#48 - Behind the Lens of Waves and Stars with Bo Bridges

What does it take to risk it all for the perfect shot? In today’s episode of Scales of Success, Marcus connects with Bo Bridges, a world-renowned advertising and fine art photographer, about chasing storms, capturing once-in-a-lifetime moments, and building a creative career that pushes limits. This is a story of vision, grit, and the artistry behind unforgettable images.

Bo Bridges is an internationally acclaimed visual artist whose portfolio spans sports, celebrity portraits, global ad campaigns, and fine art. His galleries in Manhattan Beach, Maui, and Vail showcase breathtaking landscapes and cinematic compositions, while ESPN has described his work as a “pyramid wall filled with iconic pieces of history” and Elite Daily dubbed him “The World’s Most Badass Photographer.” Most recently, he expanded into filmmaking with Big Wave: No Room for Error, an immersive documentary now showing at Cosm Theatres.

More about Bo Bridges:
Website: www.bobridgesgallery.com/
Instagram: instagram.com/bobridges and instagram.com/bobridgesgallery
TikTok: tiktok.com/@bobridges.gallery
YouTube: youtube.com/@Bo_Bridges

Episode highlights:
(2:29) Last-minute travel and storm chasing
(7:16) Choosing what’s gallery-worthy
(15:57) From X Games to Mountain Dew break
(20:27) How digital changed photography forever
(28:06) The scary but fun
(31:29) Behind the lens with Tom Cruise
(42:37) Surf ranch, perfect waves, and innovation
(53:00) Balancing family life and adventure
(57:26) Creating the immersive film Big Wave
(59:56) How the gallery business grew
(1:08:19) Another shot at Fiji
(1:12:22) Outro

Connect with Marcus

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-arredondo/
• X (Twitter): https://x.com/cus

Scales of Success

• Website: scalesofsuccesspodcast.com
• X (Twitter): https://x.com/scalesofsuccess
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scalesofsuccesspod/
• Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@scalesofsuccess
  
  

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ScalesofSuccess

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Chapters

• 2:29 Last-minute travel and storm chasing
• 7:16 Choosing what’s gallery-worthy
• 15:57 From X Games to Mountain Dew break
• 20:27 How digital changed photography forever
• 28:06 The scary but fun
• 31:29 Behind the lens with Tom Cruise
• 42:37 Surf ranch, perfect waves, and innovation
• 53:00 Balancing family life and adventure
• 57:26 Creating the immersive film Big Wave
• 59:56 How the gallery business grew
• 1:08:19 Another shot at Fiji
• 1:12:22 Outro

Transcript

Note: The transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors.

Bo Bridges

(0:00) The coolest action sports anyone had ever seen, right? (0:03) I had them all. (0:04) I had like the Glacier Tsunami surfing with Gary McNamara in Alaska and I had like Travis Pastrana's first ever double backflip and Carey Hart's first ever flip and I mean I had all the top action sports icons in the world all over the walls in there.(0:19) Kind of like Tom Cruise back here, right? (0:21) But that's not really what was selling and I wasn't getting it. (0:25) Like people loved it.(0:25) They come in and be like, this place is so cool. (0:28) Oh my God. (0:28) And then they walk out.

Marcus Arredondo

(0:30) I'm very excited to share my conversation with today's guest, Beau Bridges, a world-renowned visual storyteller known for his action sports photography, whose career was built on risk and resilience, which started with a tiny apartment and darkroom job became a brand spanning galleries, global campaigns, and even hanging out of airplanes with Tom Cruise. (0:46) He's documented everything from Travis Pastrana's first double backflip to towering surf in Tahiti and Nazare. (0:52) Recently he wrote and directed a one of a kind movie shot with a fisheye lens for Cosm called Big Wave, No Room for Error.(0:58) But behind the highlight reels and success is someone who built his career from scratch, pitching Mountain Dew before he had a portfolio, turning off his blinds into his first gallery and reinventing himself when magazines collapsed. (1:09) We talk about why everyday feels like starting over, how he balances passion with practicality and why connection may be his greatest currency. (1:16) His story is about taking bold chances and finding beauty in chaos.(1:20) Let's start the show. (1:21) Beau, welcome. (1:22) Thank you, man.

Bo Bridges

(1:23) Yeah, thanks for having me. (1:24) Looking forward to it.

Marcus Arredondo

(1:25) Thanks for coming on. (1:25) This is a thrill for me. (1:27) How are you?(1:28) How are you doing?

Bo Bridges

(1:29) I'm doing great. (1:30) I'm jumping in between photo shoots left and right here. (1:33) And I'm in Tahiti last week for the massive swell that was one of the biggest waves they've had since like 2011.(1:40) So 14 years, wherever it's been. (1:42) But it was solid swell. (1:44) And I actually got a couple of waves.

Marcus Arredondo

(1:47) Really?

Bo Bridges

(1:48) My life. (1:48) Yeah.

Marcus Arredondo

(1:49) Is this all toe in?

Bo Bridges

(1:50) It was. (1:51) Well, there was people paddling, but the majority of it was toe.

Marcus Arredondo

(1:55) I mean, this is a chapu.

Bo Bridges

(1:56) I didn't surf chopes on this particular trip, but I have surfed it before. (2:01) And I've got my my skull claw marks to remind me of that. (2:05) But no, we were there with Kai Lenny.(2:08) And and we also went over with Michael Anders from Iconic and Raymana. (2:13) We had a good group of guys, but we hit the we hit it hard, right? (2:18) We flew in the day of the big swell and took a boat out and we checked chokes for a little bit.(2:23) It was firing. (2:25) Everybody you can think of in the big wave world was kind of out there chasing the bombs. (2:29) They tend to sit out the back.(2:31) There's kind of a takeoff zone for toe surfers. (2:34) And then there's a little shoulder. (2:35) I shouldn't say a little ever that spot, but there's an area where the guys paddling can kind of come in a little bit later on the wave.(2:43) But, uh, you know, a lot of respect for that place and the people in that area. (2:49) And, uh, yeah, we we watched it for a bit. (2:52) And Kai went out and got a couple of bombs.(2:54) And then we split out and went to the different way down the way about a mile from there. (2:59) And it's just as crazy, but not as popular. (3:03) And we got it all by ourselves.(3:05) And it was, you know, solid 20, 25 foot bases. (3:08) But it's a different kind of a wave. (3:10) They're a different kind of energy that doesn't grow.(3:13) And vertically it grows like proportionate, like to just sucking water off the reef and it goes thicker. (3:20) So it gets shallower, right? (3:22) It's really shallow, like no room for air.

Marcus Arredondo

(3:25) Well, we'll talk a little bit about that too. (3:27) Um, yeah, cause, uh, we had to reschedule and you're the only person who could tell me that he had a last minute trip to Tahiti and not call bullshit on it. (3:36) Uh, I knew, I knew that something was going on.(3:38) How does that normally work? (3:39) You have a crew that, uh, text chain start going off. (3:42) Um, I'm assuming you're watching the 12th anyway.

Bo Bridges

(3:45) Yeah. (3:45) It's especially in that world of like, you know, I used to do it all in the snow world back in the day. (3:51) So it was, it's, you know, you're dealing with weather and weather patterns and wind and everything else, all the elements of mother nature.(3:58) So it's nothing's easy about it. (3:59) And it's always a last minute text, uh, phone call, and then, uh, you know, a call to buy a plane ticket. (4:07) It's always last minute.(4:08) I mean, I bought my ticket the same day I flew out and, uh, same with this trip. (4:12) Now I'm leaving for Fiji tonight and it's, I just got the ticket this morning. (4:15) So, but it's always, you never know, you never know.(4:18) So we watched until the bit, you know, the closer you can wait to close that gap, you know, the better direction you have for winds and you can, it's just more accurate in terms of trying to chase down storm. (4:30) Um, but that one in Tahiti was worth chasing for sure. (4:34) It was good.

Marcus Arredondo

(4:34) What's your system. (4:35) You have like a checklist of stuff to pack with, I mean, in terms of cameras and boards.

Bo Bridges

(4:41) And it's funny, I always have, like, I have a little checklist. (4:43) I could like kind of look at my notes and my phone and be like Fiji Tahiti. (4:47) And it's always the same, but basically I already know what I want.(4:50) And lately I haven't even been unpacking because I've been going nonstop so much that it's pretty easy, uh, to pack it. (4:58) I mean, I haven't even unpacked. (4:59) I just got home yesterday, last night.(5:01) So it's all in my bag, ready to go for the most part. (5:04) I'm taking the couple new, I am going to take a different water housing with me to Fiji, um, this week, but for the most part, it's ready to go.

Marcus Arredondo

(5:13) So in terms of your process, you're, you're filming, you're catching, are you getting back on the plane and editing? (5:20) Are you going through all the footage that night? (5:22) I mean, this is, this seems like, um, nonstop.(5:26) It seems fun as shit, but it's seems like a ton of work.

Bo Bridges

(5:30) It is. (5:31) It's fun. (5:31) It's so fun, especially being on location, right?(5:34) Like, and even like the buildup is a lot of fun because, you know, you're starting to get excited. (5:39) You're thinking about anticipating what's going to happen. (5:41) But a lot of times I don't have much time to have that anticipation built up, right?(5:46) Like, boom, I'm just, all of a sudden I'm going and I just go with the flow. (5:50) But that being said, for every time that you shoot, it's kind of a rule of thumb and it's actually getting longer and longer as we shoot digital. (5:58) But for every day that you shoot, there's at least two days, you know, they say two days pre and post, but more two days post.(6:05) But I would say even more like Tahiti, I still haven't even gone through all my photos from the trip. (6:10) I mean, I've been trying, I, I flew home the other day. (6:12) It was an eight hour flight and I maybe took an hour nap, but I sat on the computer all day just trying to like decipher what I had, label all the photos, label it.(6:22) Cause I was shooting both stills and videos and just kind of going through finding the selects, finding those videos, thinking about what I want to do with it, where I want to send stuff. (6:31) I mean, and everybody I was with obviously wants to see the content, but also you now got, as soon as you post something and your name's attached to it, everybody else that was there sees it. (6:42) And then they know you were there.(6:43) So now they start reaching out on the side. (6:45) Hey, I was there, you know, August 5th, August 6th, you have net photos or videos of me. (6:49) And then you're like, and then you have to prioritize like who gets what.(6:53) And you know, a lot of times it's, you know, they just want it and they want to post it and you're like, well, all right, well, that's great. (6:59) But it's also doesn't always pay the bills. (7:02) Right.(7:02) So you got to be careful on that.

Marcus Arredondo

(7:04) That was a question of mine. (7:05) How do you figure out like what's Instagram worthy? (7:08) And then what, what is something you're going to store for a piece for prints?(7:13) Like, how do you, how do you make those decisions?

Bo Bridges

(7:16) Yeah. (7:16) I mean, I think it's from experience, right. (7:18) From years and years of experience trying to figure out what to post, what to keep, what to like use for a gallery piece or whatnot.(7:27) Like not everything's usable for a gallery piece. (7:29) Like a lot of times I'm attached to an image for reasons no one else will ever know. (7:34) Right.(7:34) Like it was super personal to me and I, you know, I was out there surfing that day and not only was I shooting Kylenny, but I was, I got to go and get towed in and Kylenny took my picture. (7:43) So we, you know, reversed, you know, we took, he took my camera. (7:47) I didn't take his board, but you know, I got to go out and catch somebody.(7:50) So, so I'm attached to that in different ways, right. (7:53) That not everyone's going to understand. (7:54) So I'm not, I'm probably not going to print a big picture of me surfing and put it on the wall here at the gallery.(7:59) Right. (7:59) Like, and I'm probably not going to take a big picture of him surfing either. (8:03) It's more like those, those moments in time where you can mind surf it yourself.(8:09) Right. (8:09) Yeah. (8:10) So you can put yourself there because I feel like less is more in that like simplistic way that you don't really want to always have a picture of somebody on your wall unless it's like your son, right.(8:20) Or some family, you know, why else would you want somebody on your wall? (8:23) It is your superhero. (8:24) That's one thing.(8:25) But, but for me, I'm all about like, you know, just putting an image on the wall and like letting you envision yourself be there in that moment. (8:33) And that's the playground. (8:35) What are you going to do with it?

Marcus Arredondo

(8:36) One thing that has really captivated me. (8:38) So I got turned on to you 20 plus years ago when I was living in the South Bay. (8:43) And I, I'd stroll through your gallery and be like, I just, you know, one day I hope I can afford to buy one of these things.(8:51) And lo and behold, my wife, 20 years later, ended up buying me this piece of yours, which was so serendipitous. (9:00) And the fact that I'm talking to you right now is sort of crazy. (9:02) But one thing you've, I've always been taken by your work is that you capture a soul in a lot of a spirit of, of the culture, not just of surfing, but of being outdoors.(9:16) I think some of my favorite pieces, and this is the one that, that my wife ended up getting, but it's like the early, early morning, sort of in the quiet area of our world. (9:26) There's something peaceful about it, but what under, you know, underneath it is sort of the, the tempestuous aspect of nature. (9:37) How do you, I don't know where I'm going with that specifically, but I want to just, I want to hear you talk a little bit more about how you found that soul.(9:46) You clearly have to know about the wave. (9:51) You need to be a surfer, but you also are a skier. (9:54) You're an outdoorsman.(9:55) I've seen photos of horses. (9:57) I've seen photos of race cars. (10:00) I've seen photos of, well, now there's going to be a few that I want to go through live, but even an MMA fight.(10:07) So like, I want to talk a little bit about where you found that passion, how you follow that. (10:13) Like the thing that I think people don't realize about your work is that you are an entrepreneur by every aspect, you know, every aspect of manageable, not, not only just having to put the work out there, but you're also having to chase it, right? (10:27) Like no one's inviting you.(10:28) I mean, I'm sure you are being invited at this point, but you weren't at the beginning. (10:32) You had to just sort of put yourself in those shoes and then start marketing it. (10:37) And so it was a small business that became this extraordinary enterprise that's affording you a terrific life, but not without its sacrifice.(10:47) So pick, pick from that.

Bo Bridges

(10:49) Anything you want to talk about, but a lot of, a lot of ways to go from there, but you know, I'm definitely an entrepreneur at heart. (10:55) I've always been an entrepreneur. (10:57) I know nothing different.(10:58) You know, I work only to, I've worked at Chili's Bar and Grill. (11:01) I waited tables for about three months and I worked for another photographer for almost two years processing film. (11:10) But the way I looked at that was grad school is basically like, I'm going to like take everything I'm learning here, like a sponge and absorb it all.(11:18) And I sucked it up. (11:19) I made $8 and 50 cents an hour. (11:21) I lived in a closet and paid, you know, $150 a month to live in Vail, basically Vail Village.(11:26) And I skied a hundred days a year. (11:28) But I also looked at it, like I'm gaining a lot of like hands-on knowledge here. (11:32) But from that, you know, I've just, I, I quit in 90, 98 and I've been on my own ever since.(11:41) And nothing's been easy. (11:43) Nothing's been handed to me. (11:45) I've worked really hard to get where I am.(11:47) And I think that, you know, every day is a new opportunity for a new job. (11:52) Like people say I got fired, right? (11:54) I got laid off.(11:54) Like, well, I get laid off every day. (11:56) Every day I get laid off and every day I have to start fresh. (11:59) I never have like a big schedule.(12:01) My calendar is wide open for the most part every single year. (12:05) When I start January 1st, you want to look at that like full year ahead. (12:09) It's usually pretty damn empty unless I have something right out of the gate in January.(12:13) Everything comes last minute, which is hard because you can't really plan ahead in any way. (12:18) But I think, you know, I've learned to utilize that time and kind of prepare myself to get to the next month or the next, you know, photo shoot, because without like the gallery and without photography, without the video, there's like three, you know, three different workstations there. (12:38) Like each one's its own entity.(12:40) And I've figured out in a way how to use all of them to strategize and build my brand. (12:47) So I'm not always just depending on one photo shoot or one video shoot or a movie or a or the gallery sale, right? (12:55) I can now kind of like spread myself in a way that I can still contain and control.(13:02) But I'm also excited about coming to work every day. (13:05) Like I like to come to the studio. (13:07) I like to come in and meet people.(13:08) And I never know who's going to walk through those doors on any given day. (13:12) So, you know, there's a lot to be said for that. (13:14) But what else?(13:16) I think, yeah, I mean, look, I don't complain much about what I have and what I've what my job is like. (13:24) I love what I do.

Marcus Arredondo

(13:26) For sure. (13:27) How did you get included? (13:28) Like, how did you start getting into the worlds of Kylenny and Garrett McNamara?(13:34) Like, how did you what was the process? (13:36) Because that's there's no like direct path into that.

Bo Bridges

(13:41) Yeah, there's no direct path. (13:42) I mean, the original one for me was, you know, when I was in college, I knew I wanted to be outside. (13:48) I want to do something outside.(13:50) I didn't care what it was. (13:51) Yeah. (13:51) If it was going to be like a dive master and I was going to be on the side of a boat taking guys out and I was going to swim with sharks or, you know, I got my pilot's license because I wanted to be a bush pilot and fly fishermen, hunters in remote areas.(14:05) And that was going to be a job I thought maybe I do. (14:08) I got my pilot's license my senior year. (14:10) I got my EMT certification so I could be a ski paramedic.(14:14) And I was like, well, I'll ski. (14:15) But I knew one thing. (14:16) I didn't want to sit in an office like I am today all day.(14:20) So, you know, it's like it's like something I just learned. (14:23) I think, you know, watching other people like I didn't want to go to a corporate office and be told what to do on the daily. (14:30) So that being said, I was like doing I was majoring in business, but I ended up getting a degree in photography and a minor in marine biology.(14:41) And I kind of dropped out of the business side of it. (14:43) And looking back, yes, I wish I'd taken some more business classes because I've learned the hard way about how to run a business. (14:50) But, you know, we're 30 some years later.(14:52) So we're getting there. (14:53) But I think the big one for me was action. (14:56) I always want to shoot action sports.(14:58) I loved action. (14:59) And at the time, there wasn't a lot of it. (15:02) Like when I graduated 96 in college, I started my own aerial photography business.(15:08) And that was kind of action fulfilled. (15:10) Like I was flying a little Cessna and banking the plane and crabbing it like I like shooting over my left shoulder. (15:15) And I'd been there while you're flying.(15:18) And then it got to where it's a little sketchy because I was coming a little too low and a little like whatever. (15:25) So I got I hired a pilot to fly me and then I could just take the door off and I have to worry about the window. (15:30) And then I could just have him fly the plane and crab it.(15:33) I could just focus on photography, which is where I needed to focus on. (15:37) So that being said, we knocked that out and I did that like six months and it was kind of lucrative. (15:42) There's no drones back then.(15:43) There weren't there weren't many people flying around taking pictures in Florida. (15:46) And I was doing a lot of intercoastal waterways, big houses, golf courses, hotels, architectural projects, you name it. (15:53) I started getting hired to do all this stuff and it was it was pretty fun.(15:57) But I still want to shoot sports, action, action sports specifically. (16:01) And I had some friends in Bell, Colorado, and they're like, you should come out here and work on the mountain and take pictures on the mountain. (16:08) And I was like, I didn't know what that meant.(16:11) I'd never been out there. (16:12) I'd never really been west of Texas. (16:14) And so I just said, all right, I'll go for a month.(16:17) And if I get a job in photography, I'll stay. (16:19) If not, I'm going to come back and work on this aerial photography business. (16:24) And I got out there and got a job, you know, working with this photographer.(16:28) But like I said, it wasn't the easiest work. (16:31) But, you know, I sat and processed everyone's film. (16:34) But I was learning about it was the only it was the only photo lab in Vail Village.(16:40) And so every single professional photographer that lived in that entire valley came to us to process their film. (16:46) Now, we also had 80 rolls of film a day that were tourists, right? (16:50) So I had to look at all that crap, too.(16:51) But I was learning composition, I was learning locations, models, like what to do what not to do. (16:58) I was looking at everything because you had to look at every single picture, right? (17:01) Yeah.(17:01) So, um, you know, it was all film days. (17:04) So I was just like studying everything that came through there. (17:07) And, and I was getting to process all my own film for free.(17:10) So I was shooting as much as I could. (17:12) And I got to play with my own printing and you know, processing and everything else. (17:16) So that was pretty advantageous for the beginning of my career.(17:20) But what my kind of bigger breakthroughs were was like X Games 1997. (17:25) I believe it was Crested Butte. (17:27) It's one of the first winner X Games ever.(17:29) And I went over there with no credentials. (17:31) And I just poached it. (17:33) And I figured out, you know, it was small.(17:35) And it was like mom and pop setup was really small, but it was cool. (17:38) It was exactly where I wanted to be. (17:40) And I got in there and it was all slide film.(17:43) And I was shooting sequences of like, these athletes jumping from point A to point B. (17:48) And I was learning Photoshop on my own, and I was figuring out how to like, tell that story. (17:54) And, you know, I was at that whole forefront (17:56) of the movement, one of action sports, but also learning how to shoot a sequence, you know, (18:04) and told a story of like where the snowboarder, the motocross, the skier went to from it started (18:09) point A, and it rainbowed over to point B, and you had to show the takeoff and the landing, (18:14) but everybody wanted to see how big it was, and what trick they did in that space, (18:18) and where they landed, if they landed. (18:21) Yeah, so I was right there that whole movement.(18:23) And, you know, I started shooting there. (18:25) And everything kind of took off from there. (18:27) And like I said, I worked for another photographer for almost two years.(18:31) And I went on my own and shot. (18:32) My first big shoot was in Whistler, Blackcomb, shooting the catalog for Spider activewear, they sponsored the team and stuff. (18:41) And I got up there and shot for them.(18:43) It was like a week-long shoot. (18:45) And two of the guys I was shooting had a little MD sticker about the size of a silver dollar on their skis. (18:52) And I said, MD, what's that?(18:53) They said, Mountain Dew. (18:55) And I was like, all right, Mountain Dew, I like the drink. (18:57) And then again, I was like, this was like, Red Bull just came on the scene in 98, but they were just starting to slide in.(19:06) And Rockstar Monster were, you know, coming after that. (19:10) But Mountain Dew was the number three soft drink in the world at the time. (19:14) Did Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew.(19:16) And I found out who the agency was at record. (19:19) I flew straight out, met with them in Connecticut. (19:22) And just like that, boom, they were like, this is exactly what we're looking for.(19:25) We need action sports. (19:27) We've got these seven athletes that represent, you know, it was like wakeboard, moto, skate, BMX, snowboard, and skiers. (19:35) So they had those disciplines covered and they needed a lot of photos and they needed that content.(19:41) And all of a sudden I became like the, I mean, probably one of the key photographers for Mountain Dew for years. (19:47) But that led to other things besides Mountain Dew. (19:50) After it was action sports core, I started shooting for like Pepsi and doing like Jeff Gordon and stuff like NASCAR and, you know, like Superbowl stuff.(20:02) And I mean, I don't even know. (20:03) It just, that was a big springboard for me that time and place.

Marcus Arredondo

(20:06) What years were these?

Bo Bridges

(20:08) That was like, right out of the gate, like 98.

Marcus Arredondo

(20:10) Yeah.

Bo Bridges

(20:11) 98, 99, 2000 till like 2000. (20:14) I mean, all the way to the end. (20:16) I shot X Games for 20 years straight.(20:18) I was the exclusive photographer there and Dew Tour as well.

Marcus Arredondo

(20:21) How do you think digital photography has changed your process?

Bo Bridges

(20:27) I mean, it's changed everybody's process. (20:29) Not just mine, but it was the instant gratification. (20:32) All of a sudden you could see what you were shooting.(20:36) Like pre-digital, it was, you really had to know what you were shooting and how to shoot the camera and how to work the camera and especially the exposures. (20:45) Because shooting on water and shooting on snow is much different than shooting like, you know, backyard with green grass and everything else. (20:51) So you've got a lot of reflective light and you tend to overexpose a lot of stuff in the snow and the water.(20:58) So you really needed to use a light meter and you had to know your settings. (21:02) I mean, I was so good that I could look at, I still can, I can look at any setup and basically know my settings in my head before I even take a picture. (21:09) And I shoot everything manually.(21:10) So, you know, there's still a lot to be said for that, but also, you know, learning the ins and outs of how a camera works. (21:18) But I, I got all that, you know, I've got my 10,000 hours plus back in the day.

Marcus Arredondo

(21:22) Well, do you think you, I mean, with all your, your hard work prior to the digitization, you had a process, but do you think you've become, I don't know, is there any lack of selectivity by virtue of knowing that you can just, you can take as many shots as you need?

Bo Bridges

(21:36) Yeah. (21:37) I mean that the art of, a lot of the art of photography is gone. (21:41) I would say in a way that, you know, you're like, you take the picture and nowadays in auto mode to take the picture, everything just kind of works, right?(21:50) Because everyone's a photographer and it's, I can give my kids or back in the day when they were like five and six years old, you hand the camera and be like, push this button. (22:00) And they pretty much nailed the shot, right?

Marcus Arredondo

(22:03) Yeah.

Bo Bridges

(22:03) Oh yes. (22:05) It's like, it's gone so mainstream now that, you know, like shooting, even shooting with like super high end cameras is overkill, right? (22:12) Because the majority of viewers are looking at a little screen on their iPhone.(22:17) That's 480 DPI, right? (22:19) Or something. (22:20) It's like, like shooting with a red camera, 8K, like why bother like spending all the time and money to shoot on that camera when you're going to dumb it down to show it on YouTube and Instagram and, you know, maybe YouTube's at 4K now, but for the most part, no one's viewing it instead for HD.(22:36) Yeah. (22:36) So yeah, there's a lot of there. (22:38) I mean, I'm, I would like to say that I'm, I'm glad I'm ahead of that curve because I've always built the brand and I'm ahead of like the massive, like I would not want to be coming into the photo video world right now at this point in time, because it's so saturated and there isn't a ton of work out there that still pays well.

Marcus Arredondo

(22:56) Yeah. (22:58) It seems like because of Instagram people's aesthetic IQ seems to have actually grown just by virtue of having access to so many photos. (23:06) Now I'm wondering, like, do you think the way we view images has changed?(23:12) I mean, it has to have at some point. (23:15) I mean, that, that seems natural, but in what ways do you think it's changed?

Bo Bridges

(23:19) Well, I mean, magazines have gone, right? (23:21) No more magazines, right? (23:22) Yeah.(23:23) That, that was our core, like being back in the day, if you've got a cover of a magazine or big spread and sports illustrated ESPN, all the endemic magazines, like that was it. (23:33) Like you couldn't wait to get those magazines and feel them and see what was in. (23:37) It was like, it was just so rewarding.(23:39) And that was, that was the payback of doing what you love, like was seeing it in print. (23:45) And now it's all kind of gone to the wayside. (23:47) Like, like you going back to your, your question about what to put out there on Instagram now and like what to keep, right?(23:55) Like, you know, you could be the best photographer in the world, but if no one's seeing your work, what good are you? (24:02) Right. (24:02) So now really it's just a question of time.(24:07) How quickly can you get your best shots posted on Instagram? (24:10) Because that's what everybody sees and they see it for a split second and it's gone and nobody cares. (24:14) They just keep swiping on and it's the most magnificent photo ever.(24:18) And they tap it for the red heart and boom, they're on their way to the next thing. (24:22) So the art in a lot of ways is gone, like in that world of like, uh, analog and, and printing and that stuff. (24:32) It's kind of a shame.(24:33) I mean, there's still coffee table books, which I know I need to do and I've yet to do, but there's a world that doesn't really exist anymore with like, you know, that fun fact of like, can't wait. (24:44) Now everything's so instant. (24:46) I mean, that's why in a way you look at some of these big action sports leagues slash brands, whatever they are, like even, you know, soccer's on a big upward trend.(24:56) I mean, most sports are still in an upward trend, but like the majority of my kids, they don't sit and watch a 90 minute soccer game. (25:03) They just want the highlights. (25:04) Right.(25:04) And the same with X games now, like it was the coolest thing ever to watch ESPN and watch the X game to see what Sean White, Travis Pastrana and Robbie Madison were going to do. (25:15) Like you just didn't know. (25:16) And you couldn't wait to watch it.(25:19) And now it's all at your fingertips and you just see the highlights and you move on, which is kind of sad, but it is sad. (25:25) It's like, it's what happened.

Marcus Arredondo

(25:27) Yeah. (25:27) What a, what a great time for you to come up though. (25:30) I mean, between the X games and the digitization of film and being able to, I mean, even the technology in terms of forecasting is, has changed the game to be able to go to these, to Nazare was sort of unheard of now.(25:47) I mean, I'm sure you have an opinion on this, but like now that this is blown up, do you think it's sort of, you have a bunch of people clouding the water because of, I mean, they should know what they're doing if they're getting onto a hundred foot wave.

Bo Bridges

(26:00) Yeah.

Marcus Arredondo

(26:00) It makes it more difficult to shoot. (26:02) Doesn't it?

Bo Bridges

(26:02) It does. (26:03) But it also goes back to like who, you know, right.

Marcus Arredondo

(26:06) Right.

Bo Bridges

(26:06) Because not everybody's going to go on a jet ski at Nazare and sit in the channel because there's no channel really there. (26:12) You can die anywhere out there. (26:13) You get hit by a wave.(26:14) And if you're not with a very experienced driver, it gets dangerous really quick. (26:19) You know, it's definitely saturated with people out shooting and trying to capture the content, but it's not so much like going back to like this Garrett McNamara thing. (26:29) Like I went with him to jaws in 2003 was the first trip we did over there.(26:34) And it was a big day. (26:36) I mean, I think we got a 68 foot wave and the XXL big wave awards from that day.

Marcus Arredondo

(26:41) Yeah.

Bo Bridges

(26:41) That was a big day. (26:42) And Kyle was out there and I didn't know him back then. (26:46) I know he was, I'd always saw was, I think it was Laird Hamilton towing in this little kid.(26:50) And I'm like, who is that little kid? (26:53) Holy crap. (26:53) Who is this?(26:54) And, you know, I took pictures and I was blown away of like who the little kid was. (26:58) And I'm sitting out in the channel. (27:00) Like I still like baffled by that little kid getting towed in on like a 50 foot wave.(27:05) And I was like, holy crap. (27:06) But it turns out it was Kyle Lenny. (27:08) And, you know, here we are, well, 20 years later and, you know, Kai is probably most notably the best, you know, all around waterman in the world.

Marcus Arredondo

(27:21) Yeah. (27:22) Yeah.

Bo Bridges

(27:23) Yeah.

Marcus Arredondo

(27:23) How do you dial in when you go to a place that you haven't been? (27:26) I mean, by this time, he's probably the old hat for most of these locations. (27:30) But before you go, you sort of, you got to understand the terrain.(27:33) You got to know sort of where it's the point is where it's peaking. (27:37) Yeah. (27:38) What's going on underneath the water?(27:40) You're like, because you're getting into some treacherous area. (27:43) You also, you're probably also not the one that's driving the jet ski. (27:47) Right.(27:47) So you have to have like a pretty trusted partner. (27:50) Do you travel together? (27:52) Like, no.(27:53) And are you photographing individuals that have asked you, please photograph me because there's a partnership, maybe a brand partnership that you have. (28:00) You know, how much are like, talk to me a little bit about triangulating that.

Bo Bridges

(28:05) All that comes into play and it comes into play in a lot of ways, because yes, you have to have the most trustworthy, best knowledgeable ski driver you can in those scenarios, because you can get in trouble really quick.

Marcus Arredondo

(28:16) Are they mostly locals?

Bo Bridges

(28:17) Yes.

Marcus Arredondo

(28:18) Yeah.

Bo Bridges

(28:18) Typically the locals is who you want. (28:21) And, and I will say it's funny because I've, I mean, I've tried to hire the best drivers possible at any given location whenever I can. (28:30) And you got to pay these guys.(28:31) Now they're not free. (28:31) They don't just hang out and be like, come out of my jet ski. (28:33) I'll take you out for 10 hours.(28:34) Right. (28:35) Like, you know, you, you want to like, you want to pay for their knowledge and their wherewithal and their professionalism in terms of putting you right as close as possible on the shoulder or wherever you need to be and still get out of the space. (28:48) When a wave comes at you, you got to be able to move, but you can't move too quick because if you try to gun it and get over a wave, now you're flying out the back, it drops out real fast.(28:56) And now you're free falling, crack your chin open or bust, you know, lose all your camera gear. (29:01) And, you know, like I said, things of severe consequence happen very quickly out there. (29:07) So you definitely want to be knowledgeable and trustworthy in your own like self-awareness, but you also need to be trustworthy in the driver.(29:15) Like even like I'll tell them when I'm out there, listen, like, I know you're going to gun it because you're going to have to, but just try to like, tell me. (29:23) And, but I've been out there enough that I feel it coming to like, okay, here we were really close, but it's a peripheral feeling that I have because I'm shooting like down the line here, waves coming at me and I can feel the motion of the ocean coming closer and closer. (29:39) Hopefully it's not going to close on top of us.(29:41) But just the other day, like we were here, I was shooting here. (29:45) I knew it was a big one. (29:46) There was another jet ski behind me with Izzy Gomez and she, you know, big wave surfer, badass, insane surfer.(29:53) And she's there on the ski right behind us, digging in her wet dry bag, had it opened and the wave swung wide and we barely got over it. (30:02) All I have is a garbage bag wrapped in my camera, no water housing. (30:05) And I just tucked it in really quick.(30:07) And we, you know, engulfed, it just kind of came around us, but you get wet and they got hit and she lost everything, like her phone, everything flew out of the bag. (30:16) She was swimming. (30:17) The jet ski just got over, but she was out, she was gone.(30:20) And she lost everything in her wet dry bag that sank, sinks quick, right? (30:24) So, you know, they're very knowledgeable athletes and surfers and they've been around all the biggest waves in the world and it still happens to the best of them. (30:31) So, you know, there's tricky scenarios, but you always want to be closer to the action, right?(30:36) To get the best shot.

Marcus Arredondo

(30:37) But that also highlights how, you know, you're giving so much credit to the surfer by the photography that you're putting out there, but your, your athleticism and what you're putting your body through is equal to that oftentimes of the athlete itself. (30:56) I mean, can we, can we actually, can I do some screen share with you here? (30:59) I want to, I just want to talk through a few of these photos that like I'm referring to here.(31:05) Hold on one second. (31:07) So, I mean, it's just your straight Instagram page, but this obviously totally caught my eye. (31:14) This is probably one of your most viewed, I would imagine, photos.(31:19) You sort of dialogue it on the side, but what, what's your out of the plane taking this photo? (31:26) You have your bodies out of there.

Bo Bridges

(31:28) Well, this was an interesting one because I was hired to shoot them hanging out of the side of the plane through Paramount, but they couldn't really give me any accessible permission to go do it. (31:42) They just said, we're hoping if we fly you over there that you'll be able to get, I mean, obviously I was in with the production, but you know, the productions, it's expensive production, right? (31:54) Every day is very expensive to run this entire like 300 person unit and they weren't going to stop everything for me to go shoot stills, right?(32:04) Is what I was told. (32:05) So they basically had to figure out a way, you know, I, I don't know. (32:10) They were just like, I show up, the executive producers know I'm there, but they, their job as executive producers is to get their shots done for the movie.(32:19) Not for me to stop everything and go shoot a still photo for their movie poster, right? (32:25) Although everybody wants it, it's just not like always doable and manageable. (32:29) And, and so that being said, I showed up and I was supposed to be in a helicopter and I and when I got there, they were like the helicopter pilots, like there's no way in hell you're getting in my heli.(32:40) He's like, I'm, I'm at thresh, I'm redline threshold already. (32:43) Cause I'm banking a turn and I'm flying with this huge apparatus underneath the mountain to the helicopter. (32:50) And I'm trying to fly with this airplane and turn.(32:53) He's like, I just can't do it. (32:54) And I'm like, I get it. (32:55) I, you know, I, I just can't argue with safety at that point.(32:58) Right. (32:59) And I'm not going to be like, well, I was told to come over here and get, you know, I just said, all right, all right, I get it. (33:04) So I went out in a ghillie suit and hit on the tarmac, which is underneath them down there.(33:11) You can see it below, but I just sat in that grass on the low ground with a really long lens and took some photos of Tom, like doing touching goes because he did it multiple times and come around, they do a two mile circle and they'd land the plane. (33:25) And what you can't see, but right underneath his feet is there's a little area that he can stand on. (33:30) And then as soon as the plane goes up, like it does, and it goes up quick, like a rocket, that little standing platform would just, it has sliding mechanism that just slid.(33:39) So it went from here and it just went and slid sideways. (33:42) And that's what you're seeing. (33:43) So it's already slid.(33:44) And as soon as it went up, Tom was immediately like already into like his character, dangling off the side of this plane. (33:50) I mean, he had carabiners, two harnesses, one going inside the door, one coming out the window that I'm hanging out of, but that's how it went down. (33:59) I, so I shot it from the ground is what it is.(34:02) Um, but I was like, I really, you know, we need to get some other shots. (34:07) And the only way to do it is to get, you know, first I did, I long story short, I'm gonna try to make this quicker, but we needed a helicopter. (34:14) Cause that's what they wanted me to get was a shot parallel with the plane in the helicopter.(34:18) So Tom found out I didn't have a helicopter immediately radios on. (34:22) He's like a helicopter. (34:24) Of course, I know the executive producers are like, because that's a big expense.(34:29) Right? (34:30) So like an hour and a half later, a brand new helicopter shows up on our set, like two hours North of London. (34:36) So now I have my own helicopter.(34:37) This is great. (34:38) I go up, I shoot them in the helicopter. (34:41) It's great.(34:42) It's cool. (34:42) But it still doesn't say this is Tom Cruise hanging on the side of the plane. (34:46) It could be anybody.(34:47) It could be a stunt man. (34:49) And I personally wasn't getting the vertigo effect of him hanging out of the side of the plane flying next to him. (34:55) It just wasn't doing it for me.(34:57) And he asked me about it. (34:58) He said, what do you think? (34:58) And I said, well, this is cool, but I think one, I can't tell that you are not.(35:03) And two, I don't have a vertigo. (35:05) I think the only way to do that is if I hang out the airplane with you, shoot with a wide angle lens and we go get that shot. (35:11) And he's like, let's do it.(35:13) That means now we're back to like the big ask, which is we got to stop all production and stop the plane, which is like $50,000 an hour to run. (35:22) And then take the apparatus that's hanging out of that window, take it out of the window and put me out of the window and harness me in and let me shoot back at Tom. (35:30) So long story short, that's what ended up happening.(35:32) And everyone was happy. (35:33) So it worked out.

Marcus Arredondo

(35:34) What was it like working with Tom?

Bo Bridges

(35:35) He was amazing. (35:36) I mean, I never knew him until I showed up in the first shoot in Morocco. (35:40) And once I realized he did all his own stunts, I had just had so much respect for him because he dives in and just knocks it out.

Marcus Arredondo

(35:48) This caught my eye, just the dad component.

Bo Bridges

(35:52) Yeah. (35:53) That's pretty cool. (35:54) So, yeah.(35:56) So, you know, obviously I look up to my parents and my mom's interior designer and my dad was a pilot. (36:02) I learned a lot from both of them, took them into my own career. (36:06) And my dad's like, loves to sail.(36:09) His dream was to retire by a sailboat and just sail around. (36:14) Right. (36:14) So he still does it.(36:15) He's 80 years old. (36:17) And whenever I can, I try to, you know, go find him wherever he is and jump on the boat for a couple of days and hang out with him. (36:24) But every night at sunset, he busts out his conch shell and blows his horn as the sun sets.(36:33) And I was looking for like this calling and I used, I have Eddie Vedder, I have Pearl Jam's song built into this movie we made called Big Wave. (36:42) And I wanted this like horn calling because it was kind of like a calling to all surfers in the world saying that surfing is for everyone, not just big wave surfers, even though I called it big wave. (36:53) I wanted to kind of like let people know that people are doing this all over the world.(36:59) And that's what I tied in my dad's like conch shell into the movie and made it, made it, you know, immortalized it.

Marcus Arredondo

(37:07) I want to talk more about Big Wave in a second because I thought, well, we'll talk about that, including, I also want to talk about Eddie Vedder and some of the photos you have from the festival. (37:19) But this was a week ago. (37:21) Yeah.

Bo Bridges

(37:22) Yeah. (37:22) So these are old photos I posted right before I left because out of curiosity, I just dove in to see what I had and to kind of compare what we experienced the last couple days versus like years past. (37:37) So that was some Code Red stuff.(37:39) That was Laird Hamilton. (37:40) That's Code Red back in the day, which I'd venture to say we saw waves of the same magnitude.

Marcus Arredondo

(37:46) This was Laird. (37:47) Oh, that is Laird.

Bo Bridges

(37:48) Yeah, that's Laird Hamilton right there. (37:51) That's Alex Gray. (37:52) So that was another swell.(37:54) It wasn't as big, but it was a solid swell. (37:57) And we camped out on this wave. (37:59) This is the right, like I was telling you earlier, that's not, it's not as heavily trafficked.(38:04) There's almost no one. (38:05) I've been there many times to shoot this wave. (38:07) And every time I'm there, it's empty.(38:09) There's nobody there. (38:10) It's a perfect wave. (38:11) Empty, empty, empty.(38:13) And this time with Alex Gray, we sat for three days waiting for this wave. (38:17) And on the third day it happened and we ended up getting the cover of Surfer Magazine.

Marcus Arredondo

(38:22) That's amazing.

Bo Bridges

(38:23) It was a long wait though.

Marcus Arredondo

(38:24) This is something I wanted to talk about because I think, and I guess the only, the greatest comparison I've had that I'm aware of is like a Jimmy Chin, who's, you know, putting his, his own life in peril, much like you are. (38:38) In order to capture these scenes, I don't think people fully realize you're honoring these athletes, but you're, you're, you're right there with them. (38:45) And I, this captures it so well, who ended up taking this photo?(38:48) And are you, are you paying somebody else to sort of, it's sort of meta, like.

Bo Bridges

(38:52) Yeah, no, well, it's funny you ask because we, we thought about making this movie around big waves and having a whole nother unit backing up what we were shooting to tell the story about how we made it.

Marcus Arredondo

(39:03) Yeah.

Bo Bridges

(39:04) Which I think is fascinating. (39:05) I would still love to do that someday, but for the sake of time and budget this time around, we ended up scratching that idea because it was, like I said, it's going to take a whole nother unit, follow me around and us around. (39:17) But no, that, go back, that last shot was Joe Durr.(39:20) He was my DP on this first Tahiti shoot where he was shooting some of the big wave stuff in the water. (39:26) And we obviously took turns, but that guy can handle some big waves on the head. (39:31) Like he shoots Waimea, shoots Nazare, and he just swims out there.(39:35) He's a lifeguard. (39:37) So anyhow, I was shooting some and we swapped cameras and I took the still camera, gave it to him, and he got this photo of me shooting Hamiti, who's my key character in the movie. (39:47) So pretty cool shot.

Marcus Arredondo

(39:49) She was great in the movie. (39:51) Well, and you know, you didn't really tell a story about making the movie, but that you sort of give a nod to it throughout. (39:59) I mean, that there is an element of like, I did find myself fascinated by the scenes on the boat where you're like, sort of taking, looking through the photos.(40:09) You're sort of giving us a glimpse in a way that I don't, I haven't really seen many other surf movies dive into.

Bo Bridges

(40:16) Yeah. (40:17) Well, you know, we tied it in because, you know, it was a complicated movie. (40:21) It wasn't like we just, you know, we were, we were shooting it, but we didn't have a, well, we didn't really have a story, right?(40:28) Like it was a documentary and we were just documenting the movements of these storms and these big waves and then some of the characters, but the reality hit that we got there, this big, big swell. (40:40) And one of the guys, Clement, who I flew over from France, big wave surfer, won the big wave award last year at Nazare. (40:47) He's an insane like waterman as well.(40:49) We flew him over, but he ended up getting hurt right out of the gate on the biggest day. (40:54) So now I got Clement and I got Hamiti and I'm don't know if Hamiti's gonna surf. (40:59) And it became like, you know, for me, it was very stressful that day because I wanted her to surf, but I didn't want her to surf because it's, it's, it's, it's dangerous.(41:10) It's so dangerous. (41:11) And, you know, like you look at her and she's so fragile and she's never done it before. (41:16) And I was like, and it also meant on that particular shoot that I was gonna have to swim because I had another DP with me, Jace, who was going to do the follow cam on the jet ski, but we needed two angles, right?(41:29) So I was gonna have to swim if she decided to go, which I was nervous for myself. (41:34) And because this day, these days are just, it was just scary out there and water that big. (41:39) And then, you know, having to dive underneath those waves and then knowing that she could fall also.(41:44) So there was like all kinds of layers of complexity and danger wrapped into that, that, you know, you can't really see in the movie, but we, we kind of showed the buildup in terms of like her biting her nails sitting on the side of the boat. (41:56) And we took a lot of it out. (41:58) We had much more, but we, we just want to emphasize like it was real.(42:02) And she sat there for, you know, six hours, seven hours waiting, trying to decide, you know, mentally, mentally, if she was prepared to go and do it. (42:10) And finally, right after lunch, she was just like, looked at me. (42:13) She's like, Beau, I'm ready to catch my wave.(42:14) And I was like, here we go.

Marcus Arredondo

(42:16) Yeah. (42:16) What a relief.

Bo Bridges

(42:17) That was it.

Marcus Arredondo

(42:18) I loved the music you chose. (42:20) Like most middle-aged men, I would imagine who love Pearl Jam. (42:24) I probably, I think I've seen them maybe 15 times, but it's, it pales in comparison.(42:29) I'm sure many others, but tell me about your involvement with Ohana Festival. (42:33) I mean, some of these, I mean, these are great. (42:35) You've got a picture with Keanu.

Bo Bridges

(42:37) You know, Keanu Reeves. (42:38) Yeah, no, I mean, so basically Eddie, I met through the surf ranch in Lemoore and I was, you know, kind of blown away myself. (42:48) Like, like I'm not really like starstruck by anybody, but I grew up with his music too.(42:52) So I was sitting in the wave pool, surfing one night and all of a sudden I hear him start singing and playing. (42:58) They can set up a band and play. (43:03) And I was sitting in the wave pool, like, you know, the wave pool by itself is insane, like a mind bender in the best ways possible to just to sit there and catch a wave.(43:14) But I remember sitting there and all of a sudden I'm listening to Eddie sing and I'm like, I gotta get out of the water and go listen to this. (43:21) And I remember I got out of my heat, swam back to shore and walked right up and he's singing Purple Rain, you know, Prince of Purple Rain. (43:29) I was like, this is like the coolest thing ever.(43:31) And so I sat down and there's like a jacuzzi right next to like the little like area where they play. (43:37) And I sat in the jacuzzi, I had a beer in my hand. (43:39) I was like, whoa.(43:40) And he went on to play for hours that night. (43:43) He loves music. (43:47) He loves to surf, too.(43:49) He's a good surfer. (43:50) But if a good wave was in front of a surfer, they can only sit there for so long before they have to jump in. (43:56) And he's the same way.(43:57) Music starts playing around him and all of a sudden he wants to be a part of it. (44:01) He doesn't sing his own music, but he'll go up and start singing other stuff. (44:04) He's got an iPad.(44:05) He's looking for lyrics and notes, trying to figure out how he's going to sing along to this jam. (44:10) And like, it's just so cool to see. (44:12) So inexperienced.(44:14) And that was a couple of years ago. (44:16) And since then, you know, I've been there many times with him and we've become friends. (44:20) And then I was working on the movie and I was like, oh, God, how cool would it be?(44:25) So I started texting him about like what it would take to license, you know, I wanted the original stuff from, you know, the album 10, which is the hardest stuff, right, to get. (44:36) And, you know, he was really generous and kind and he offered me at no charge, like some live versions, which was great. (44:45) But I tried to edit it into the movie and it just wasn't working the same way that I wanted it to.(44:51) And it was like, oh, it was so painful because I had to go back to him and be like, I really appreciate it. (44:56) This is so cool, but it's just not hitting at the right times when I needed to hit. (45:01) And I guess we got to go back to the drawing board and figure out what it's going to take to license the original stuff from, you know, the album 10.(45:07) And so, I mean, he was very helpful and his manager was very helpful. (45:12) And I've known those guys for a couple of years now. (45:14) So that's so awesome.(45:14) We worked it out and it worked out.

Marcus Arredondo

(45:16) It was totally worth it.

Bo Bridges

(45:18) Yeah.

Marcus Arredondo

(45:19) We're running up on time. (45:20) I just want to get the.

Bo Bridges

(45:22) Yeah, let me check real quick and see what this is. (45:24) This is at the Surf Ranch, right? (45:27) Yes, that's Surf Ranch.(45:28) Yep.

Marcus Arredondo

(45:29) I mean, one day I'd love to be able to go there, but how do you think this changes surfing? (45:33) I mean, the ability to, I mean, that there doesn't, that that's as perfect a wave as you can ask for.

Bo Bridges

(45:39) Yeah, it's so perfect. (45:40) And it's like, there's no better, there's no better place in the world to learn how to surf than surfing. (45:47) I mean, I know it's very expensive, but at the same time, like you can go there and in one day you can acquire so much like knowledge about how you surf and how you should be surfing because they have cameras following you.(46:04) You can watch the video. (46:05) They have pros there. (46:06) They can talk to you, but you can also, it's a repetition thing where you get this perfect wave.(46:11) You don't have to ride the same wave every time you can, when it's your turn, you can tell them to do a different wave, but there's no other place in the world you can go and ride a quarter mile long wave and get this perfect cylinder barrel every single time. (46:24) I mean, it's like every single time I go, I'm like, I'm like giddy with like, like pinch myself. (46:30) Like, why did I get here?(46:31) It's nuts. (46:32) So there's a lot to be said for going there and experiencing it and going there and experiencing the wave in general, because you're surfing gets so much better so quickly. (46:43) It's just, it's hard to explain.

Marcus Arredondo

(46:44) We're getting closer on time. (46:46) So I want to be sensitive to making sure you're, I'm just waiting on a guy to come in. (46:51) So go ahead, keep going and keep going.

Bo Bridges

(46:55) I'll let you know.

Marcus Arredondo

(46:55) Well, I was just, I want to, I want to give you, I want to hear more about how Big Wave came about.

Bo Bridges

(47:01) Yeah.

Marcus Arredondo

(47:01) Was that something, that's something that you ended up doing yourself? (47:05) You were, or were you approached by, you weren't approached by a studio, but I also want to talk about, do you can incorporate how it was shot with the, was it the fish islands? (47:14) Yeah.(47:14) In order to be accommodated in QASM, which is an extraordinary experience. (47:19) I'll sort of preface the audience by saying I'm biased because I tend to like surf movies, but objectively it is unlike any experience I've ever encountered watching any film, but specifically one with such wonderful shots of waves. (47:37) It was unlike anything, I don't know how to describe it.(47:40) And I'm not going to say, I don't tend to say like it's great or bad or whatever. (47:45) I'm just saying you have to see it. (47:47) It's something to be experienced.(47:49) So like, tell us about how did it come about?

Bo Bridges

(47:53) Yeah.

Marcus Arredondo

(47:53) What was the process like shifting your lens? (47:55) And then what's been the response?

Bo Bridges

(47:58) Yeah, I would say, well, look, same response you had when you first went there. (48:03) I was dumbfounded. (48:04) I saw this, I saw their test lab in Salt Lake City.(48:07) I happened to be out there for the NBA All-Stars game and they were having an after party at their facility. (48:12) And I went up there and had no idea where I was going or what I was doing. (48:17) And I walked up, it was a full red carpet event and they had the check-in here.(48:23) And I was kind of like just looking to see what I was, I didn't, I didn't know where we were, what we were doing. (48:27) And then big guys walking towards me, huge, like six foot five, you know, built like a football player. (48:33) And it turns out it is, it's like Jeff Terry, he's the president.(48:36) And we know each other from here in Manhattan Beach, but I, I didn't know what he did for a living. (48:43) And he was like, boom, what are you doing? (48:45) You know, he's silhouetted walking out all those lights behind him.(48:46) I'm like, Jeff, what's up? (48:48) And he goes, this is my party. (48:50) This is my event.(48:50) I'm like, oh, and he's like, come here. (48:52) And he pulls me in. (48:53) And then, you know, next thing you know, on the red carpet and they're taking pictures and stuff.(48:57) And then we go inside and it's Dwayne Wade's like private party. (49:00) And so we, we get in there and he's like, let me show you around. (49:04) And I, you know, it was like a lobby inside.(49:05) So nothing crazy. (49:06) There's some big LEDs, but then we go inside this door and we walk in and that's where you're like that aha moment. (49:13) Oh my God.(49:14) What are we looking at here? (49:16) You know, it's IMAX on steroids, right? (49:17) It's like, you just, you can't, you can't even explain it whether you have to go and experience it.(49:22) Otherwise it's just crazy to, to, you have to experience it in person. (49:27) Otherwise that makes sense. (49:28) So I'm like looking around like, oh my goodness, what is this?(49:32) And there's like, you know, a couple hundred people there. (49:34) They're playing poker. (49:35) I went to party at a DJ, pretty sick, but they're showing basketball on the big screen.(49:39) I'm like, oh, we got to figure out how to work together. (49:41) I, I got so many ideas. (49:43) I want to do action sports on this.(49:44) And like, you know, skiing, snowing, snowboarding, surfing, like, and I happened to be with Sean White that week. (49:51) So I was like, you think if I shot, I shot, I had shot Sean earlier in the day and I was going to shoot him again the next day. (49:56) And I was like, you think if I brought some content over here, we could put it on the screen?(49:59) Yeah, sure. (49:59) But lo and behold, like, no, that doesn't work like that. (50:02) You can't just go shoot it on a little camera.(50:04) Like it won't hold up and it won't fit that space. (50:07) Like, so, you know, the abbreviated story on this is like, that's how we met. (50:11) That's how I was introduced to the technology.(50:13) And he said right out of the gate, like, look, we're going to need creators like yourself to come in and build some content for us. (50:20) Like we're doing live sports is what they're focused on, but they still need, you know, day to day they're open every day of the week from like 11am to midnight. (50:28) So they need content.(50:30) And I said, oh, let me, let me help you with that. (50:32) So I started, you know, going through the process and working through a bit and like basically building out an entire production schedule and budget and everything else. (50:41) And, uh, and eventually, you know, we won it over and we, you know, we started shooting.(50:48) Like it happened pretty quick. (50:50) It wasn't like, I mean, it took probably like, you know, nine months or so to go through all this, but the onboarding part of it. (50:56) But once we got it done, it was like, and then we're just going back to like sitting around waiting for the weather and trying to find the right places to go shoot in the world.

Marcus Arredondo

(51:05) Well, that's what I was going to ask. (51:05) So you, you basically set it up with the anticipation that you're going to have to pull the trigger at some point. (51:10) You just don't know when that's going to happen.

Bo Bridges

(51:12) Yeah. (51:12) And, and again, going back to that, it's never easy because, you know, it could like, like, I remember the first call, first time we saw the big storm, I was at a soccer tournament with my son in Vegas. (51:22) Like, and I was the only, like my wife, you know, she was off with another, my daughter doing something, another sports day thing.(51:29) And, you know, we're just like, you know, divide and conquer. (51:32) And I was in Vegas and she was somewhere else. (51:35) And I had my son with me for a soccer tournament.(51:38) And all of a sudden I get the call from Garrett McNamara because the first shoot we were aiming for was Nazare. (51:43) He's like, this is the one we got to go. (51:45) And I was like, okay.(51:46) And I like, I remember looking at some of the other parents and I was like, I gotta go. (51:50) I gotta go to the airport like right now. (51:51) You guys got to watch Tosh for me and I'm bouncing.(51:54) And I, sure enough, I flew straight home, grabbed my gear. (51:57) I was making all the calls on the, you know, on the Uber and the, you know, on the airport trying to get my, because it's all last minute and we have to get that production put together super quick. (52:06) And it's a lot of equipment.(52:08) And I think we had like at least a 20 person crew going over there. (52:12) So we flew over there and lo and behold, we got somewhat skunked on that trip. (52:19) It was a big expense that wasn't wasted because we ended up using some of the footage, but the big swell that we thought was going to be there, it hit, but the winds came too and got us pretty good.(52:30) So it wasn't the most pristine conditions, but we still got some pretty cool stuff. (52:34) And we got to use part of that footage in the movie.

Marcus Arredondo

(52:37) How do you balance that with family life? (52:39) That's something I was, I mean, watching 100 Foot Wave, you know, there's a lot of reference in respect to Garrett specifically in sort of the toll it's taken on his family and sort of, you know, the last, the last season where he is effectively taking a break from, from surfing to spend more time with his family. (52:57) How does that, how do you, how do you square that?(52:59) I mean.

Bo Bridges

(53:00) Yeah. (53:00) I mean, well, in a lot of ways, really, I mean, I, I would say I'm around probably more than most dads for, for my kids. (53:09) I think growing up, I was there quite a bit.(53:12) Yes. (53:12) I miss some big games and I miss some monumental moments here and there. (53:17) Now I wouldn't say not too many, but you know, I tried to be there as much as I could, but I also like, even with this movie, uh, you know, I, I brought all my kids into the movie.(53:27) Yeah. (53:27) Like both my boy, like my oldest came to Tahiti and help. (53:30) We got, he stayed there for two weeks and helped us with the entire like production.(53:35) Right. (53:35) And then my other son, he came for another trip to Tahiti, helped out there. (53:40) And I even used him as a stunt man and did, he did some wipeout scenes for me and he took like some beatings.(53:46) But I was like, look, if you see me in front of that wave and I got down, I need some wipeout shots. (53:50) So can you fall right by me? (53:52) You know?(53:52) And it was like, and we did that. (53:54) And then even my daughter made the movie as well. (53:57) Like I got her sitting on a board and Fiji.(53:59) And again, going back to that, like telling the story of like, not only big wave surfers around the world, chasing these waves, but that it's a sport for everyone. (54:08) And I wanted to like let incorporate that. (54:10) And I just, it's a quick glance, but it lets you know, like, here's my daughter who was like, you know, 12 years old at the time or something.(54:16) And you know, she pops up on our surfboard paddles over like to catch a wave. (54:20) Like that was pretty neat. (54:21) Right.(54:21) Like I, you know, it fit into the movie and it fit into the timeline and the story. (54:26) And I thought it was pretty cool. (54:27) And I didn't, what was cool about it though, was that I didn't tell her she was in the movie.(54:32) The entire editing process, which took us like, you know, six or seven months, she never knew she was in that movie. (54:38) So that was cool when she came to the premiere, even my wife didn't know. (54:41) So when they showed up, they were like, because you know, it's like six stories tall and all that is on the movie.

Marcus Arredondo

(54:46) Well, for the benefit of the audience, Cosm is basically like the Vegas sphere, except for sports entertainment. (54:52) I mean, that's a butchered way to describe it, but it is, you're watching it inside of a globe.

Bo Bridges

(54:57) It's the exact same thing, same feel, same immersive feeling. (55:00) I think the difference is obviously the size, a little smaller, but they also make it a little more intimate in that, like the seating's much more comfortable. (55:08) They have the food and beverage, you know, assets they bring to the table there.(55:13) And like, they pair stuff with the movies and drinks and there's nine different bars. (55:18) So it's, it's a, it's a fun venue, but you know, that's still, that's still an issue, right? (55:23) There's two in the world that are built.(55:24) So it's not like everyone's seen the movie because there's only two places in the world. (55:28) You can see it's Dallas and LA. (55:31) I mean, they're building more Detroit, Cleveland, Atlanta should be open pretty soon.(55:35) And their, their hopes are to build, you know, 50 of these the next 10 years. (55:38) But you know, that comes with the territory of being the first ever to make a movie in, in a, you know, immersive dome like this. (55:45) I was the first person to ever make a live action movie, you know, that fit that canvas, like it's never been done before.(55:52) Yeah.

Marcus Arredondo

(55:52) Can you take the footage and is it viewable from a regular movie theater? (55:58) I mean, can you repurpose it later?

Bo Bridges

(56:00) Could, but it wouldn't work as well. (56:01) I mean, the whole thing was built for that movie, like the editing, especially like every single shot holds for like 10 to 15 seconds, because it's such a big screen that you, you need to take it in. (56:14) There's Easter eggs everywhere.(56:15) And your mind needs that time to visual visually, like move through that space. (56:20) Because if you just cut, like you typically see on Instagram and in a movie, we cut to the beats, the music, and you can cut real fast and your mind sees it. (56:28) But it's like, you're seeing in this little square right here, you're looking at monitor here, but it's not cut like that.(56:34) Everything's like drawn out really long. (56:36) So I think you watch the movie on a regular TV and it's just not as good because your mind is so used to like fast motion, quick cuts, that the shots would be too long almost. (56:48) I'm just saying, whereas in that theater and that big immersive, like complex, you need that time to see it all and experience it and feel it.

Marcus Arredondo

(56:54) I think you did a wonderful job in that editing because I mean, I was, you give enough time to like crane my neck back and forth. (57:03) You know, I was constantly, there was more than one thing happening, but there was enough time to actually absorb it all. (57:09) That has to, you have to understand the dynamics of that while you're filming, I'm assuming.(57:14) I mean, you have to be viewing that thinking like, I'm going to capture all this. (57:19) I don't know. (57:19) I guess I'm asking how difficult is it to visualize that in a new medium that's never been done before?

Bo Bridges

(57:26) Yeah. (57:26) Well, it was very difficult and we didn't really have anything to like, you know, learn from, right? (57:33) We had to go out in R and D and test every single shot to see what would work, what wouldn't work.(57:38) And it was a constant battle of, you know, how much play can you have in the camera? (57:43) Like it was moving, like, you know, you're sitting in the boat with us, rocking in the boat, but you also got to be mindful that the viewer, some viewers can't take that, right? (57:52) So we had to take a lot of scenarios out of the movie because when we test it, it was too much, right?(57:59) Or I would show rocking in the boat and then I would cut to a stable shot because I knew that too much rocking in the boat was going to be too queasy for some. (58:07) And I'd bring him back to like a stable shot or as it worked out too, in the water, your mindset is much easier to move in the water because you're floating, it's a floating space. (58:18) So you could naturally feel that floating motion and not get sick.(58:24) And so we tested it quite a bit and we had to test like a lot of stabilization mechanisms to chase those waves in the big ocean. (58:32) Like that's not easy with that camera gear moving that quickly and big, you know, those big waves is pretty dangerous.

Marcus Arredondo

(58:38) How's the reception been following it?

Bo Bridges

(58:40) Everything's been great so far. (58:43) I mean, everyone texts me and sends photos when they're at the theater and yeah, it's pretty trippy. (58:47) I mean, I just saw it again yesterday.(58:49) I was back at a meeting in Salt Lake at the R&D facility yesterday and some of the people wanted to watch the movie and I was like, all right. (58:56) And we put it on and I was still getting chills and I've seen it, I don't know how many times, but it's so cool that a movie can do that and that you can go back and see it again and again. (59:06) And every time you see it, you're seeing something new.(59:08) It's like the virtual reality without putting the goggles on your head. (59:12) Cause it's like, you're like looking, you're just looking around. (59:15) Like I saw flying fish the other day that I didn't even know I captured.(59:18) They happened to be in the wave and they're like flying out of the wave so big that they're flying out of the face of the wave, like a flying fish. (59:24) I was like, yeah, flying fish right there. (59:26) Like I didn't see that when I was shooting it.

Marcus Arredondo

(59:28) That's so crazy. (59:29) This has been amazing, Bo. (59:31) What a joy to meet you and to have you on.(59:33) I really appreciate you sharing your time. (59:36) Do you have any closing thoughts or things you wish we would have discussed?

Bo Bridges

(59:42) I mean, I think we didn't really dabble on the gallery side of it, but I think that's pretty... (59:48) Let's talk about it.

Marcus Arredondo

(59:49) We've got time.

Bo Bridges

(59:50) Yeah, yeah. (59:51) No, I'm good. (59:52) So basically like, you know, my whole thing was shooting sports, right?(59:57) I love shooting sports, love shooting action. (59:59) And in 2006, I moved out of my home office because the kids were so young, but they started like knocking on my door and they're like, yeah, we know you're in there, like come out and play. (1:00:11) And I was like, okay.(1:00:12) And I just, you know, I wouldn't get a lot of work done at home. (1:00:14) So I, so I was like, I got to go get an office. (1:00:17) And I've had offices before, but I moved down to the pier in Hermosa and I worked, I shared the office space there on the main level of the pier.(1:00:27) So you have all the nightlife, all the restaurants, all the chaos, everything that surrounds the Hermosa pier. (1:00:32) And back then it was pretty wild. (1:00:34) Right.(1:00:34) But I loved it. (1:00:35) It was a good energy and it was like fun to be around. (1:00:37) And it was like fun to see all the walks of life and everything else.(1:00:41) So we had this like fishbowl, it was a big glass, like, you know, everyone could just see us in there working. (1:00:47) And I was like, I should put up some photos of, you know, like, I don't know, some of my photos, I'm just going to print some hang them in the, in the windows. (1:00:55) And I didn't really think too much of it.(1:00:57) It was more like, yeah, I was showing my work off to people that walked by, but it was also a little privacy. (1:01:03) Like I was putting these instead of blinds, I was putting these big images on the windows. (1:01:06) And, and then next thing I know, people would come by like, Hey, that wave shot, you think I could buy one of those for my house?(1:01:13) And I was like, yeah, sure. (1:01:14) Like what size you want? (1:01:15) I remember the first guy was like, well, let's take that one right there in the window.(1:01:17) And I was like, all right. (1:01:19) And I didn't know how to price it. (1:01:20) I didn't know how to sell art.(1:01:21) I had no idea. (1:01:22) Right. (1:01:22) And that was like, that was the first of many, but I was there in that space for like two years.(1:01:30) And then I decided to go out on a limb and bite off a big chunk, like 3000 square foot space right across the street on Hermosa Avenue across from my coffee bean in Starbucks. (1:01:43) And I, it was a big space right there and I built it out and I had the guys from X games who built all the ramps and stuff, come in and help me build a giant studio site. (1:01:53) Like, you know, you shoot in the studio and it wrapped around and everything.(1:01:56) It wasn't so big. (1:01:56) You can put a car in it, but you can put a motorcycle and I could put two or three, you know, models or whatever it was I was shooting, but I had them build it like a skateboard ramp too. (1:02:06) So it was sturdy enough.(1:02:07) You could skate it. (1:02:08) And I put the real coping, the metal coping all the way around the top, had them weld it all together. (1:02:13) It was really cool.(1:02:14) It was like 14 foot high and you know, we can shoot stuff. (1:02:17) We had Kobe in there. (1:02:18) We had like Clay Matthews.(1:02:19) We had Ryan Sheckler. (1:02:20) We had all kinds of like athletes coming through. (1:02:22) We had the glee people, you know, when glee was all the hype back then we had all kinds of stuff coming through there to shoot.(1:02:28) And, and then I had like a crow's nest office. (1:02:31) I can look down on the whole gallery space. (1:02:33) Like if nobody was there running the gallery, I could at least see who was coming in.(1:02:37) Someone was interested. (1:02:38) I could go down and talk to them. (1:02:38) But, but what I didn't realize in the beginning was that people wanted more of those like empty playgrounds, right?(1:02:47) Like I printed all action sports in the beginning, the coolest action sports anyone had ever seen. (1:02:52) Right. (1:02:52) I had them all.(1:02:53) I had like the glacier tsunami surfing with Gary McNamara in Alaska. (1:02:57) And I had like Travis Pastrana's first ever double backflip and Carrie Hart's first ever flip. (1:03:02) And I mean, I had all the top action sports icons in the world all over the walls in there, kind of like Tom Cruise back here.(1:03:10) Right. (1:03:10) But that's not really what was selling. (1:03:13) And I wasn't getting it.(1:03:14) Like people loved it. (1:03:15) They come in and be like, this place is so cool. (1:03:17) Oh my God.(1:03:18) And then they walk out and I wasn't selling anything. (1:03:21) And it took me like months to finally go get a photo of the Hermosa pier and blow it up big and put it on the wall at sunset. (1:03:29) Right.(1:03:29) Like I just, I wasn't shooting that I was shooting landscapes, but I was shooting landscapes, like being dropped off in a helicopter on the top of like, you know, 10,000 foot peak. (1:03:39) And I was shooting that. (1:03:41) And I was shooting the glaciers and I was shooting like pipeline and Waimea and Jaws.(1:03:47) And I had empty ways, but I was putting pictures of people in it. (1:03:52) And that wasn't selling. (1:03:54) And I was like, I didn't know.(1:03:56) So I just learned the hard way. (1:03:58) And it took me a long time to figure that out. (1:03:59) But I remember my first client was Abby Wambach, the World Cup, you know, soccer player.(1:04:05) And she came in and she was like, I want that big panoramic of the sunset of like Hermosa pier. (1:04:11) And I was like, oh, okay. (1:04:13) And I don't remember what the price was, but, you know, it was fairly expensive.(1:04:16) It was a big piece. (1:04:17) And she gave me like her, her Amex. (1:04:20) And I looked, I was like, I was like, I knew I knew her from something.(1:04:23) And I was like, oh, so cool. (1:04:24) I was like, let me help you carry this out to the car. (1:04:26) And you know, we've been kind of friends ever since.(1:04:28) And I, you know, and she went on the Olympics and I shot her post Olympics and with her gold medal and everything else. (1:04:33) And, and going back to like, you just never know who's going to walk in those doors on any given day. (1:04:39) And having the gallery has, you know, is driven so much foot traffic, but it's kind of the right foot traffic in a lot of ways that, you know, I've met all kinds of people from celebrities to athletes to business owners to everything else.(1:04:52) And it's like, it's just a good, it's a good flow.

Marcus Arredondo

(1:04:56) Yeah. (1:04:56) I have to think that your access to so many of these people has to be in part because of your personality too. (1:05:03) You're an affable person, right?(1:05:05) I mean, like you're easy to talk to.

Bo Bridges

(1:05:07) No, no, that helps for sure. (1:05:09) That definitely helps. (1:05:10) I mean, look, I I'm always flattered when someone buys an image of mine.(1:05:14) Like I'm, you know, I'm not pushing anyone to buy anything ever. (1:05:18) Like I I'm here and if I'm on the floor and I can talk to people, great. (1:05:23) And I'm sure it helps, but that's not really my goal, but I'm always excited.(1:05:27) Like someone comes in and they buy a piece for their house or they have an office space and they need all these images for the office. (1:05:33) And it's fun to start like working with them because next thing you know, we're like talking about, you know, it's a new golf simulator set up and they've got all these empty walls. (1:05:42) And then, you know, I'm starting to meet some of their clientele and they're in there and I happen to know them.(1:05:46) And then you start talking and there's just like things, you know, good things come for those that are looking for good things to happen, right? (1:05:51) Like, yeah, you got to be optimistic and, you know, open to it, but that's kind of how I run. (1:05:57) And I like to like come in here and turn the music on loud and hang out, have a drink, whatever happens, happens.(1:06:02) But I mean, that's, you know, the goal wasn't so much to just have this like retail and try to sell people all day on my images, but it was more about like brand awareness and, you know, giving people an insight into my background and what I love to do. (1:06:17) And if they buy a piece, great. (1:06:19) And if they don't, it's okay too.(1:06:21) I'm not like, I'm not going to try to push that too hard.

Marcus Arredondo

(1:06:23) I think it helps to know the artist when looking at the artwork. (1:06:28) I think it's getting to know you has made me enjoy the art more, the more I've learned about you.

Bo Bridges

(1:06:34) Well, it's like this, right?

Marcus Arredondo

(1:06:35) Storytelling, right?

Bo Bridges

(1:06:36) People want to put a picture on the wall that they can talk about. (1:06:39) And there's a story behind every photo I shoot. (1:06:42) And, you know, like anyone that's shooting though, there's always usually a story, but I think maybe my stories are a little, you know, I've got a longer storybook.

Marcus Arredondo

(1:06:51) Certainly more colorful than most. (1:06:53) What's your day-to-day sort of like if on an off day, when you're not traveling, are you up at five o'clock with a camera and a cup of coffee, just running down to the beach to see what's out there? (1:07:03) Do you grab your, do you grab your, do you get grab your camera or your board?

Bo Bridges

(1:07:08) Well, I'm pretty savvy with the surf report. (1:07:11) So I usually know what's going on. (1:07:14) Sometimes I'll get up like, so I typically shoot more in the wintertime, like here around here, just because we get the clouds, we get the waves, we get like the air seems to be cleaner.(1:07:23) It blows offshore. (1:07:24) It's like, I don't know. (1:07:26) I tend to definitely shoot more in the fall, wintertime, spring, even with the wind.(1:07:30) I like that wind stuff too. (1:07:32) But summer, you know, I'll shoot like a little volleyball and I, you know, I would say I'm traveling much more in the summer to go chase photos than I am shooting out the back door here. (1:07:43) But that being said, I do get up early almost every day, like clockwork.(1:07:48) I like to get up early, but I know the days I want to get up extra early, one to either shoot or one to go surf. (1:07:53) And of all things that I do in life, surfing is probably my favorite thing to do. (1:07:58) Like, I love that more than anything.(1:07:59) So when the surf's good, I'm usually on it. (1:08:01) When it's too big to surf, I'll shoot it. (1:08:04) When it's small, I'll shoot it.(1:08:06) Like, but when it's perfect, it's hard for me to shoot because I'd rather surf.

Marcus Arredondo

(1:08:10) Yeah. (1:08:11) Well, where are you off to today, you say? (1:08:15) Fiji.(1:08:15) What's going on?

Bo Bridges

(1:08:17) Well, we've got a good crew going. (1:08:20) I'm probably gonna name drop everybody, but I'm pretty sure Kelly Slater's coming with us and a couple other guys. (1:08:25) So it'll be fun.(1:08:27) And the swell models look pretty small the first couple of days. (1:08:31) I was trying to push my flight a little bit to go just to give myself some extra time here at the studio because I haven't been here much. (1:08:37) I got a lot of work to do, but there's no flights.(1:08:40) Everything's booked out solid. (1:08:42) And I'm like in the middle row tonight. (1:08:44) It's going to be a painful 11 hour flight, but is what it is.(1:08:47) Got to get there. (1:08:48) But I'm going to take my foil gear because it's like heaven on earth to foil over there. (1:08:52) And there's ways you can foil for like half a mile and just ride, ride, ride, then get picked up and go do it again.(1:08:58) So foil makes even the small days like the best days ever. (1:09:02) And, um, you know, I'll take, I'll take three boards with me and one will be a foil.

Marcus Arredondo

(1:09:06) So was it hard to learn the foil?

Bo Bridges

(1:09:08) Yeah. (1:09:09) Learning, learning curve sucks. (1:09:10) It's like kind of cringe worthy.(1:09:11) And, um, in a lot of ways, like even I taught both my boys how to foil and my knees get weak thinking about it. (1:09:18) Like when I watch them, when I'm watching them learn, get up, because you know, you can learn pretty quick. (1:09:23) And once you're up and you get the feeling, it's like no other, like it's the most addicting sport I think I've ever done.(1:09:29) But that feeling, once you're up on foil and I know everyone like hates on it, but, oh, it's a crazy feeling. (1:09:36) Like you fly, you're, you're like bottomless powder. (1:09:39) You don't feel anything.(1:09:40) You don't hear anything. (1:09:41) It's silent. (1:09:42) Like, like just a slice of heaven.(1:09:44) You're just like slicing through the water and you're just coasting and flying. (1:09:48) And it's a wild feeling, but, um, but it's dangerous. (1:09:50) Like when you get up and like a lot of times, like rule number one is don't correct eject because a lot of times you get up and it wants to go one direction.(1:09:59) If you start leaning the other direction, that's when it taco rolls. (1:10:02) And that, that big blade comes back at your face and you're like, whoa. (1:10:05) So you don't correct eject.(1:10:07) And then the other rules, usually you don't bend at the waist. (1:10:10) You bend at the waist and it tends to want to like roll, you know, roll as well. (1:10:14) So it's a finesse thing, right?(1:10:16) It's like little big movements. (1:10:17) It's not like a big wave. (1:10:19) You drop in, you stomp on your back foot and you slow yourself down and you make that big bottom turn with the foil.(1:10:25) It's, it's counterintuitive to like a lot of things surfing and that you have to lean way forward because the bigger the wave, the more it wants to like rodeo skyrocket out of the way. (1:10:35) Cause all that energy wants to push that wing up and out. (1:10:37) So you actually have to lean over, over the ledge and into the wave and over your like forward, like thigh to keep it down.(1:10:45) You fight it until you get to the bottom. (1:10:47) And then once you flatten out, like you're on cruise control.

Marcus Arredondo

(1:10:50) How would you learn? (1:10:51) How would you suggest learning?

Bo Bridges

(1:10:53) Ideally, not the way I did. (1:10:55) I went straight in the ocean and started piling into waves, but that was tough. (1:10:58) I think the best way to do it with a long rope behind a jet ski or a boat and stay away from like little like the jet stream that comes out the back, just get out in that calm water.(1:11:08) And you know, if you can get on a, a big sup foil, like somewhere you can already standing and the wings down there, then you go like five miles an hour and you can slowly start to hover. (1:11:18) That's like probably the easiest way to learn, but that's like a bulky, like once you learn, you want to go small. (1:11:25) You want to get a small board because then you feel like you just feel the glide and feel everything.(1:11:29) Whereas a big board, it's kind of like, I'm not a big fan of the bigger stuff.

Marcus Arredondo

(1:11:33) One other question I found myself wondering is, are you using any drones these days? (1:11:37) Are you, are you bringing drones to the PG?

Bo Bridges

(1:11:41) Yeah, I'll take a drone with me for sure. (1:11:42) Tahiti, I shot some drone stuff. (1:11:44) Yeah.(1:11:44) It's just another tool in my toolbox, right? (1:11:47) Like I've got the cameras, I've got long lenses, wide angles, I've got water housings, and then I've got a drone and I might have a GoPro or a 360 camera or whatever else. (1:11:57) It's like, you know, it's like what you can come up with and how clever you can get.(1:12:01) And your timing is always of an essence because you can only do one. (1:12:04) I can only shoot video. (1:12:05) I can only shoot stills.(1:12:06) I can only shoot a drone or I can only shoot, you know, digital SLR. (1:12:10) Like you can't do it all. (1:12:11) Like I wish I could, and I was having that problem in Tahiti.(1:12:14) Like I wanted, I wanted to shoot video, but I wanted to shoot stills. (1:12:17) And I was like, right, I can only do this. (1:12:19) I can only do that.(1:12:19) But it is what it is.

Marcus Arredondo

(1:12:22) Thank you, brother. (1:12:23) This has been awesome, man.

Bo Bridges

(1:12:24) Cool, cool.

Marcus Arredondo

(1:12:24) I really appreciate it. (1:12:25) Keep doing what you're doing. (1:12:26) You've got a huge fan over here, a growing audience base.(1:12:30) I'm looking forward to all the future work you've got coming out. (1:12:33) I hope you do another movie. (1:12:35) It was spectacular.(1:12:36) It was a real joy to watch. (1:12:38) And just, just keep going, man.

Bo Bridges

(1:12:40) Will do. (1:12:41) Yeah. (1:12:41) If you need anything from RN, let us know.(1:12:44) We'll fire it over and we appreciate the time.

Marcus Arredondo

(1:12:50) Thanks for listening. (1:12:51) For a detailed list of episodes and show notes, visit scalesofsuccesspodcast.com. (1:12:55) If you found this conversation engaging, consider signing up for our newsletter, where we go even deeper on a weekly basis, sharing exclusive insights and actionable strategies that can help you in your own journey.(1:13:05) We'd also appreciate if you subscribed, rated, or shared today's episode. (1:13:08) It helps us to attract more illuminating guests, adding to the list of enlightening conversations we've had with New York Times bestsellers, producers, founders, CEOs, congressmen, and other independent thinkers who are challenging the status quo. (1:13:21) You can also follow us for updates, extra content, and more insights from our guests.(1:13:25) We hope to have you back again next week for another episode of Scales of Success. (1:13:29) Scales of Success is an Edgewest Capital Production.