related to the ocean and surfing culture at Walkerville, Waratah and Wilsons Prom.
“Recognition that we had some of the most beautiful beaches in the world expanded the type of images I like to capture; in particular the Prom,” he said.
“I had the good fortune to work on the hiking stations at Sealers and Refuge Cove as a ranger during my holidays.”
Mr Grambeau said the loss of his parents relatively early in life gave an added urgency for him to achieve what he wanted out of life.
For those interested in Mr Grambeau’s work and publications, visit https://tedgrambeauphotography.com/.

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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Apr 9 2019. Filed under Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry