Rhode Island PBS produced this 30 minute documentary about how Onne van der Wal got in to sailing photography and what brought him to Newport, Rhode island. Onne has been shooting professionally since 1987 and started shooting video on a pro level about 6 years ago.
Award winning nautical photographer and Canon Explorer of Light, Onne van der Wal, will take you on a visual journey that most can only dream about accessing: prepare to get wet and salty, at least viscerally. For over 25 years van der Wal has surrounded himself with water and the nautical world and his imagery speaks volumes to his expertise and vast experience in this challenging environment.
Once a professional sailor, van der Wal circumnavigated the world as part of an all male team trying to be the fastest boat in the 1981-82 edition of the “Whitbread Around the World Race.” His sparse racing gear allowance didn’t leave much room for his novice camera kit – but he talked his way into bringing along the Olympus camera and lenses that the camera company had given to him to document his teams amazing voyage. When van der Wal, a native Dutchman raised in Cape Town, South Africa, and his teammates aboard the Dutch entry FLYER won the race, his unique and technically impressive photos from this epic journey were sought after. Sailing and adventure magazines flocked to van der Wal to gain access to his images and the rest is history; He hung up his sea boots and took to a life and career photographing the yachting world rather than competing in it.
Discover more about Onne van Der Wal, click here.
