North Shore photographer’s two-day shoot with Kobe Bryant: “It’s hard to process the eerie and poignant connotations these photos now have.”

And tells wonderful story of "unique interaction between fame and authority."

Justin Jay is a photographer whose name, like the great Steve Sherman, has become synonymous with the North Shore.

His book, HI 1K, which you can buy here, snatches the glamour of the North Shore over the course of ten years, many candid moments etc.

Jay, of course, ain’t just surf.

He’s a master portraitist from New York city’s Lower East Side who works with a Nikon film camera, a manual-focus 35mm prime affixed to the beak.

Shoots Sean Combs, Jay Z, Outkast, Kanye.

Big time. Big clients.

Three years ago, Jay spent two days shooting NBA god Kobe Bryant for a Nike basketball campaign, an experience that was suddenly brought into relief with Bryant’s death yesterday.

“At one point, I found myself driving in his car from the Staples Center to his house in Newport – just the two of us,” Jay wrote this morning.

“We casually discussed topics of marriage, real estate and fans until he saw a pair of flashing lights in his rearview mirror. He had been weaving out of the HOV lane and we were being stopped by the CHP. Before pulling over, we joked about the possibility of him making a run for it and splitting the money for the exclusive story and photos.

“As the officer approached the car, he glanced at her and nonchalantly informed me that she was new on the job. He obviously knew this stretch of the 405 extremely well.

“Additionally, he didn’t appear the least bit nervous. He seemed to have a subtle smirk on his face like he knew there was no way he was actually going to get a ticket. Sure enough, despite the officer’s best intention to maintain professional and composed, there was the unmistakable look of awe and surprise the moment they realized who they had just pulled over. Needless to say, he only received a polite warning. I felt so lucky to have gotten to witness this unique interaction between fame and authority.

“Later that afternoon, I went with Kobe to his church and shot these candid photos of him at a service. I haven’t looked at these images in quite a while, and it’s hard to process the new eerie and poignant connotations that they now have.”