I have been working with Nate Lawrence for almost two decades. I met him for the first time on a trip to Canada with Dane Reynolds and Jamie O’Brien. I chronicled the story recently for The Surfer’s Journal’s portfolio on Nate [Volume 28.1], but the gist of it is this: Surf photographers are crazy. Nate stepped out of a single engine plane he had commandeered after missing a flight into Canada for our trip, braved the icy water (fully clothed) and walked up the beach to join the trip he was late for and acted like nothing happened. I sat with Jamie and Dane on the beach watching him walk up with his gear, soaking wet and realized he had a seriously bad case of the crazy surf photographer in him. From that day on, we have been friends and worked on countless projects and magazines and I’ve ridden through Bali on a scooter with him and will never forget how damn well he knows those streets. Nate is one of the people I admire most for his passion to photography, surfing and travel while continuing to be a good person who you want to be around. The below fundraiser is just another illustration of that. I highly recommend getting a print and helping Nate and his neighbors in Bali out. Learn more below.

“The lineup images I have captured over the 20 or so years of photography are my most prized possessions. Surfers do crazy things for waves — like camp out in huts for months totally isolated and brave insane ferry journeys. Well, surf photographers do crazy things for images too. My most prized images are the Paniatan Island photos [# 1 and #2 below] — it took me 11 years to get the image I was looking for of that place. I was obsessed! And now looking at the photo is so satisfying. These images are my trophies from devoting half of my life to surf photography. That's why I was always hesitant to put a price tag on them and sell them, until now.” —Nate Lawrence

The communities of Bali are struggling at the moment (like we all are) because of the bans on tourism due to Covid 19, and Nate Lawrence, a California ex-pat now residing in Bali, wants to help his neighbors.

Right now when you buy a print of any of the shots below Nate is donating 100% of the money to the communities where the image was taken. Click the link here or on your favorite photo below and you’ll be helping a local community and adorning your wall with a daydream. —Travis

Click here (or on a photo below) to order a Nate Lawrence original print.

*Scroll to the bottom for more details from Nate on how it will help the locals.

In almost 20 years of living in Indonesia, I’ve never seen Bali’s famous surf spots empty the way I have in the past month. Uluwatu, Keramas, Canggu – entirely deserted, with perfect empty waves breaking without a surfer in sight, all a result of the current pandemic lockdown measures and surfing ban in place. And while the situation allowed me to capture some once-in-a-lifetime lineup images of these iconic waves, I knew the lockdown and travel ban would have a profound effect on the livelihoods of the locals in these surfing communities. But it wasn’t until I ventured down to the Uluwatu warungs (small cafes) recently to see how the locals were faring, that the impact on these communities truly hit me.

What I saw when I made it down past the barricades above Uluwatu was a ghost town, the few remaining locals still in shock at the disappearance of their way of life. The warungs have all shut since most of the tourists have left the island. There is a whole community of mothers and fathers and children and grandparents who rely on selling a cold coconut or sarong on the beach to survive. The one thing they all asked me was, “When will the surfers come back?”

But what really impressed me that day were the smiles I was greeted with. These folks were happy to see a familiar face from before the pandemic. They were the smiles of people who have become like extended family for so many of us foreign surfers. The smiles of the people who cook your plate of nasi goreng, fix your snapped board in under 48 hours for the next swell, photograph the best wave of your life, and trade perfect waves and an after-surf Bintang with you at sunset. These were the same smiles I was first greeted with when I fell in love with Uluwatu so many years ago.

When I look back on all the magic times spent at these amazing waves, it’s the people as much as the waves themselves that I remember. So many kind-hearted people behind the smiles who, without fail, will always remember your face and your name – even if you haven’t seen them in years. And now these folks need our help.

To that end, I’m announcing the Bali Print Fundraiser. From now through June 15th, I’ll be selling prints of my most iconic lineup shots from surf spots around Bali and Indonesia that have previously never been available for purchase. 100% of the proceeds raised from the sale of each print will go directly to the local people of that particular surfing community in this time of need. Funds will be distributed by a local government licensed charity already operating in each community.

Order your print to keep your dreams of surf travel alive until you can return to Bali to ride the waves of your life – and help the locals survive this challenging time and ensure they will once again be there to welcome you back with smiles.

Thank You,

Nathan Lawrence

*Our friends over at Pyzel Surfbards have donated a brand new custom surfboard for the fundraiser. With every print sold, you will automatically be entered into the drawing to win the board. Winner will be announced June 15th!

** If you would like a specific size print that is not offered please send me an email for pricing. Metallic and canvas printing are available as well.