Unique Perspective: UNH Grad Shoots Surfing Photos From the Water

Unique Perspective: UNH Grad Shoots Surfing Photos From the Water
Brayden Rudert is one of only a handful of professional photographers in the region to take the up-close approach
March 31, 2026
Image from inside a wave of a surfer ducking low on his board
A man's nose and eyes are visible above water, with the rest of his face submerged Black and white image of a surfer walking on the sand with his board balanced on top of his head Black and white image of a surfer toppling off his board as a wave crashes Steam rises from a series of waves as a surfer walks along the shoreline A wave glints in the sun as it prepares to crash Image from inside a wave of a surfer ducking low on his board A black and white image of a surfer on his stomach atop a surf board A surfer coasts on his board in a photo shot from water level Black and white image of a man in a full body wetsuit, with only his face exposed
New Hampshire Sea Grant's Time and Tide podcast recently caught up with UNH alum Brayden Rudert, who is one of only a handful of professional photographers in the region shooting surfing images from the water. Rudert appears in the first of a two-part episode entitled "Sharing the Stoke: Cold Water Surfing in New Hampshire."
 
"Almost 100% of New England surfers are in some way ocean stewards," Rudert says. “The ocean gives us so much, I think it’s natural to want to care for it in return."
 
Rudert got into the surf photography scene during his time in a winter rental on Hampton's The Wall shortly after graduating from UNH, and has since made a career out of it. He's now one of a select few in the area getting shots from a perspective in the water, an approach that produces some especially eye-catching imagery.
 
So what's the secret sauce that makes up the perfect shot? "Good light, a good surfer, and a good wave — that's the equation,” he says. Rudert notes that the storms that roll through New England create unique shooting conditions that are reflective of what it’s like to be a surfer in this particular area.
 
Check out some of Rudert's work in the gallery above. 
 
Gallery photo credits: Brayden Rudert and Andy Upton.
Published
March 31, 2026
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