About Me

Hi, I’m Arun Frances. I’m a photographer, surfer, dad, and storyteller based in Northern California. I’ve worn a lot of hats in this life—entrepreneur, creative director, board shop owner, tech guy, vanlifer—and each chapter has taught me something new about what really matters.

My love for the ocean started when I was a kid growing up in South San Francisco. Surfing gave me freedom, purpose, and a way to understand the world. That love eventually became Ohana Board Shop—a community-centered surf and skate shop I opened with my wife, where “everyone’s welcome” wasn’t just a slogan, it was how we lived.

But after 18 years of marriage, everything changed. The relationship ended. The shop closed. And I found myself in the middle of deep grief, uncertainty, and reinvention—with four kids and no map forward. That season of unbuilding cracked me open. It taught me how to let go of who I thought I had to be, and rediscover the man I actually was.

Photography became my way through. What started as a hobby during a wakeboarding injury eventually became my career and my compass. Now, I use my lens to capture real moments—quiet beauty, raw emotion, and the spaces between what we show and what we feel.

This site is where I share it all—my work, my blog, my journey. Not the polished version, but the honest one. If you’re into real stories, imperfect beginnings, soulful images, and a slower way of living—you’re in the right place.

Thanks for being here.

—Arun