Russell Ord's spectacular images have won him worldwide recognition, and deservedly so. Based in Western Australia, Russell is renowned for his awesome images of super-thick empty peaks and heavy sessions at reefs like The Box and The Right.

You can pick up any surf magazine in the country and find Russell s work on the front and back covers, and filling out entire spreads and the pages in-between In Surfing: Water is Freedom, Russell teams with noted local writer Anthony Pancia to tell the story behind the waves the people who surf them, those who make their livelihoods from them, and who follow the culture with a passion. It is an extraordinary book for the new millennium. And Anthony Pancia s words bring the images to life with wonderful stories of passion and adventure.

Russell Ord's photography stands alone. Nobody else in the world swims in the heaviest slab waves in the world, putting life, limb and limb on the line to capture such dramatic and fantastically composed photos. It s more than just moments in time, Ord says, It s about the connection with people and the environment, creating content that reflects this very essence