Meet Andy Woodward | Surf Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andy Woodward and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andy, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
My work life balance for the longest time was quite the seesaw. Before college, there was certainly more life than work. However, college initiated a work-heavy lifestyle that pushed me to the opposite end of the work life spectrum. After experiencing both sides, I slowly began teeter-tottering towards an equilibrium. The lack of balance led to frustration which fueled trail and error to find balance.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am currently very interested in filming the contrast of light and color in scenes specific to the ocean. I also am finding myself getting increasingly more interested in story-telling elements of filming. There are so many interesting people in this world that it almost doesn’t make sense to go without sharing their stories. I think one aspect that sets what I make apart is that I am a sucker for slow-motion and high contrast, it’s hard for me to get away from that at the moment! The cool thing about the surf filming world is that everyone has their own take on it. I love following other filmers to see how they paste their own individuality onto something so accessible to get into.

Something I’m very excited for is taking on more collaborative work! I typically find myself working solo, so working with other artists is something I am looking forward to. I am also excited to start working on longer pieces, I’ve recently just been making short-form videos. Longer form pieces will allow me to put more thought into what I want to convey in what I make.

The road to where I am at today was a pretty windy one! I went to school in Montana where I spent four years studying business marketing, but towards the end of my career there I had a switch in my brain go off telling me to go to California to photograph surf. Photography had already been a solid passion of mine by then, but the surf part was new to me. I spent two months in California chasing that vision, and it was so fun! After two months I visited a friend on Oahu and by some stroke of good luck I found a job filming surf on the North Shore, the epicenter of the surf world. It has been just over a year since that day, and it’s been the most amazing year ever. I feel I have learned a lot about both the industry and myself and it is just the beginning!

The biggest lesson I have learned along the way is to trust your gut. If you feel like something is speaking to you, chase that. If you can’t hear that voice, slow your mind down for a moment and assess the deep parts of your mind and heart. Everyone has their own circumstances they are striving to grow from, but my favorite thing in the world is to remind myself that we are all just a bunch of monkeys floating around in space. It sounds so incredibly fried, but it really does help me take things a little less seriously and just have more fun (even when there’s an overwhelming amount of odds against you).

If I could have the world know one thing about me and my story thus far it’s that I really do believe everyone on Earth has something on Earth (or I guess maybe space too) for them. The chaos of the lives we build for ourselves can sometimes cloud the way, but I truly believe that if you slow down your mind for a minute, you will feel something in you pointing you a certain way. Finding that direction and being relentless through the hurdles is what I believe to be the secret to happiness.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Welllllll luckily for whoever would be coming to visit the North Shore, there is a lot to experience! I’d probably start the week off with a view and hike up to the Pupukea bunkers to look over the whole town. Then for lunch I would 10/10 recommend Pupukea Grill at Sharks Cove. For those who love to dive, Sharks Cove has some amazing snorkeling spots right across the street! I personally love watching the surf, so for those who feel the same it’s a no-brainer to go watch the barrels at Pipeline. Kahuku is only 10 minutes away and has a pretty unreal lineup of food trucks and shops. The Country Eatery and Seven Brothers are personal favorites. Haleiwa is on the opposite end of the North Shore and is historic for its surfing culture. I would definitely recommend spending a day there! Everything is pretty close on the North Shore, and while it may seem like a small town, there are enough things going on that anyone can have a good time!!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate this shoutout to two friends of mine, Christian Habberstad and Noah Beschen. Photography and videography have long been an investment of mine, but these two friends opened many doors for me that allowed me to push this passion to new levels.

Website: www.andywoodwardphoto.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/andywoodward

Youtube: www.youtube.com/andywoodwardphoto