“Any attempt to rattle-off Bear’s accomplishments as a photographer would be hard to fit onto a single page, but, to me, listing his achievements wouldn’t be the best way to describe what separates Bear from the rest. It’s that photography feels like Bear’s art. It feels like the medium he has chosen to leave his mark on the world. Even now, after what are probably hundreds of thousands of photos taken, you still see his passion for his art form. Every time I see his images, I think, “How did he do that!?”. And while the short answer to that question is hard work, determination, and persistence, the real answer is that intangible Bear magic he brings to every shoot, and the wisdom that only comes from decades of working on his craft. So, when thinking about all the iconic images Bear has created over the years, what makes those images distinctly his, are the way he translates what can’t be put into words, into images that define a moment perfectly.” – Chase Heavener
Parks and I had this idea to shoot a long lens (400mm) from his front porch through the spanish moss about 4 years ago. Finally last September we finally rallied early one morning to get this one footer shot with Rusty Malinoski pulling him behind a Sea-Doo. I stayed on Park’s front porch and enjoyed my coffee, easiest shoot I’ve done in awhile! @thegoldenbear
Brandon and Josh Harris sessioning my old pontoon boat for Ronix’s “Toon On, Too In, Toon Out” edit. The “Twins” as they are known around “The Lake” (Lake Ronix) are always creative and a little crazy with their riding. Their video edits are always a must see cause you know they are putting it on the line. @thegoldenbear
Massi with another unique hit on the pontoon boat out at Lake Ronix. He is always proving himself as one of the most well rounded riders. These nose grab stalls took perfect timing from the cable driver and Massi, after a few tries the pizza boy nailed this shot and then quickly got yanked all the way back to the water. @thegoldenbear
On a recent trip searching for tanker waves with Sea-Doo we came across these perfect pillars. Guenther was ready to ride his foil since the plan was to catch a tanker wave going past the bridge but no ships showed up. Guenther strapped in his wakeboard and made the best of the situation by front-boarding one of the pillars of the tallest bridge in Texas! @thegoldenbear
Foiling is fun behind a boat but it is even better behind a ship! Brian Grubb foils down the line of a container ship wave swelling up on the shoals of Galveston Bay. Grubb may hold the record for some of the longest rides as this trip we chased him on the Sea-Doo for miles as he glided till his legs burned out. @thegoldenbear
This winch spot is one of two natural waterfalls in Florida. I’ve been here a few times over the years and knew it could be too big to hit on a wakeskate for most. Travis is one of the heaviest wakeskaters and for him it’s a spot to bust out some tricks. Check out the new Space Mob Coalition Movie when it drops later this year to see what tricks Travis pulled at this spot! @thegoldenbear
Valdosta Wake Compound is always one of my favorite places to shoot. Making ideas happen with the crew is always easy, Crosse and I got this photo relatively quick one morning. Quinn was using these cages for another shoot so Crosse I borrowed them real quick and I crawled inside. @thegoldenbear
Quinn Silvernale nose tapping his Space Mob board on a sign setup at VWC. I was pumped on the water coming off his board on this one! @thegoldenbear
Wes nose tapping the mini brush guard on his van. It’s become a tradition to involve all kinds of vehicles when shooting at VWC so when Wes got his newly imported Toyota Van we had to park it under the cable. I’m always happy when we can work an alien and a dog into a wakeboard shot too! @thegoldenbear
Crosse has all kinds of flow and style but he’ll also charge some big gnarley hits. This back nose-slide on the container at VWC has about a 12 foot drop after and if you miss the container you are in trouble. He pulled several of these off perfect like only “Craw” can! @thegoldenbear
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