Where the Adventure Begins. -Mohammed Raoof

I was going to write up this narrative about my travels to Nicaragua. However, I think I am going to let the photos speak for themselves. See you soon boys. Trip was mental. 

Free Surfing Defines the Day! 

The 2013 Ripcurl the Search was held in the always inviting Isabela, Puerto Rico at Playa Jobos! 

Playa Jobos is indeed one of the most ideal locations to hold such a large event with its vast shoreline for spectators and guests. When it gets big in NW Puerto Rico, Jobos isnt the place you want to be. With world class waves right around the corner, it was almost as if everyone was hoping for a break to get away to the more favorable locations. I know I was! The contest directors finally made the call we were waiting on. After several days of shooting a range of surf at Jobos, we got to take a break from the contest life and go exploring! We ended up at a spot with locals and contestants such as Gaby Escudero, Carlos Torres, Alejandro Moreda, Rory Reep, and Brady Mackenzie. There was also a few of the locals posted up on the reef cheering on the surfers as they zipped by completely covered up in barrel after barrel.

It was an ideal location to shoot photos because the wave breaks over the reef extremely close to shore, even though I spent several hours shooting in the water instead of the beach. It was pretty sketchy to be in such a heavy wave close to the rock walls and swimming over shallow reef that only got shallower as sets would arrive. Looking back on the photos and the whole experience, I wish I could go back in time and shoot wider focal length than what I used. I was still able to grab a few shots that are unique to my collection but not really good enough to land any shots anywhere. 

I learned alot from shooting the ripcurl and shooting this swell and i still have alot of ground to cover to get into the industry. 

Obrigado Rio, Obrigado Brasil!!

These photos were taken during my first trip to South America. We stayed on the shores of Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro for just over a week. Not only was Brasil's scenery absolutely breathtaking, but their vast cultural differences were inspiring. From the surf world we have learned that the Brazilians are extremely competitive and boast a national pride that's unrivaled. Their passion for supporting their sport fanatic lifestyle was absolutely a breath of fresh air. Though their lunches can be quite large and meat based, the country itself promotes healthy living. Everywhere you turn there are bike paths, workout stations, public sporting events and people generally being active everywhere! It was very encouraging to see your average population living life to its fullest through exercise and outdoor activities. 

There were other contrasts in Brasil that were a little hard to comprehend coming from the United States. For instance, I was able to tour some of the nicest luxury condos I have ever seen, and yet just down the road in the favelas, I witnessed one of the most harsh environments to live in that I have ever seen. On one hand we had 1st world luxuries and on the other we seemingly had 3rd world oppression characteristics. After realizing what I have seen through all of my travels, its truly hard to say that any American is "poor". A bit of an eye opener. 

The primary focus of my trip was to do a bit of research into the construction industry and seeing how Brasil is preparing to take on the worlds stage with the world cup and olympics bearing down on their shores. 

Cody Thompson wins the Ripcurl the Search Puerto Rico! 

Pretty good feeling having one of the boys from your hometown put on such an outstanding performance on an international scale.

Big congrats to Cody Thompson and the whole Thompson tribe for bringing this one home for Jacksonville Beach! 

Making Changes! 

I have finally decided to start a blog that tells the stories of my own personal and professional photographic life! 

The company (Ecliptic Visuals) still exists, however, there have been a lot of changes and transitions that we are currently working through. 

With Khayyam Khan in pursuit of directing and producing motion photography through music videos, he has decided to step back from the company in hopes to kick-start his career. 

Though we still offer the same services as before, our target market and marketing techniques will continue to grow and change.

Our portfolio will remain up at  http://www.eclipticvisuals.com/ for the time being. I will also continue to post photos on my personal blog, twitter, instagram, and facebook! 

With that being said, I hope you all will continue to follow our work and provide much needed feedback! 

Sincerely,