Photographer Captures Sweet Moments of Summer

2 minute read

Raised in North Carolina and educated in California, the Brooklyn-based photographer Bryan Derballa has an unwavering love for the outdoors. For the last four summers, he’s set aside his work in order to head into the country with his friends. For him, these journeys are essential to his livelihood. As he enters his thirties, they allow him to hang onto what he calls the “liminal state between youth and adulthood. It’s a period of uncertainty that occurs sometime after college but before homeownership, when friends become family and time becomes finite.”

This theme of chasing childhood translates directly into Derballa’s work. Images of diving into the sea, setting off fireworks, and cuddling on the beach illustrate the sweet moments of summer everyone wishes they had more of.

As the responsibilities of adulthood quickly replace the recklessness of adolescence, Derballa has become increasingly aware of the importance of holding onto the fleeting moments of adolescence. “Now, I’ve got real responsibilities and strict deadlines and client relationships to manage,” Derballa says. “I spend equal amounts of time looking at real estate properties online as I do watching skate videos on the Thrasher website.”

For him, both adulthood and his increasing successes are exciting, but there is also an inherent fear in growing up. “As we get older and inevitably jaded, the world loses its mystery,” he says. His images show this, succinctly capturing the final moments of youth.

Despite the fear and anxiety of living in the delicate space between youth and age, caution and danger, Derballa has found ways to deal with it. “The feeling I get just before jumping 60 feet into the bottom of a waterfall has no rational value in my adult life, but I live for it. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to stare down mortality with the invincibility of youth, but I cherish all the remaining seconds that I can.”


Bryan Derballa is a documentary photographer and creator of the photo blog Lovebryan. He was recently selected as one of PDN 30’s emerging photographers of 2014.

Josh Raab is a contributor to TIME LightBox. Follow him on Instagram @instagraabit


Before We Land
Friends take a break in the parking lot of a grocery store next to the van we rented for a swimming trip, 2011Bryan Derballa
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Mike jumps off the rock at Shipwrecks beach, 2014Bryan Derballa
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Allen does his best "man on wire" while hiking to a waterfall, 2013.Bryan Derballa
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Cameron, Lucie, and Steph lay on the rocks after a long weekend of camping, 2013Bryan Derballa
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Matt stands under a small waterfall at a secret swimming hole, 2012.Bryan Derballa
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Travis dives out into the fog on the lake at a secret abandoned summer camp, 2010.Bryan Derballa
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Amanda and Alli watch friends set off fireworks at a waterfall during a camping trip, 2013.Bryan Derballa
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Kristen walks back to the campfire at our second annual trip to the secret abandoned summer camp, 2011.Bryan Derballa
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Bella and other friends sleep out of the deck of a cabin we rented, 2011.Bryan Derballa
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Mike hangs from a tree next to the beach, 2014.Bryan Derballa
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Cameron dives through a waterfall, 2013.Bryan Derballa
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Matt stands in the late afternoon light after a swimming trip to the river, 2013.Bryan Derballa
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Matt carries Smiley on his shoulders while watching the sun set with Allen and Christine at the beach, 2012.Bryan Derballa
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Allen jumps off the jetty at the beach, 2013.Bryan Derballa
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Friends shoot off fireworks at the beach while attempting to view the blood moon, 2014.Bryan Derballa
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Friends cuddle up after a late night swim, 2013.Bryan Derballa

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