LIFE WITHOUT ANDY
frames
Brought to you from the sunny coastlines of New Zealand, Rambo Estrada’s shots are about as picturesque as you can get. It would be fair to call Rambo a beach bum, having grown up on the east coast of NZ’s North Island and now spending his winters along the Gold Coast. The resulting portfolio feels like a summer-time road trip, taking you everywhere from Maketu’s pristine headlands to the isolated corners of Chatham Island.
PITCHED INDUSTRIES
podcast
Today i’m stoked to be sharing a conversation I had with the incredibly talented photographer Rambo Estrada from Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. If you consider yourself to be at all involved within the surf photography scene I would be very surprised if you hadn’t seen some of Rambos work before. His journalistic style and ability to capture the entirety of an expedition has lead his work to be featured by just about every good surf magazine as well as recently become a New Zealand ambassador for Sony Cameras.
On this episode Rambo discusses how important it is to learn the technical side of photography, the positive influence social media is having on photographers today, how he got to becoming an ambassador for Sony Cameras, advice for photographers starting out today and so much more.
SALT SESSIONS
interview
It was about 6 months ago that i conceived the idea for these interviews. I sat down and hand wrote a list titled ‘Salt Sessions Dream List’ with all the photographers I would most like to interview (not being sure if any of them would ever say yes). The name at the very top of that list was Rambo Estrada. Today I have the absolute honour and privilege to share this interview with you. If you don’t already know his work, a scroll through his Instagram feed will have you realising very quickly why he is right up the top of the list of my favourite photographers. Of everything I love about surf and wave photography, Rambo delivers the best version I have seen. Light, wave form, insane backdrops, a 70-200mm focal length creating compression and isolation and then wider images taking in the amazing NZ landscape. I could study his images for hours (and i literally have)
MONSTER CHILDREN
annual persuit of solitude
There are certain photographers that you come to associate with certain environments, and hearing the name “Rambo Estrada” instantly transports me to New Zealand. Known initially for his surf photography, Rambo’s documentation of the stunning landscapes of his—still remarkably untouched—homeland is something to behold. I had an inkling as to the location of the attached photos, but being a sucker for green water and dramatic landscapes, I called on Rambo to help tell the story of the remarkable coastline of the South Island of New Zealand.
SONY
digital imaging ambassador
Rambo Estrada is a surf, adventure lifestyle photographer based in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. His photography is regularly featured in local and international publications such as Damaged Goods Zine, Monster Children, Surfing Life, Surfers Journal, Surfing World, Stab and Surfline. Rambo has also worked with big surf brands like Rip Curl, Billabong and O’Neill.
ACE THE GRAM
podcast
NEW PODCAST IS LIVE! ft. the incredible Rambo Estrada ! (100k + on Instagram). I learned SO many gems in our convo especially for creating content and improving my photography!
SURFLINE
goofyfoot loose in new zealand
I spent a week hanging with Chippa Wilson and Nate Tyler in New Zealand. As you’d expect from a couple hi-fi goofyfooters, the aim of the game was to find some performance lefts. With that in mind, we decided to base ourselves in Raglan. With three left points in a row the place is a goofy’s paradise. Being the designated local knowledge, it can be a bit nerve-racking to make a call to surf elsewhere — especially when there’s waves peeling for hundreds of yards right in front of your accommodation. But there’s more to New Zealand than Raglan and I was determined to show these guys what other fun setups we have.
THIEVE
20 camera gadgets for under $20
My favorite hobby used to be photography, but when that transitioned into my full time job my new favorite hobby became trawling the internet for handy camera gadgets. I know that staying up until 3am down the rabbit hole of AliExpress isn’t what most people do for fun so I’ve made you a list of 20 camera gadgets for under $20. All items have free international shipping!
ALPHA BRAVO
making waves
Wanting to induce jealousy was the instigator of Rambo Estrada’s photography career. Back in his university days, he’d take his camera with him on his surfing trips, just so he could take photos of the waves he scored to bring back to his friends, making them all jealous. From there, photography became a full-on passion.
“I’m a little OCD, and almost need to have something to be obsessed about. Photography became that thing, and it was inevitable it would become my full-time job,” Rambo explained.
SHOTKIT
surf photographers camera gear
I’ve been a Canon shooter since the beginning. I’ve owned 10 Canon DSLR bodies over the years and have always enjoyed shooting with them. But the last few years I’ve been traveling a lot and purchased a mirrorless Sony a6000
, originally just as a travel camera as the thing is tiny.
As I adapted to the mirrorless system I soon discovered that these little cameras can do everything my clunky DSLRs did and more. I kept 1 foot in the Canon camp for a while, but soon shooting without features like a digital viewfinder felt quite primitive. So over a year I bought, sold, traded and begged my way into transitioning into 100% Sony mirrorless.
CORONA
rough notes – guide to solo travel
My way on the highway. How many of you have travelled solo? I’m talking packing light and heading out the door on your lonesome, leaving your friends and family at the departure gate. Many people put off the prospect of solo travel as they find it daunting and even scary, but we’re here to show you that there are many upsides to galavanting the globe by one’s self. Like the idea of meeting new people, exploring foreign countries, and experiencing new cultures all on your own ticket? If so, solo travel enlightenment awaits after the jump; you’ll never spend wasted time in line at some boring museum again – unless you want to!
When the word’s ‘solo travel’ enter through the ear canal and arrive at our cochlea, we immediately think of our pal, Rambo Estrada. Rambo is the unaccompanied king of solitary adventures,so who better to help us compile our latest Travel Guide. With Rambo’s help, you’ll be kissing your loved ones on the cheek as they bid you farewell on your independent expedition. Take it away Rambo!
RED BULL
behind the lens
Hailing from New Zealand, photog Rambo Estrada captures some of the most stunning nature on earth.
If you’re ever staring at the pages of a glossy surf magazine and stumble across a gorgeous, pulled-back shot of a reeling point break surrounded by landscape that looks like it’s out of The Lord of the Rings, it was probably shot by Rambo Estrada. This New Zealand based photographer spends his days travelling the countryside in his recently decked-out van, searching for those moments that will last a lifetime, and capturing them.
CORONA
film base – rambo estrada
Film Base is where we catch up with our favourite photographers and take a peek at their world through their images, more often than not the view is from where you’d rather be. We recently caught up photographer Rambo Estrada and fired him a bunch of questions regarding his love for photography, his equipment and photography style. Rambo came back with some amazing answers and even more amazing images that clearly define his style as a surf photographer. Check out the latest Film Base interview with Rambo Estrada below.
WAVELENGTH
12 incredible shots from a year spent travelling
New Zealand based photographer Rambo Estrada had a busy 2016 travelling the world, snapping incredible images as he went.
“2016 was a crazy year.” he summarised when organising a selection of his best images for a year in review post on his blog, which you can see here. “I spent half of it travelling. I felt like I didn’t actually shoot much surfing, but looking back at these images it seems maybe I found more than my fair share of good waves.” Indeed, looking at the selection we’d agree that Rambo enjoyed a variety of epic conditions over the 12 month span, as well as all sorts of other beautiful vistas that surf travel offers.
CORONA
journey – the coromandel peninsula
I searched obsessively for a ridiculously long time to find my van ‘The Road Warrior.’ I trawled online auctions for over a year; so long, that looking at vans became more like a hobby itself. But then I finally found her. A customised 1990 Daihatsu Delta. You definitely wouldn’t describe her as being an attractive vehicle, but for me, it was love at first sight.
The poor bloke selling her had just lost his job and attempted to up-sell me into a combo deal with his jet-ski. I wasn’t really sure if I was ready for a second vehicle, let alone a third (hold on, is a jet-ski classified as a vehicle?) so I left the ski and drove home chuffed on my new purchase.
BILLABONG
journal – konichiwaves
Welcome to our first Journal. Enjoy our adventure as we journey South, down the eastern beaches of Shikoku,Japan, via smoky Karaoke bars and small fishing villages. Plus a hop, skip, jump and five flights further South. You’ll see.
CORONA
journey – rekohu
Established and renowned photographer Rambo Estrada finds it hard to sit still; he’s constantly off on adventures. While I type this, Rambo is currently on a flight to South East Asia for the Winter, first stop the jungles of Sumbawa. I image Rambo sitting in front of an antique-style terrestrial globe of the world; he spins it with his left hand while his right index finger lingers centimetres away from the swirling blobs of green and blue, the globe makes multiple revolutions before Rambo hammer’s his finger down on the spinning sphere, bringing it to a halt. Rambo slowly lifts his index finger to reveal a place, a name, a destination – flights are booked shortly afterwards.
For our latest Corona Journey, Rambo took a trip to Rekohu, a small archipelago to the South East of New Zealand, a place I never even knew existed. I’m not sure if Rambo spun a globe to reach the determining point where he booked his trip to this remote chain of islands in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, but I’d like to think he may of.
STAB
photolyfe – rambo estrada
Welcome to PhotoLyfe, in which Stab’s favourite photographers answer questions about themselves with their own images. It’s that old picture-tells-a-thousand-words chestnut but with more colour and pop. It’s a way to cut out all the bullshit. It’s like jacking into the main vein of those who supply us with exquisite surf imagery every day. Give thanks by studying each image with a more careful eye than ever!
Today we’re going to picturesque land of New Zealand to peer into the world of surfing’s best-named photographer, Rambo Estrada. Here’s three things worth knowing about Rambo: He’s from a town called Mt Maunganui on the east side of the North Island In New Zealand, which is flat 90 percent of the time; He recently quit his day job (which was actually a night job) so he can concentrate 100 percent of his time on photography; and, “I love traveling overseas and experiencing new cultures but I’ve decided that for the next 12 months, I’m going to concentrate on traveling around my own country, because let’s face it, New Zealand is pretty fuckin rad.”
THE INERTIA
5 flawless lineups from new zealand
The main reason I got into photography was to shoot lineups. When I was younger, I used to drive all over New Zealand, searching for waves and I’d fire off a few lineups before going surfing. It was mostly to make my friends jealous of what they missed out on, as we didn’t have Instagram or the term FOMO back then. Lineups are still my favorite part of surf photography and I love including New Zealand’s natural beauty into my images. Here are five of some of my favorite lineup photos taken around New Zealand.
SURFLINE
portfolio series – rambo estrada
Showcasing New Zealand photographers best work
