"I’m happy for Hank. He was hurting. His body was beat to hell."
Four days back, news came that Brian Stephens aka Hank Foto, a real-life hellman whose images wrapped the pages of pretty much every good surf mag in the world, was in the last stages of pancreatic cancer, in a hozzy, his teenage son about to be orphaned, money sought etc.
Hank has now gone to the Gods and the surf world has posted myriad tributes to the Salt Creek transplant whose move to the North Shore in 1990 would define his life’s work.
Fellow North Shore photographer Brian Bielmann wrote: I’m happy for Hank. He was hurting. His body was beat to hell. I say a prayer for his son fender and I’m sorry for his loss. there are so many Hank stories out there. We should write a book and just everybody tell their Hank stories Hank, you were an asshole, but you were our asshole.
From Tom Carroll: man what a loss and a gift all at once. May you rest in LOVE Hank, you are an absolute beauty. You were the chuckle amongst the bubbling madness
Hip gaping senior Shane Dorian: Fricken legend I’ll never forget Hank!! Such a huge heart and hilarious sense of humor
Daniel Russo, Fricken legend I’ll never forget Hank!! Such a huge heart and hilarious sense of humor
Still, he got to revel in the booming surf industry just as it turned on.
As Hank told Freestyle Surf last year:
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Sounds like a well lived life
Back when I was making Teddy Bears picnic up in the NW of WA…..the swell got so big Gnaraloo/other spot maxed out so we had to go up to Exmouth….we were waiting for Noah Johnson/Hank to arrive….somehow 1/2 way thru the day…Hank and Noah turned up in a tinny……….Hank was ready to shoot straight away after a 36 hr trip……..talking to him during the Trip….he just loved being on edge shooting/surfing….he was a true surfer/photohog…..no whines , no negatives just always solutions and head first into whatever awaited…..RIP mate , and Fender , what a great ol’ man you had….and know you will fathered and mothered by Hawaii’s surfing culture….love!
I bow my head.
RIP
Hank Foto was truly one of a kind.
He loved his craft, and he was one of the greatest surf photographers ever to shoot from the water. Hank loved big waves—the bigger and heavier, the better—and he had the courage, instinct, and talent to put himself in places most people would never dare to go, capturing moments that will live forever.
But Hank wasn’t just a photographer. He was a surfer. In an era when many surf photographers didn’t surf—or sometimes weren’t exactly “allowed” to—Hank did. He belonged in the lineup as much as he belonged behind the lens.
He traveled the world with the best of them, documenting some of surfing’s greatest waves, surfers, and moments. He lived the life fully and unmistakably in his own way.
For the past 10 years, @hankphoto was also our North Shore Surf Girls photographer. He became part of our surf school family, and over those years we shared countless days at the beach, waves, laughs, stories, and memories.
And then, of course, there was Fender.
All of us North Shore Surf Girls became Fender’s Beach Moms, and Carol especially. Fender was part of the family too, and loving Fender meant loving another piece of Hank.
Hank loved Fender, he loved his photography, he loved big waves, and Lord knows he loved women—in that uniquely Hank way that anyone who knew him will understand.
What we will miss most, though, is Hank himself. His stories. His humor. His opinions. His presence on the beach. His voice. Those conversations that somehow always wandered through surfing, the old days, people we all knew, and whatever Hank happened to have on his mind that day.
I will especially miss those conversations.
Hank had lived an extraordinary life. He had traveled the world, stood shoulder to shoulder with some of the greatest surfers and photographers of his generation, and witnessed an era of surfing that can never be recreated. And thankfully, he captured so much of it for the rest of us.
Hank leaves behind far more than photographs. He leaves behind a piece of surfing history. He leaves behind friendships around the world. He leaves behind thousands of moments that would have disappeared in an instant if he hadn’t been there to capture them.
And for all of us at North Shore Surf Girls, he leaves a very big empty space on the beach.
We will miss Hank more than we can say.
Rest in peace, Hank.
Give Fender a hug for all of her Beach Moms.
Legends never die.
Please donate to help Fender, his son. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-hank-and-fender-through-this-tough-time
Any amount will be greatly appreciated by Hank, who is watching us …
This is one of the most beautiful set of words I’ve seen here. Thanks for sharing this
Well said mate, really touching and sounded like a great fella. 62 is no age at all and its always stories like this that should be a wake up call to us all to try and enjoy the most of everyday and the way too shorter time we have on this crazy planet. RIP sir
Thank you for talking about his kid. Losing both parents at 16/before 18 seems incredibly tough.