Ryan Miller identifies as a bad boy, but he’s also a world-renowned photographer.

He does this thing where he works remarkably hard, while remaining incredibly enjoyable to be around.

This explains why he’s rated high on the list of people to call any time a brand, media outlet, or surfer needs someone to jump on a trip and capture some light.

He’s also spent the past decade or so traveling to almost every CT event, and has a knack for being in the right place any time someone is about to pop off in a freesurf.

All this to say that this man has seen some absurdly good surfing.

Still, something’s gotta rise above the rest. And for Miller, the high-water mark was reached on Reunion Island in 2012, compliments of Jordy Smith and Julian Wilson.

And it turns out the backstory is delightful — just not for the Austrian filmers on the trip.