The Michael Peterson cutback, photographed at Kirra Point in early 1971, is arguably one of surfing’s most iconic images. It captures the spirit of speed, power and flow, and reminds us of the beauty and purity of style and personal expression. The image was first published on the cover of Tracks magazine in February 1972 before going on to become the classic film poster for Morning of the Earth.
“Because we paralleled the promotion of the film with the regular issues of Tracks magazine, we had built up a steady vibe in anticipation for the upcoming premiere screening. We often ran commentaries and editorial pieces in Tracks on the progress of the film and adventures of our travels. At the time, we had purchased a small attachment for our 35mm still camera that allowed us to copy images directly from the original 16mm film. This gave us the opportunity to grab the finest and subtlest moments of performance. It enabled us also to copy any one of the hundreds of thousands of images available from the 16mm print. As the film camera shoots at 24 frames per second, it simply meant that we had 24 still images from any one second of motion picture film available to us — an incredible library of photos. During that time I was able to zero in on the finest movements of each of the surfers. When I studied the surfing of Michael Peterson on that level I was able to realize and view his incredible ability. I spent hours studying the finest aspects of his style and other surfers as well. The iconic image of Michael’s cutback was in fact 1/24 of a second, a fraction of a moment frozen in time. It represented the very essence of what I was trying to capture in the surfing aspect of the film. That one shot said it all and became the poster image for the film, alongside Stephen and Rusty’s walk out at Uluwatu. Both became memorable iconic images of surfing during that period and remain to this day a great representation of the film.”
- Albert Falzon
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