David Silva
A skimboarder turns on the lip of a wave, one arm thrown up.

Ericeira, Portugal · 26 February 2012

The first afternoon

Ericeira, 26 February 2012

Off the rocks

I went to the beach with a friend and he lent me his camera. It was the first time I had a DSLR in my hands. I had never shot before, and I had nothing planned for that afternoon.

A skimboarder in a black wetsuit rides through white water, arms out for balance.
A skimboarder holds a green board in front of the cliffs, looking out to sea.
Three skimboarders on the sand at the foot of the rocks, a wave breaking behind them.

17:14

The run

They skipped across the water, went up the wave and came down again. I thought it was fascinating.

Backlit, a man sprints along the wet sand toward the water.
A skimboarder walks up the beach with his board under one arm.
Close up, the worn grip and stickers on a board standing in the sand.
A bare foot kicks up sand, the tail of a board in the corner.

17:22

White water

They were doing their own thing. I was doing mine, trying a camera for the first time.

A skimboarder stands on the sand below the cliffs, board at his side.
A man runs along the shore, board held out in front of him.
A skimboarder leans into a turn on a blue wave.
Mid-stride, a man about to drop his board on the wet sand.
A rider on a green board turns at the top of a breaking wave.
A skimboarder holds a green speckled board, another figure on the beach behind.
A man wades out among the rocks and white water carrying a board.

I didn't get them all right. These are the best photos I took that day.

The first sale

It was also the first thing I ever sold online.

Forty photographs from that afternoon, straight from the camera. Someone paid for them, the first time anyone paid for a photograph of mine. I am leaving it up.

The 40 photos on Gumroad

Pay what you want, from €2. Shot on 26 February 2012 with a Sony DSLR-A350 and a 55–200 mm zoom, lent to me by a friend.