Michael 'Mick' Fanning AO (b. 1981) began surfing in Ballina at five and, in spite of severe scoliosis, took up the sport in earnest in Tweed Heads at twelve. He finished in the top three at the national titles in 1996 and, though devastated by the accidental death of his brother Sean, also a surfer, in 1998, he won the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach, Victoria in 2001. After a complete hamstring tear in 2004, he won the Association of Surfing Professionals' world title for the first time in 2007. He recovered from injury to reclaim the world crown again in 2009, and finished as the world number one for the third time in 2013. Shortly before the final event of the 2015 series, a second brother, Pete, died. At the close of the season Mick was ranked second in the world. The co-author of the inspiring biography Surf for your life (2009), Fanning retired from professional surfing in 2018.
Andrew Maccoll took this photograph in a short session with Fanning on the Gold Coast. The weather had changed from sunny to threatening – conditions that suited Maccoll's style. He said: 'It was important for me to keep the portrait minimalistic … If I can take myself out of the equation and leave just this emotional connection between people viewing my images and the subject then I have been successful.'
Purchased 2011
© Andrew Maccoll
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