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Doc Ball - Surfing’s Legendary Lensman
$25.00
Doc Ball shot more photographic exposures of surfing during the pre-war period then anyone. This earned Doc the status of being the first surf photographer. He shot over 900 pictures in and out of the water in the 1930’s and early 1940’s. He was close friends with Tom Blake who originally inspired Doc to swim in the surf with a camera. Doc shot stills of such a high quality that future photographers including Don James and Leroy Grannis tried to emulate him. Doc’s photography was published worldwide in The Encyclopedia Britannica, National Geographic Magazine, Life Magazine and the London Daily Mirror to name a few. This helped to spread the sport of surfing worldwide.
Doc also documented this era by shooting 16mm movie film which was mostly shot from the water. His films include shots of the top surfers of that period such as Hoppy Swartz, Jim Bailey and Tule Clark.
“Doc Ball ~ Surfing’s Legendary Lensman” is a 43 minute documentary which features Doc’s best movie clips and also his world famous book, California Surfriders. Doc explains what it was like to be one of the first surfers on the mainland. Get an inside look at the Original Palos Verdes Surfing Club and see the female members surf including Mary Ann Hawkins and movie actress Martha Chapin. Check out Doc’s once in a billion film of “Oscar The Surfing Snake”.
“Doc Ball ~ Surfing’s Legendary Lensman” covers Doc’s relationship with the Father of Surfing, Duke Kahanamoku. See never before shown clips of Duke clowning around. Doc details the evolution of surfboard design which includes Tom Blakes contributions to surfing like the skeg and Hawaiian Hollow Board.
Producer/Director Carl Ackerman worked closely with Doc for seven years on this project. This film includes a breathtaking sequence of 92 year old Ball bombing a hill on his skateboard. This program will be enjoyed by anyone who surfs or would like to learn to surf. Doc is sure to inspire many with his born to surf attitude.
Review
DOC BALL ~ SURFING’S LEGENDARY LENSMAN
Chris Bystrom – Pacific Longboarder Magazine Volume 3 Number 3
“It was a great pleasure to receive a copy of Carl Ackerman’s latest video release on the life and times of Doc Ball, California’s first surfing photographer. At the ripe old age of 92, ‘Doc’ is still in excellent spirits and the interviews Carl recorded with him are both historically informative and entertaining as well.
“It’s fantastic that we can still learn so much from one of America’s true pioneer surf photographers. It’s hard to believe that a man who first surfed with Duke Kahanamoku back in the 1920′s , is in 1998 , still paddling out for a wave in chilly Northern California with his friend, Leroy Grannis. It’s downright unthinkable that Doc still regularly skateboards in Eureka, California, but I can assure you he does – I’ve seen it myself!
“Ackerman compiled his information on Doc over a period of seven years and this dedication shines through the entire video. The inclusion of Ball’s own 16mm surf footage from the 1930′s and 40′s goes a long way towards illustrating just how far we’ve come in board design since that time.
“Doc’s friendship with another great American pioneer surfer Tom Blake is lovingly recreated in this video and Doc’s collection of still photographs, in and around the Palos Verdes Cove area of Los Angeles, is America’s first record of surfing on the mainland United States. Doc’s first primitive water housing illustrates just how difficult Ball’s job would have been, as each individual photograph had to be hand – wound into position, while straddling a 120-pound solid wood board , with waves crashing nearby.
“Women’s contributions to the surfing scene are also featured in the footage and I believe this is a valuable video that any serious collector would want to add to their library. I can only hope that other documentarians follow the same path as Carl Ackerman in showing the personal side of their subjects. This video may not be every surfer’s cup of tea , especially those addicted to the Taylor Steele school of thrash , but it certainly demonstrates clearly how one man’s effort can wonderfully influence future generations of surfers worldwide.”
DOC BALL ~ SURFING’S LEGENDARY LENSMAN
Longboard Magazine – August 1999
“An archaic collection of vintage cinematography and impressive stills make this biographical film a must for any photographer or surf history fanatic. This showcase of Doc Ball’s early innovations, pure stoke, famous friends (Tom Blake and Duke Kahanamoku) and memorable footage only helps to cement his rightful place in surfing’s Hall of Fame. And hey, where else would you see a 92 year old man carving downhill on a skateboard?”
DOC BALL ~ SURFING’S LEGENDARY LENSMAN
Surfing Magazine March 2000 (Carl Ackerman)
“If you ever need something to show your folks to convince them that the surfing life is a noble pursuit and that , no , you won’t grow up to be a bum ; or if your slightly over watching sixteen-year-old flyweights chuck buckets of spray to another post-punk soundtrack, then grab some popcorn , open a soda , and pop in this classy little documentary on one of surfing’s most inspirational legends.
“Doc Ball, DDS, (yeah, he was a dentist) was born in 1907 and was surfing’s first photographer. His images captured a California that’s been gone so long it’s hard to believe we’re in the same century. Not to say it was a boring time – we are talkin’ about surfers here, and they were just as much pranksters then as we are now, just with much heavier boards.
“Doc’s gravelly narration ties the whole thing together, from footage of a garden snake noseriding along with him at Palos Verdes before World War II , to 1997 footage of him and fellow legend and old friend Leroy Grannis trunking it in 52 degree Northern California water, to perhaps the best scene ever in a surf video, Doc at 92 years old , downhill skateboarding with a look of supremely focused joy on his weathered and wise face, too busy living to worry about growing old. We could all learn from that.” – Marcus Sanders
About the Director
Carl Ackerman has 23 plus years of broadcast television experience as a cameraman/editor/producer and director. Starting in 1987 as the director and host of Crossfire Videos a surfing show on San Diego Public Access Channels. In 1995 Carl shot two films for Chris Bystrom, Gravity Sucks and Blazing Longboards. He has since released 3 programs with John Carper, 2 with Greg Loehr and also the life story of Doc Ball. Carl currently is approaching 10 years as a commercial producer for a NBC affiliate.