How one of the world’s best big wave photographers & filmmakers gets the perfect shot

This story is originally published in Huck 83: Life Is a Journey – The 20^th Anniversary Issue. Order your copy now.

So committed to capturing the essence of big wave surfing, Sachi Cunningham gets into the water and photographs and films with just her head above the water, giving a true sense of what it’s like in the biggest swells on earth. With the iconic Mavericks break as her local spot, and a champion of female big wave surfers, there’s no one better to take us through the art of documenting surfing the biggest waves on earth. Part of the reason the photographer, director, videographer and lecturer started swimming at Mavericks was because she didn’t have access to a jet ski. She was tired of always scrambling to find someone to take her out, and scraping together the money to pay them. ​“I guess there was a bit of a chip on my shoulder that fuelled those first swims out to the lineup from shore to prove that I could do it on my own,” she says.

Is it possible to know when you have captured ​‘the shot’ while you’re swimming and shooting?

I don’t shoot that much fisheye stuff, where I’m blindly shooting on a pistol grip. 99.9% of the time I’m looking through the viewfinder, so I know I’ve seen it. I never look at the photos while I’m in the water. I wait until I’ve actually come back and edited. But yeah, you know… it clicks both on the camera and in your mind. 

Do you have a different mindset for photographing as opposed to filming?

I think of photography like hunting and filmmaking like fishing. A mistake you’ll often see with photographers who are learning how to do video is they’ll get the shot and put the camera down. Getting that shot in photography is like shooting a bird in the air, but with videography, it’s more like fishing – you’ve got to wait. You got to get the before that shot, and you have to get the after that shot. You need both in order to tell the story. And you have to do a lot of waiting until that moment happens. A lot of time just sitting with your pole in the water, sitting with your camera, just waiting for something to happen and knowing when to press record. So I think that’s a good way of thinking of the two. I’m usually telling more of a complete story when I’m shooting video, but at the same time, I am so envious and admire photographers who have just focused on photography. I kind of wish that I could have just chosen one lane – I might be missing some polish or development because of my bifurcating the two all the time.

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Do you get that urge to keep getting closer to the wave for a better angle, a better shot, but you have to tell that devil on the shoulder there’s a line you can’t cross.

Yeah. I think I’m always trying to push that envelope of getting to that edge of the cliff. That’s the line I keep trying to move forward. It’s not like I’m fearless, I still get scared. Everything in your mind is saying ​“don’t get closer”. But yet, you know, you probably can get a little closer. So I think it’s playing with that line and figuring out how to improve on that line. When you’re in a barrel, that’s definitely when the flow is, because there’s just a blind faith that you have to have. At a certain point, it looks like the surfer is going to just run right into your face, but you have to trust that you know these waves and you know that surfer, and you know that you’re going to get around them. So there’s a lot of faith and flow that’s needed for those moments. 

You’ve seen the rise in numbers of jet skis towing people in, instead of paddling – do you avoid getting in the water when you see a lot of them? That jet ski that took off without a rider at Mavericks in 2023 looked extremely scary!

I actually have gotten in, because I can usually get closer than the skis when I’m swimming. But it just depends on the last few huge swells at Mavericks, like the one where that jet ski got out of control. It’s not just chaotic with the skis – the ocean itself was just so ginormous, and so all over the place. I’ll usually only swim if it’s a really clean, consistent swell. It also depends on direction. With Mavericks, sometimes the direction of the swell is sucking you into the pit, and sometimes it’s pushing you out. It obviously feels a little nicer when it’s pushing you out. But then that also can be a real pain in the butt, because you’re constantly swimming in to get the shot. But then if you’re not aware of it sucking you in, you can suddenly be in a very bad place.

Do you feel the build up to the winter swell at Mavericks in your bones?

Gosh, I am right now! There’s a big wave surf film called Nervous Laughter, I think that was a good description of the feeling you have, the jittery, butterfly feeling. I have mostly shot winter swells here – I have done summers in Porto and other big wave spots, but for the most part, summer is my time to relax and not have those butterflies! And more than that, just constantly looking at the swell, constantly wondering when I’m going to have to tell my family that I’m sorry because I can’t make it to dinner tonight, things like that. But yes I definitely feel it in my bones.

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Do you feel lonely out there? Is it a time of contemplation before the action starts?

It definitely can get lonely. You’re physically separated from everyone and you see the surfers talking, having a good time and catching the waves. And you’re just like, dude! But if I’m going out to shoot with someone like Bianca Valenti, I am connected to her energy. I’ve got my eagle eye on her, and I think she has an awareness of where I am. It’s this kind of dance so it doesn’t feel as lonely in that way. One of the reasons I like cold water is there’s just less people – I like the solitude you have, whether surfing or shooting. As far as getting contemplative, I mean, yes and no. I haven’t thought about it until now, but I think I’m probably more contemplative when I’m surfing and just sitting on a board and waiting for a wave than when I’m shooting. Because when I’m shooting, I’m constantly looking for the image. I just feel like I’m much more in the moment, and engaged in the craft.

When you’re so close to what could be catastrophic – you’re slightly in control, but you’re actually not in control.

Yeah, you’re tapping into like a bigger universe of energy in those moments. A lay person seeing that would see chaos and fear, but it’s so orderly and beautiful. But what always brings me back is just the awe – I’m looking for that moment of awe where you’re breathless. And actually, that’s usually the moment; that’s usually the shot. When you’ve captured that peak of the awe, that’s what you’re going for, because you want your viewer to also experience it all. What one person might see as terrifying, I usually see as extraordinarily beautiful.

I didn’t think about the awe.

I think it was the Washington Post that just had a story about the science of awe and how it keeps you young. Exercise is the most important thing you can do, but also just experiencing awe. The Post article was about how that is a key to longevity, because it keeps you young.

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You directed the upcoming all-female film Big Wave Women, which follows award-winning surfers Paige Alms, Keala Kennelly, Andrea Möller and Bianca Valenti. It, among other things, exposes the misogyny in the competitive surfing world – you’re a pioneer of big wave shooting, is there still misogyny in surf photography too?

I’m definitely not part of the bro club in the same way as some of my contemporaries. Another part of it is you’re just like a lot of people who are kind of following their friends, and so there’s just more guys to follow than there are gals, you know. Yes, there’s sexism. But I’m not making a living off of it and not getting the calls necessarily that I think I would. I’m also not sure it makes sense that I’m not making a living from my water photography entirely because of sexism – loads of ladies are doing it these days on Instagram. I think it’s somewhat of a generational thing. I feel a kinship to Keala Kennelly experience as a pro surfer with my experience as a photographer/​DP/​director/​filmmaker. Keala Kennelly’s experience of winning contests for $5K that now award $100K feels similar to some of my professional ​“wins” that haven’t necessarily paid off for my bank account, but I’d like to think they’ve helped the next generation make it without the same barriers. The fact remains that 12% of the cinematographers in the industry and 16% of directors are women. Because of that, I have to look extra hard for women in these positions to work with, and those women are in demand and often not available. I have to work harder to find women, and often they have less experience, but if things are going to change, we all have to do this due diligence. Women have to be supported and given opportunities to fail just like the guys have if things are going to progress. Change is glacial, but I’m doing my best to make a difference! I also try to assemble teams that are diverse and the best for the job. I don’t necessarily want to work with a team of all women any more than I do all men. As a video DP, I’ve also experienced repeatedly being nudged out of DP jobs that are given to male partners of the female producers that I’ve developed relationships with. It’s a common pairing in the industry. Women doing the coordination and men handling the gear. One of the pieces of advice I give to young women is don’t be intimidated by guys and their gear. It’s the story that you’re telling that ultimately trumps any sort of gizmos the dudes have.

What has the ocean taught you about life?

With big wave water photography, when you’re swimming you can do everything possible to get yourself in the right position, but you’re never going to outrun the wave like you can on a jet ski or you can when swimming in small waves. So there’s a forced surrender that you have to embrace. You have to make the most of what’s in front of you, get comfortable with the uncomfortable and hopefully find a moment of beauty and magic in that chaos. Hopefully you can spark some awe in the person seeing your photo and video so that they can tap into that little magic of the universe as well. Read the magic.

Josh Jones is Huck’s editor. Follow him on Instagram.

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