Snapper admits his job rocks

RAY Smith knows what you’re thinking.

Look at this lucky bugger who gets to hang at the Quiksilver and Roxy pros all week taking photos of the world’s best surfers tearing up the Snapper Rocks waves.

Well, Ray is adamant all is not as it seems.

“A lot of people think it’s a dream job but you stand here all day in the sun and at the end of the day you’re buggered,” the 63-year-old said. “It looks easy but it’s tough.”

The only catch is Ray then confesses there are few places he’d rather be.

“I go to various (surf) events but this would have to be the highlight of the year,” he said. “It’s just a wonderful spot for an event like this. The crowd’s really friendly and there is a positive vibe. It’s great.”

Ray was one of the hordes of photographers – some of them professionals, many of them amateurs – who had set up on the sand yesterday. They had umbrellas for shade, long lenses for capturing that perfect shot. One bloke even brought a stepladder.

As for Ray, he also had a unique tale as to how he had come to spend the past 15 years making the trek to the World Surf League opener from his Wollongong home.

“I’m a graphic designer and do a lot of work for surf companies but I wasn’t happy with the photos I was getting so I started doing them myself and it went from there,” he said.

“I also have a (surf culture) website called waxheads.com … I’m like most of the guys here who love photography and surfing and we get to go home with a heap of good shots and the buzz of being here.”

Not to mention memories of one of the Gold Coast’s most beloved events, including the female spectators that make it particularly colourful.

“I use to shoot a few more (photos) of them but now I’m married I’ve had to pull my head in,” Ray laughed.