Meet The Winner - Jono Smit

2018 PHOTO COMP WINNER: Meet the Winner of the 'Wildflower Byron Bay' PEOPLE category - Jono Smit. Reigning from across the ditch, Jono brings plenty of steeze and uniqueness to his work. Get around him.

@jonathansmitnz

www.jdsmit.co.nz

(Cover image shot by: Ben Maurice / @sinkorsurface)

Man, firstly congrats on winning the WildFlower Byron Bay People Category. You must be stoked?

Thanks man, stoked & honoured to take out the people category. I was up against some unreal images so pretty blown away really.

I know its not millions but what do you plan spending the cash on?

Haha but it's so much sweeter when you win it! I'll take my lovely wife on a wee road trip down Yamba ways this month, camp by the beach, surf & drink wine! So thanks guys.

And the winning image, rad it tells such a good story of how people love to surf. Can you give us a little more depth regarding this image?

It was a last minute surf trip south to Dunedin for a few days before i moved over to Oz. Great crew and we scored some fun waves. This image was on the last day, the boys were unpacking the fifteen boards out of the trusty Transit. I don't recall what we were cracking up about but we'd had a great few days together and i think this image sums up the trip nicely.

You shoot a lot of surf, is shooting people something to keep your creative mind ticking over?

I couldn't tell you why i love shooting water, it's more like if i don't do it in a while i feel shit.

Is there a time when you didn’t have your camera and thought “Shit I’d love to shoot this right now”?

Every now and again when i'm surfing for sure, that's just the way it goes haha

What image of yours would you save and cherish forever?

This one. My friend Cam & I drove 3 hours to this break very late at night and slept on the beach. I woke up at sunrise, took this photo, made a coffee, surfed and then went back to bed before my friend Cam woke up. We still laugh at this photograph today, good motivation to wake up a little earlier haha.