Dustin Humphrey stands beside a burning motorcycle. He’s dressed as a ‘50s greaser, he’s cheering on the destructive flames, and — strangest of all — he’s not taking photos. He’s not even thinking about taking photos.
“When you’re taking photos,” he says later, “you’re not really bring present in the moment. You’re separate from it. I love photography, but lately I’ve been trying to be more present.”
Surf photographers ruin everything. Burn, baby, burn. They make secret spots the object of our every desire, and pretend like not printing the location makes it okay. But the photo is the location, and acting like it’s some sort of secret club just makes it all the more desirable. Another one bites the dust. Welcome to Canggu, Bali. When PHOTO: D.Hump first moved out here in 2007, this place was just a sleepy village on the outskirts of nowhere. Today, the place is an expat clusterfuck, a surf mag photo studio and a zoo of a place to catch a wave. Seems like every new resident these days is either a surf photographer, pro surfer, or some leechy mag dude. And all their wives design bikinis and purses.
But Dustin was the first. He’s been living full time in Indo for more than a decade. And back when he was a SURFING staff photographer, he was our sport’s most prolific lensman (leading the Transworld Photo Wars for months on end). Then one day PHOTO: D.Hump just disappeared.
A few weeks later, this giant structure sprang forth in the rice paddies of Canggu and Dustin was reborn a motorcycle salesman. But the Deus “Temple of Enthusiasm” is more than a hipster bikey shop. It’s more than Thai food and signature cocktails, art shows and movie nights. It’s this place where people go and do stuff. Art stuff. Dude stuff. And they do it with enthusiasm.
This week D.Hump is teaching free photo classes to people who hang around the shop too much. Last week he hosted a series of fixed gear bicycle races. The month before, WolfMother played a massive set in the courtyard to celebrate John Lennon’s birthday. They sponsor local surfers. Host a strange DJ Triangle. And sell the oddest shaped surfboards you’ve ever seen. Now they’re having Dress-Up Drag Races in the nearby rice paddies. Or at least, they were until the motorcycle exploded.
SURFING: What happened to D.Hump? Why did you stop shooting surfing?
D.HUMP: A couple things happened. For one, I was getting complacent with my surf photography. I was sleepwalking through it, not putting the right energy in. At the same time, I started doing more fashion photography and was enjoying that a bit more, and then I met my business partner Dare and starting talking about the Deus ex Machina concept. Eventually we just said, “Okay, let’s do it.” This place pulls together all my passions: photography, surfing, motorcycles, music and art. Plus, I have a three-year-old son now and after ten years on the road — which was everything I could have hoped for — I was anxious to stay home a bit more. This was a whole new set of challenges, and I like feeling challenged.
Was there a point when your surf photography career just ended?
Last year I was coming home from shooting this righthander with Timmy Turner and Mikala and Daniel Jones. It was a spot that we’d shot ten years earlier and had kinda put my surf photography on the map. So, ten years later, we got it really good again — Daniel even got the cover of SURFING. I remember on the boat ride back home just thinking, “You know, that might be it.” A week later I was asked to go shoot Taj Burrow up in Telos — two of my favorite things to do — but I chose to stay home and watch my friend Ryan Turner compete at Padang instead. Didn’t even shoot photos. Just watched the contest. That was it. I’d come full circle.
Do you think your surf photography in Indonesia has contributed to crowding and over-exposure of a lot of spots?
Definitely. I mean, somewhere like Keramas was gonna happen one way or another. I was the first to shoot it and publish it in a magazine, but it really opened up when they built the road along the east coast. After that, it would have been like trying to keep Rocky Point a secret.
Back in the old days, I never printed where any of my Indo shots were, whether it was Bali or anywhere else. But after the bombing in 2002, the Balinese surf community came to Jason Childs and me and asked us to get Bali into the mags as much as possible. Tourism had come to a standstill here and people were hurting. So we did. We publicized the f–k out of this place all over the world, and it worked. Bali is one the world’s hottest surf destinations in the world right now.
Was it worth the cost?
Well, yeah, it f–ked it up. It f–ked it up for me too, ’cause all these photographers moved here and started following me around. They’d go shoot where I shot even if they didn’t have surfers with them. So, yeah, I f–ked it up, but I’d do it all over again because it was what Bali needed.
What one piece of advice would you give other photographers about shooting portraits?
Focus on the eyes. They’re they windows to the soul. Sounds cheesy, I know, but it’s true. I always ask people to remove their sunnies.
After we talk, Dustin gives me a quick tour of the grounds: the surfboard shaping bays, the motorcycle and bicycle workshop, the art studios and painting rooms. Everywhere you go, locals and expats are enthusiastically tinkering away on some strange new project. Shoebox guitars. Coffin shaped surfboards. Helmet art.
The tour ends in Dustin’s custom photo studio, complete with a rounded white wall creating an illusion of no corners. “This is my dream studio,” he says. “So I can still do photography anytime I want. But these days I’m also teaching a lot of other people what I learned over the years.”
The charred motorcycle bike is now set up in the studio for his photo class to practice product shots on. Later, they’re going to rebuild the bike for the young owner, Max, and call it “The Phoenix,” the bike that rose from its own ashes.
Dustin climbs onto the bike and lets me shoot portraits of him. I try to focus on the eyes. —Nathan Myers
Learn more about Deus ex Machina Bali here.
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So….in conclusion, Dustin is a dick who took great photos but stopped so he could make motorcycles for fat people, but not his brother-in-law First who is a criminal and Flame doesn’t care and, oooh, look, hitler.
That is really funny.
Kaipo Gomes…. kook.
“10″ way to contribute with your evolved intelligence level. Are you salting those french fries at the Golden Arches? What’s next……..you’re a hater!
Repeat after me, you are a wanker.
Wow. Now we know how much imagery can have an effect on people’s lives. If there is one thing to take from this it is that images matter, for better or worse of course.
kaipo gomes,
clown of the year.
“evolved intelligence level”… how does intelligence evolve, please inform me wise kaipo?
maybe its from a mutation that one develops from exposure to hawaiian culture.
its called being a kook goon.
goon sunny garcia, goon johnny boy gomes, and goon kaipo gomes:
the islands’ inheritance isn’t about being intellectual, but of confusion in thought.
thank you for demonstrating your lack of knowledge.
hi, everybody, i’m kaipo gomes, let me make some analogies about McDonalds to impose my internet will. goon kook.
not really familiar with the term “wanker”, goon language.
#10,
If you had a profound background of the social, economic, and political history of Hawaii, I would respect what you have written. Unfortunately, your prose puts you in the same bracket as the person whom you are dismissing.
If you spoke like that openly in Hawaii, you would be roundly dismissed as being ignorant, and yes, someone would regulate you for your lack of thought, history, and colonial ignorance.
As far as Gomes and Garcia, these are neither names nor people that represent the vastness of Hawaiian history, or its people.
#10: Your rant is disappointing indeed….
Funny dustin doesn’t even surf..
I saw him in the water SURFING last week on a longboard.
Right on Pete for speaking up! Legend! I reckon Flame would have done the same!
A previous post said that after the 2002 and 2005 bombs, the surfers were the first back to Bali…crapola. @ 5-10 people from each plane load of tourists come here to Bali, that’s @ 5% of all passengers,shit tourists from Europe have been coming here since the 20′s, not the 70′s .
Ano says that D. Hump accelerated the people moving back to Bali, give me a fucking break, what % of new residents here are surfers…I would guess less than 5%
As for the comment that Hump was shooting here WITH NO OTHER PHOTOGRAPHERS…get real wanker.
And “having the honor of cruising through Deus”, since when is it an honor to go into a shop, I pass it daily and wouldn’t be seen dead going through the door
Catman- Whats your real name? Thats what I thought pussy. Show yourself. If you want to talk sh*t do it to someone’s face. I am sure Dustin will happily oblige you. But you wouldnt do that would you. Because you know the whole village would kick your ass before Dustin even got to you. Internet pussy’s.
James,
Why don’t your home address and IP number so a bunch of us can come over and kick your ass?
This thread will obviously not die, simply because of all the wankers that try and stand up for DUMP. Like the best quote in this thread…
“another fucking new jack fat hipster with tattoos and a bike. It’s a god damn world wide epidemic I tell ya…”
People, authenticity still matters in the surf world, and in life. Get real, all of your cookie cutter, tattoo wearing, hipsters of the West Coast….You guys are a real life disease….
James,
the whole village will kick my ass…you need a reality check fool.
since when does a comment about a tourist provoke outrage in a Balinese village.
but in your little world,for you, your friends represent the whole of Bali.
Kimo….well said
Thanks Catman,
Still learning to spell and conjugate subject/verbs etc…
I meant to say this to James,
“Why don’t you post your home address and IP number so a bunch of us can come over and kick your ass?”
Is there anything worse than an expatriate living in Bali who comes from California? The answer is easy: No there is not.
Lots of anger on this board.
Looks like some people are confused.
Those of you that are truly angry have no life and contribute nothing, but ramblings. The guy looks like he’s successful and some of you want to pull him down with all kinds of personal attacks.
Looks like the video speaks for itself and underneath it is a bunch of five year olds crying over spilled milk.
Here’s something actually relevant to this post: http://www.vimeo.com/22125382
Why’s everyone here so grumpy. Live and let live.
Peace.
Full on KOOK..
daggy drag races, shit you can get that at any traffic light here in Bali any day.
To “observing on a stone” have you ever heard the phrase, “be careful who you piss off on your way up the ladder because you will fall past them on your way back down”?
This applies to Dump in this post. If you are new to him or have only seen his photos then you are ignorantly unaware of what a prick he was to many people. This is a fact. So to put him up on some stage and adore him is a joke. Do you know where he is originally from? Ask yourself why you don’t see his photos everywhere anymore. This is not a case of I hate the guy it is just calling it like it really is. Great for him he has a Balinese factory going but is he tooling them also. Hard to change your stripes.
Kaipo,
Keep barking at the moon.
With Hugs and Kisses,
OOAS
what? done comment already? kaipo, your a douche.
DUMP IS A TOTAL SELL OUT FUCKING KOOK..
all you guys are pathetic none of you guys use your real name and none would back up what you all say – wake up and quit hating everything everyone does. i guess its what makes guys like dustin keep achieving and people like you more bitter. haha please.
[...] “When you’re taking photos,” he says later, “you’re not really being present in the moment. You’re separate from it. I love photography, but lately I’ve been trying to be more present.” – excerpt from this SURFING magazine online article, [...]
The guy is a dickhead