Happy mothers Day to you mothers

[CRSAWhite Water Women magazine]

{This one is for my new friend Martina Cross a mother of two in Scotland and of course all BOBSMOMS}
Tugger that means you, i saw the video looked more like a baby? then a boob? hav'in a surf monster sweet.Much respect ,Check her out Martina Cross low down on the O'NEILLCWC.

{My naked self self portrait photo this is one i fiddled with awhile back self portrait of me i did it naked for the reason of letting go of all that drags me down and exposing all i am flesh and bone the yellow flowers mean power, arms crossed means protection the wave circles a ever flowing love for life and the planet we live on all mixed up C} {Artst CEP} Mahola much inspired by women and photographers like Martina.

Thanks to O'NEILL and others we have been reporting on the CWC at our CRSA site.We stumbled upon Martina Cross looking for pictures to use .A Scotland local she rules the landscape with her shots and has been awarded for many of them. Waves and surfers gallery her sequence shots are way sick. Scotland's coast lines big waves have set the stage for her new passion surf photography.
TAKEACTIONREASON for this story "My passion for photography ,grass root journalism,surfing,conservation on the web has led me many places so far . CWC Scotland report was a unexpected surprise to meet and interview a talented artist mom of two, stoking the fires in the cold Scotland moss & waves via my warm house and hers . via the web { Interview by ,Buildwaves care of ,CRSAWWWM,CRSA, reporting Surfnuts from CO.} {All photos are property of Martina Cross 2009}

Special thanks to Martina Cross of Scotland be sure to surf her sites ,she is a amazing award winning photographer and was very cool to share her photos with us and thoughts.Her photos capture Scotland ,People,Animals,and her surfing shots she gets in the harbor are earned in the bitter cold we much respect that and the surfers surfing in these insane surf conditions. We asked her about her talent, Scotland waves and land .

{Martina Cross interview}

BW:Martina how long have you been taking pictures? and what are some of you favorite subjects?

Martina: I have started to take photos with a tiny 4.2MP digicam about 4 years ago and have soon discovered that I wanted more out of a camera and so I decided to take the plunge into the deep unknown and get a digital Canon 20D DSLR camera.

BW:Nice camera ,digital timing is awkward sometimes but the clarity and applications are endless for sure .

Martina: Living at the North coast of Scotland, there are many subjects that I love to shoot, obviously many of my photos are sea and water related, but I also love to shoot old buildings and derelict graveyards. My newest passion is surely the surf photography though.

BW? What type of cameras do you use to get those award winning shots? our is that top secret?

Martina: My first awards I got with my first DSLR the old and trusty Canon 20D, I then won a Canon 5D and meanwhile I am shooting with the Canon 5D mkII. It`s not the camera that makes good shots, its always the eyes behind it.
You can get fantastic shots with pocket digicams or even good mobile phones...

Cdog: Great advice thanks

Cdog? Is it truly that cold in Scotland?when is the best time to travel to Scotland and cold sounds like it, what a magical place to live your shots of the old Scotland are way magical .What are some of your favorite effects to use in photos if i may ask?

{Above her award winning photo for landscape}

Martina: Caithness is a fantastic place to live, but you will have to be prepared to get wrapped up warm, especially in Winter when the howling gales are blowing. I am rather pathetic and walk about with a down jacket up to June... It is equally nice in Summer when you take a stroll along the turquoise beaches with the glass clear water.
Scotland is worth a visit all year round, although in Summer you will have to be prepared to take on the famous "Midges"

Martina: Clearly one of my passions is moody high contrasty black and white conversions or long exposure shots. If you are not familiar with a photo altering program , don`t be shy, just give it a go and you will be surprised how even free programmes will transfer your photos.

BW long long pause....! : Good photo advice thanks,

what the heck are Midgies? Yikes thanks for the warning!!!

BW? Do they have many surf events like the Cold Water Classic surf through town ? The event looked way insane conditions and weather whats is your take was it a good show ?

Martina: As far as I know the O`Neill event is the biggest here in Thurso. I think at some days the conditions were rather challenging due to the constant wind. At least they managed to get two awesome days of surfing at Thurso East where they had sort of 4 seasons in an hour kind of weather but with good waves.
There were the Scottish surf championships a few weeks back along the coast, but apart from that I dont know of any other events taking place up here.

BW: Sounds like Colorado weather ,waters looked gnarly but sweet blue green and large.

BW? Do you have any new projects in the works ? and what is the best way to buy your prints or contact if someone wants to hire you ?
Martina: If you want to get into touch just visit: www.MartinaCrossPhotography.co.uk

BW? Have you lived in Scotland all your life? How is the urban and ole country vibe of the people who live in Scotland ?Are there many local surfers who brave the cold surf?

Martina: I am originally from Bavaria in Germany and moved to Scotland just over 9 years ago (and loving it) People up here are a nice and friendly bunch, communities are quite small and Thurso with about 10,000 inhabitants is considered a big town.

2nd runner up Luke M Aussies took the top two spots in hailing and snowy weather.

photo courtesy of :Martina Cross see more great surf pictures at her sites.

Martina:There is quite a "big" surfers community here and I am always amazed how some of them brave the coldest waves, even in Winter when ice is flowing down the river into the bay.

BW?Have you been out there surfing yet whats your favorite sport? And would you like to say anything else to the world or add anything please do ?

Martina: I am not really a water sports person and certainly no surfer at all, but I love to watch and to take pics of the daring folks who do jump on their boards and race through the barrels. Having two small kids my time for sport is rather limited, but I like to go on long walks with my crew and our two Border Collie dogs.

Martina:The interview was my pleasure,
keep the fire burning!

BW:Mahola you do the same thanks for the inspiration ,our highest regards to you and yours from Colorado

Thanks for sharing with us Martina Cross great to see Scotland through your eyes and words
can't wait to see what you capture next , keep winning those awards and enjoying the cold green tubes.
Support Surfers Against Sewage U.K. to help keep Scotland looking l... #28 liquid passion M.C gallery.