Santa Cruz Prints for Locals and Former Locals
There is a particular ache that comes with leaving Santa Cruz. The town gets into you. The fog on a June morning, the sound of wetsuits being peeled off in a parking lot, the way every conversation circles back to the swell. I lived there for five years before moving to South Lake Tahoe, so I know that ache well. This piece is for locals and former locals who want Santa Cruz prints that feel honest, and I will explain why I made The Stairwell with people like you in mind.
This print comes from Santa Cruz, CA during the string of summer swells in 2026. I noticed the wave aligning with the stairwell while scouting a place to surf. At the time, nobody was surfing the wave, but I decided to head back to my van for the camera.
I waited for almost an hour in the stairwell for a surfer and wave to align.
Thankfully, I stuck out the wait as I love this image.
Additional Information:
Please allow 5-10 days for printing and shipping.
I have the ability to print custom sizes and material (like wood, gatorboard, etc.). If this interests you, please reach out to dj@dalton-johnson.com for a free quote with the size and material you desire.
Most coastal art is made for strangers. It shows a wave, a palm tree, or a pier at sunset, and it could belong to any beach on earth. Locals tend to see through that right away. You want a picture that carries the real mood of the place, with its cool light, old masonry, and the quiet focus of people who have paddled out here for generations. That is what I was after.
The Stairwell is a surf photograph shot from land in Santa Cruz, California, in early summer 2026. A surfer rides a glassy green wave in the distance, framed by a concrete stairwell. A sunlit brick wall glows gold on one side, a shadowed wall fills the other, and a few dark, blurred leaves sit in the top corner. It reads like a doorway opening onto the Pacific, and the surfer is small enough that the ocean gets to be the star.
I have surfed since I was eight, so I did not come at this as a tourist. I was on a Highway 1 road trip, revisiting favorite spots, while strong south swells rolled in. I am keeping the exact location to myself, as many surf photographers do, and I think locals will understand why. Some places stay special partly because they stay quiet. If you recognize the feeling of the frame, that is enough.
For a former local, a print like this can do something a postcard cannot. Hung over a desk in Denver or above a couch in Seattle, it works like a window back to a town you loved. For someone still living in Santa Cruz, it suits a living room, a surf shop corner, or a hallway you walk through every day. The print is horizontal, so it likes a wide wall.
A few practical notes. It comes in 8x10, 8x12, 11x14, 12x18, 16x24, 20x30, and 24x36. For this image my pick is metal, because I think the green water and golden brick really pop. Metal is the most durable and resists UV light well, but it costs the most and throws a lot of glare, so keep it away from direct window reflections. Paper is the cheapest, especially with a frame. Canvas has a softer, textured look with little glare, though larger canvas costs more and can fade in strong direct sun.
What I can say is that I made it the way I would want to buy it, as someone who knows what the coast around Santa Cruz feels like when the light is right.
The Stairwell is an open edition. I try to sign each print, though I cannot guarantee it, and it is a human made photograph, not an AI image. Printing and shipping take about 5 to 10 days, and prices start at $26.95.
Go check out all the prints by Dalton Johnson.
About the Author
Dalton Johnson is a photographer, writer, and filmmaker who tells stories about real people pushing themselves in the outdoors, from the High Sierra to the far reaches of every continent. He has shot and written for brands, tourism boards, and editorial outlets, including Nike, Patagonia, Four Seasons, PBS, GoPro, and Ford, with more than 160 campaigns and hundreds of published articles to his name. Off assignment, he bikepacks, trail runs, swims open water, chases big waves, and rock climbs.
