Steve Campos — Surf, Sports & Learning Photography the California Way
Self-Quarantine. A surfer fully enclosed inside a closing wave — shot during COVID restrictions on a moving monopod, one step at a time. Steve Campos, SMC Photography. Used with permission.
Steve Campos started in real estate photography, picking up a camera as a job requirement back in 2003. Two decades later he’s shooting surf photography along the California coast and capturing some of the most striking wave images on social media, including one that surfers and surf photographers alike told him they’d never seen anything like before.
In this episode Steve traces his path from a high school darkroom mistake that ruined his first roll of film to building a career around West Coast sunsets, surfing, and sports. He also breaks down the editing workflow that turns 1,500 frames into 40 keepers.
Why It Matters
Steve’s favorite photo almost didn’t happen. COVID restrictions wouldn’t allow photographers to stand still on the beach, forcing him to shoot from a moving monopod, one step at a time, like a dance. He titled it “Self-Quarantine.” The lesson buried in the story: the best images often come from working around a limitation, not waiting for ideal conditions to return.
About This Guest
Steve Campos is a California-based photographer specializing in surf and sports photography, with a career that began in real estate photography in 2003 before expanding into sports work around 2016. He built his visual sense partly through years of pre-digital color correction work, learning to identify accurate skin tones and sky color long before he ever owned a digital camera. His surf photography has earned recognition from professional surfers and surf photographers alike for capturing moments rarely seen from behind a lens.
Steve’s Bonafides
“
As you’re starting, you’re probably going to like a lot more than you’re going to like five years from now. Keep shooting, just shoot a lot. Pick the ones you like and learn how to edit them. Because editing is half the game.
”— STEVE CAMPOS, PHOTOGRAPHER, SMC PHOTOGRAPHYHear This Episode
Watch Here
Episode Timestamps
Your ZoomPod — Exit Ticket
After this episode, you'll know:
- Why shooting a high volume of frames and culling aggressively is the fastest way to improve your eye over time
- How real-world limitations — like not being able to stand still during COVID restrictions — can force the most creative images you’ll ever make
- What a real workflow from Lightroom culling to Photoshop sharpening actually looks like in practice
- Why studying other photographers’ settings and compositions on YouTube accelerates learning faster than guessing alone
Gear & Affiliate Links
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Explore More
Check out our other great podcast episodes. Link and follow for more great learn-photography content: IG @tvcommandomedia | FB @ZoomWithOurFeet.
Steve’s favorite photo came from working around a limitation instead of waiting for perfect conditions. Same instinct applies behind any camera, in any constraint.
Stop Shooting From the Stands →BUILD NOTE: Full transcript pending paste-in from Buzzsprout.
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