Photographer, Surfer, Watermother

German fashion photographer Anne Menke occupies the unique realm where high fashion meets bohemian travel and a free spirit. Her editorial work (for magazines including Vogue, W, Sports Illustrated, Esquire, Elle, In Style, Travel & Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, and many more) exudes a sense of glamour often amidst a backdrop of far flung, exotic locales. With an eye for the authentic, she becomes an insider wherever she goes, which has informed her campaigns as well for such clients as Tommy Hilfiger, Keds, L’Oréal, Banana Republic, Ralph Lauren, J.Crew, and Nike, to name a few. 

Anne moved to Sayulita, Mexico 20 years ago after living in Paris, Miami, and New York. As a passionate surfer who only started when she was 27, she knew she wanted to raise her kids in a beach town so they could grow up surfing. Mexico is also the perfect base for her frequent photography excursions.

Anne is now the mother of 3 boys, all surfers: Luke is 21, Enzo is 18, and Jacques is 17. All three boys are the definition of watermen.

Claudia Lebenthal [CL]: How did you get started surfing? 

Anne Menke [AM]: I started when I met my husband. We were in Miami, and he pushed me on to a little wind swell wave. That was my start and I got addicted with the first wave I rode.

CL: What inspired you to move to Mexico?

AM: Johann is from South Africa and grew up surfing. I knew when I had kids that’s how I wanted them to grow up. We moved here when Luke was 2. 

CL: How did you find Sayulita?

AM: We went on a surf trip to Mexico, all the way down the coast to Guatemala. It was a 5-week trip and we stopped as often as we could. We found a place we wanted to get married and started looking for a piece of land so that one day when we had children we could move to Mexico. We discovered Sayulita a year after our wedding. In 2000 we bought our land - 24 acres with nothing on it - and built TeiTiare Estate from scratch with the idea to create the dream home to live and raise our family, but also use as a location for shoots, weddings, and other events. 

CL: Tell me about your life there.

AM: The boys grew up like jungle buddies. As a photographer I traveled all the time. Everything I shot was on location. As soon as the kids were born they would travel with me for the first 2 or 3 years of their life. They grew up on the road or here in the jungle. Our house is really in a jungle on the beach. When we would come to NY, the kids would run outside barefoot. They had never worn shoes and I’d be chasing them down the street to put them on. 

CL: Tell us about their lives now.

AM: Enzo is a pro surfer. Luke is a filmmaker. And Jacques is still in high school but wants to be an entrepreneur. He’s a chef and baker and already has a business called Surf Baker. They still surf all the time. Luke is kitesurfer now. They all do freediving and spearfishing. They are all watermen. All doing everything.  

CL: Part of being a waterman is the charitable component, giving back. What are some of the programs in which they have become involved?

AM: We started a school here in Sayulita 16 years ago, Costa Verde International School. We run a Surf-A-Thon every year to raise money for the school and the kids have always participated in this annual challenge. 

Enzo also has his own foundation, Agua Libre, which he started when he was 12 years old. He went to a conference with surfer Rob Machado and was inspired by his foundation. Enzo originally wanted to put water filters everywhere in town, but it’s not that easy. We do have a couple in town though, one in the playground and one in the center. But the main focus has been putting them in all the schools. So far every school in Sayulita has a water filter.

CL: Let’s talk about your wellness and beauty. As a surfer yourself, and also a busy fashion photographer, traveling for shoots, and mother of these three boys, how do you take care of yourself?

AM: I am 58 years old and in the water all the time. I try to eat a healthy diet. A lot of vegetables and fruit. I was a vegetarian for a long time, and then a pescatarian,  pollo-pescetarian, and now I eat red meat again. I just eat everything in moderation. I drink a lot of water and have cut back on alcohol. I love herbal teas. Kauai Farmacy has incredible mixed herbal teas blends. I try to make a liter of tea every day and drink that. I also do some kind of movement every day, surfing if I can, and in between a workout. I try to go to sleep at the latest by 10pm and am up between 6-7am. 

CL: What do you do to take care of your skin and hair?

AM: I love Costa Brazil products. I think they are amazing, really amazing. I like the texture and smell. I like the face oil because it’s really light. I'm a body oil freak and I love their body oil. And it smells so good!

SHOP ANNE'S FAVORITES

Photos by Laura Bermúdez Menéndez