The image is a photo, a striking portait of a male surfer. It is a headshot, and appears to have been taken in a studio setting, with a seamless background and lit by portrait lighting (there appear to be two lamps reflected in his eyes). But this is a guess, since I cannot discern a background. The photo raises so many questions. If it is not a documentary shot, then it staged, the slag artfully (and effectively) applied. I understand the image to be illustrative of the caption and the issue it raises. There is a photographic aesthetic, about masculinity, pollution, and surfing culture --which is typically depicted as closely connected/attuned to the natural world—— that this image turns on its head. It is compelling.
