I spent the winter of 2024 roving around New Zealand as a photojournalist for New Zealand Surf Journal. This included countless hours with surfboard shapers in their shaping bays, learning about the board shaping process and the unique lives of these surf artists. 

My time in New Zealand birthed this project, "The Shaping Bay" where I photographed the surfboard shaping process. Shaping bays are ethereal places, often in interior windowless rooms or dusty garages, and illuminated by stark side lights to catch every edge and line on the rail and deck of a surfboard. This lighting casts long shadows and allows the shaper to catch any imperfections or subtle contours in the foam. In each bay, foam scraps cover the floor, and each room is coated in a layer of fine white foam and fiberglass dust. It is a tedious, hazardous, and often thankless process, and with the insecure state of New Zealand's surf industry, many shapers are struggling to keep their doors open.