Florida Woman: "I'm A Hustler, Every Little Bit Counts" (Photos)

When it comes to photographers, Encinitas isn’t lacking in talent–far from it. I’ve been lucky to get to know legends like Todd Glaser, who needs no introduction, or Don Miralle who’s shot everyone from Tiger Woods to Michael Phelps and has several Olympic Games and various Eddie’s. Then of course there’s Jimmy Wilson, who, ever since he moved from Jacksonville to Cardiff never seems to miss a good swell whether at home or abroad.

But it’s another Florida transplant that’s the focus today, a woman whose work stands out even in a lineup of aforementioned legends. A woman who picked up a camera after moving and organically started documenting her life and surroundings in perfect time for the glory days of Instagram and made a name for herself in the process, Laysea Hughes-Renfro.

Laysea’s work had been finding itself into my feed for years both through mutual friends and professional work for clients like Roxy and Raum. We recently caught up for a conversation amidst her busy schedule–always hustling–to learn more about her journey and to share her work with the SURFER audience.

It was in 2015 that she hit the road from New Smyrna and was westward bound for California. She shared that it was something she knew would happen, long before it did, “I grew up knowing that, one day, ‘I’m moving’.” While the move west is common for many who grow up surfing in Florida, her upbringing was not conventional and she never went down the college path.

View this post on Instagram

“I started surfing when I was about 4. The waves at home can be great but are often fickle. Regardless, I got pretty into it and even competed for a while.” She admits that competing killed the vibe she loved. Something she found again when photography became her profession, “I never wanted to only shoot surfing or get surf-related jobs. Nowadays, I take lots of jobs but I only share my passion projects and what I really love.”

Lacey is a shortboarder at heart, choosing her beloved 5 '10 fish that she bought in Point Loma years ago, the shaper is unknown but the board has her heart. “Mid-length is the max I’ll go. I’m also a sunny day surfer, no wetsuit is my ideal. The funny thing is that shortboarders make the best longboard photographers because, when the waves are perfect for them, they’re too small for my fish so I’m happy to go shoot instead.”

Her ‘aha moment’ came on a trip to Saladita when she borrowed a water housing and swam out into the lineup for the first time. She ended up shooting snapping a shot of Honolua Bloomfield amongst all the others warming up for Mexilog, and that first swim opened a door which lead to shooting for Roxy and an array of other clients. 

View this post on Instagram

Although the quality of her work found her quickly in-demand, she says that, “I struggled for years in calling myself a professional. I think the reason why I am successful is because I’m a hustler. I’ll do whatever it takes to get the good jobs and be able to travel the world.”

Travel she does, just recently, as Hurricane Erin lit up both the East Coast and Europe, Laysea was in Norway scoring what may very well have been the best swell to ever hit the region. “Yeah, I wore a wetsuit when I was there–I’ll do it when it’s good and we absolutely scored. Surfline posted some of my shots and we were just having a blast. Sometimes you get lucky.”

If you're in need of an excellent creative for your next shoot, be sure to hit up Laysea and give her a follow on IG @layseahughes