Surfing, Skateboarding, Music, Photography, Travel, Culture and general antics of the youth on the run.

A rookie’s year on the run Dear Youth with Quinn Matthews

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Editor’s note: Quinn Matthews came on the scene last year and instead of treating him like a grom, we tossed in straight into the madness. He spent a full year on the road and ticked just about every box a young photographer can in a very condensed amount of time: from surfers to locations, he was there — and he kinda nailed it. Here’s a look at a year on the road for a rookie, documented like a pro. —Travis 

Words and photos by Quinn.

2014 is gone now. And a lot of things happened. For me here’s what happened in 12 grocery list sentences and 35 photos.

January: Waves in California were fun, Noa came over for a while. February: I spent nearly every swell up in Santa Barbara shooting with Yadin Nicol, and the other couple days of waves I shot with Kolohe Andino in San Clemente as he prepared to leave for the Gold Cost. March: I went over to West Oz with Yadin and the other Nicols, before the whole tour came through town, hanging out with Dino Adrian and Jay Davies. April: More Margret River WA: Kolohe’s project, Cluster Project, going to the tavern nearly nightly with the local boiz, pickups, women. May: A bit more swell chasing in WA, then Cabo San Lucas, and Salina Cruz (twice!) June: Left for a two week trip to Indo on my birthday (perfect waves), and visited my family in Hong Kong, World Cup. July: Joining protest in Hong Kong, losing photo contest, Bahamas, and officially jumping on board with What Youth. August: More Bahamas (total lobster count 39), on the edge of my seat watching Tahiti event, Hurricane Marie brought the best waves ever to California. September: Hurley Pro, and first week or so in France. October: More France (waves, rain, le bakoua), Portugal (waves, rain, Lisbon, Swag On). November: Time with Family, Thanksgiving, first few days in Hawaii. December: more Hawaii, “Go Julian”, Crispy Grindz, Happy Holidays. 

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Thurston Moore made our ears bleed Live from the LA Art Book Fair

Thurston Moore continues his reign as the king of dissonance at the LAABF

I still haven’t seen Cluster either And it’s being made in the room next to me

I didn’t think I’d have to write that. But there it is. The morning of the premiere and I still haven’t seen the damn thing. After a week in the desert, followed by an even more dehydrated stint in the lizard den known as the What Youth editing bay, Kai and Blake are still the…

Seven missions, 16 sessions A dispatch from your guide to good waves

Hints from a good-wave magnet

Creed McTaggart what youth cluster

Dear Youth What Youth HQ during the making of Cluster

This is us on deadline.

quinn matthews what youth surfing photography

A rookie’s year on the run Dear Youth with Quinn Matthews

Quinn Matthews recaps his 2014 year on the road as a rookie.

dear youth quinn matthews what youth hawaii

Dear Youth One more Aloha from Hawaii (with Quinn Matthews)

We just had to say aloha one more time. This time Quinn Matthews says farewell to the island. It’s been exactly a year now since Quinn Matthews caught our eye with his photos from Hawaii, and this year was a stellar sophomore campaign. Always fresh, and always rad angles.

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Dear Youth: See Ya Hawaii 12 Photos from the North Shore

Nate Lawrence photos from the North Shore.

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Dear Youth Swimming at Pipe: Quinn Matthews

Editor’s Note: Every time Quinn does something (anything), it’s probably his first time. And while I think he’d swam and shot at Pipe before, these were definitely the biggest waves he’d ever swam in. Which lends for good reading, especially when you line it up with the results you see below. Quinn wrote this and…

dear youth quinn matthews what youth surfing

Dear Youth 15 photos from North Shore: Quinn Matthews

Last year it was his fresh approach in Hawaii that caught our eye. And throughout the year he’s continued to amaze and baffle us simultaneously with his awe of the world around him and ability to get the wildest shots at the least likely of times. Quinn Matthews is a shy, unassuming, extremely green but…

dear youth hawaii kenny hurtado what youth surfing

Dear Youth 15 Photos from Hawaii: Kenny Hurtado

Kenny Hurtado has always been one of our favorite photographers. Both for the purity of his photography and for his humble demeanor. He’s been over on the North Shore the past few weeks and took a very unique approach to his coverage of the most photographed place in the surf world.

dear youth hawii nate lawrence what youth

Dear Youth 15 Photos from the North Shore: Nate Lawrence

Photographing the North Shore is an interesting skill if you wanna do it right. Nate Lawrence has been on the North Shore for a few weeks now, and prior to that he’s logged well over a decade of pilgrimages each year. And somehow, each trip back he manages to surprise us with the unique and…

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Dear Youth Right Place, Right Time.

I just had the best month of my life.

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