LeRoy Grannis and the Golden Age of Surfing

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Waimea Bay (No. 75), 1972LeRoy Grannis—M+B
By TIME Photo Department

LeRoy Grannis began shooting surf-culture images in 1960, just as surfing began gaining popularity. His photographs capture the transition of surfing from cult hobby to mass-culture obsession. Viewed today, his dreamy, colorful images evoke a nostalgic past: surfing’s golden age of longboards and board shorts, VW Buses and California sun.

LeRoy was a surfer himself and got his start selling photographs for $1 to surfers on the beach. He went on to work as the head photographer of Surfing Illustrated and in 1964 co-founded International Surfing, now called Surfing magazine. He surfed well into his 80’s, until a hip injury forced him to stop. On February 3, 2011, Grannis died of natural causes at his home in Torrence at the age of 93.

A commemorative show of Grannis’ work is being exhibited at M+B Gallery in Los Angeles until July 30, 2011.

Aussie Surf Wagon, Hermosa Beach, 1965LeRoy Grannis—M+B
Bobby Cloutier and Greg Noll, Waimea Bay, 1966LeRoy Grannis—M+B
Club Surfing Contest, San Onofre, 1963LeRoy Grannis—M+B
Duke Contest Finalists, Sunset Beach, 1968LeRoy Grannis—M+B
Hermosa Beach Strand (No. 74), 1967LeRoy Grannis—M+B
Makaha (No. 62), 1967LeRoy Grannis—M+B
Malibu Lineup, 1967LeRoy Grannis—M+B
Puerto Rico World Contest, Rincon, 1968LeRoy Grannis—M+B
Sunset (No. 78), 1972LeRoy Grannis—M+B
Waimea Bay (No. 75), 1972LeRoy Grannis—M+B
Midget Farrelly Surfing Shore Break, Makaha, 1968LeRoy Grannis—M+B

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