Award Winning Photographer Got His Start In Imperial Beach
by Alessandra Selgi-Harrigan | Posted: Thursday, August 6, 2015 4:56 pm
Aaron Chang was a senior photographer at Surfing magazine for 25 years, has more than 100 magazine covers and has shot amazing waves and places. He has even gotten up close with whales so he could photograph them underwater.
But his most popular photo is the one that goes back to his roots in Imperial Beach where his interest in photography first started. The photo was shot underneath the IB pier when Chang was a photography student. Red, purple and turquoise are the striking colors that were captured by Chang under the pier. “I was there to look at the light and its true colors when that photo came together. It has survived the test of time for its beauty, simplicity … a complex set of notes make it sing. It was my first breakthrough,” said Chang.
Chang moved to Imperial Beach at the age of 10. “It was the best thing that could have happened to me. I moved a couple of blocks from the beach and landed in heaven. I was immediately drawn to surfing. It instantly became my primary focus,” he explained.
He regularly surfed both the beach break in IB with its powerful waves and the Tijuana slough which he describes as “unique and mysterious surfing conditions.” Because the slough is half a mile from the beach, he recalled, “when the surf got really big we were trying to ride monster waves in the middle of the ocean.”
Chang has great memories of his youth. “For a young surfer to land in IB and grow up in a unique and special place with the quality and challenge of the surf… I loved the wacky surf community more than anything,” he said.
Chang said he could spend hours talking about the stories, characters and adventures in Imperial Beach. His best friend Mark Gould lived between the pier and Mar Vista High School. “His parents still live in the same house as do my parents,” he said.
When Chang was 11 or 12 he was introduced to photography at the Boys Club (now the Boys & Girls Club.) He recalls going in the dark room, picking negatives and developing them into black and white prints. “It was my first experience and I got immersed in it in 11th grade when I took a photography class with a new teacher. In my hindsight it was something new and fantastic and I was excited about taking pictures,” he said.
But it was an injury to Chang’s ankle that changed the direction of his life. Because he couldn’t surf he started filming his friends while they surfed, thanks to his best friend’s father who loaned him a Super 8 camera. “I remember we sent the first roll to Kmart. It arrived in the mail and we set up a projector. That three minute piece of film was a game changer,” he said.
Chang later made a feature length film called “IB Fantaseas” and showed it at a friend’s apartment and 200 people came to see it. Chang decided to show the film in other surfing communities. He traveled to Santa Cruz to show the film.
While he was there he stopped in at Surfing magazine’s headquarters where he showed it to Photo Editor Larry Moore. “I asked him if I could shoot stills when I went to Hawaii,” he said. “I was hired on the spot.”
Then another significant event took place. Right after his graduation from Mar Vista High School, he went to Hawaii, just 17 years old at the time. “I went over with my father who was born and raised in Hawaii. I immediately fell in love with it. What was meant to be two weeks turned into 25 years,” he said.
In Hawaii, Chang started making money by shooting photos of luaus on Waikiki and surfers. “I was a strong swimmer and my talent was to do photos in big surf. I did a lot of work with people making movies and for Tv newscasts,” he said. Chang also sent photos to Surfing magazine as promised.
During his 25 year tenure with Surfing he had other assignments and shot for magazines including GQ, Sports Illustrated, Newsweek and Forbes. He also shot ad campaigns for Levi’s, Nike’s, and a book project in Russia.
Chang is currently being considered for a Tv series called “Captured by Aaron Chang.” The series would be about extreme photography around the world and providing a behind the scene look at how he works.
Chang has opened two galleries in the area, one in Solana Beach and the other in San Diego in the Seaport District. Apart from his amazing photos at his galleries are 3-D creations he designed. Chang has incorporated a surfboard as part of the photograph. “I loved making surfboards in my garage as a teenager. I see them as a sculpture piece. I wrapped the surfboard with a photo,” he said.
Each of Chang’s photos has a story. “Most of what you see in the galleries was challenging to shoot. It’s the best of the best,” he said.
Chang is currently designing a water housing for cameras with breakthrough technology. He is also in the process of opening a new gallery in the Key West area.
For more information check out aaronchang.com/about
Link to Article: http://www.imperialbeachnewsca.com/news/article_b9d579d8-3c96-11e5-a2a8-bf7d1a834540.html