Surf photographer puts EV9 to work on a recent shoot

When Phillip Hernandez heads to the beach, he’s not just chasing waves. The San Diego-based photographer is known for capturing the beauty and rhythm of coastal living — from surfers carving through dawn swells to lifestyle campaigns that feel as cinematic as they are authentic. A recent outing with professional surfer Shea Porter at Cardiff State Beach came with an added twist: the chance to take the all-electric, three-row 2026 Kia EV9 along for the ride.

An East Coast native, Hernandez was born in Virginia and grew up in Washington, D.C. – far from the waves where he now spends much of his time. But his pull toward the ocean started early.

“I’ve always been drawn to the water and that coastal lifestyle,” he said. “When I was growing up we traveled a lot to Hawaii and the Philippines, so I started body surfing at a really young age. I was always really good at it, but probably didn’t stand up on a surfboard until I was 18.”

After college, Hernandez worked for a multi-lateral international development company while pursuing photography on the side. He mostly concentrated on travel photography and black-and-white fine art photography, but moving to San Diego with his wife in 2020 reshaped his focus.

“(Photography) became a much bigger part of my life, in part because it was so much easier to access that type of work,” he said. “I fell in love with it and eventually decided to do it full time. As much as I loved the perks of office work, I always wanted to be outside in the sun and the water, connecting with other people who are out there enjoying nature.”

“One of the things I love most about my work is getting to memorialize really unique weather conditions,” he said. “A lot of surfers have very powerful memories tied to being out on the water during specific conditions. It becomes so alive in your mind. Being able to capture those moments for people is really important to me.”

Hernandez’s images also evoke a sense of timelessness, which has become his signature style.

“My photos have always had a quality of anachronism – of being from a different time,” he said. “Achieving that can be really simple or really complex. But the result is that the photo resonates with a wide audience who are yearning for another era.”

Traveling up and down the California coast and beyond, Hernandez needs a car that gets great gas mileage and can accommodate all his equipment, as well as the friends and subjects he often works with. The EV9 gets up to 305 miles of driving range on a full charge.

Hernandez shared his thoughts on the 2026 Kia EV9 while working with Skyline, the in-house studio for Southern California News Group and The San Diego Union-Tribune. He said the EV9 was eye-opening in all the best ways, starting with its striking design.

“It’s really stunning — I love the way it looks,” Hernandez said. “I’m drawn to that kind of boxy, sleek SUV, which is a little reminiscent of a Range Rover. The style is just magnificent.”

Hernandez said he was also impressed by the EV9’s spacious interior, which offers 81.7 cubic feet of cargo space with both rear seats folded, and 43.5 cubic feet of space with just the third row down.

“I have so much stuff to carry – camera gear, surfboards, towels, all of it – so to feel comfortable and have all that space was fantastic,” he said. “And I didn’t have to sacrifice passenger seating to do it. San Diego is a social place, so you want to be able to do the things you like and take your friends along too.”

The EV9’s comfortable interior has showstopping features like a digital cockpit with nearly 30 inches of combined displays and a dual panoramic sunroof that makes the space feel bright and airy and showcases the sky.

“It just feels luxurious,” Hernandez said, adding that the quietness of the EV9 contributes to that vibe.

“It honestly took me by surprise,” Hernandez said. “The car I typically drive is pretty noisy, so to be sitting inside the EV9 and be able to have a conversation with Shea and talk about surf conditions while literally hearing the waves outside was just spectacular.”