Many Hamptonites hit the road as the temperatures drop and the snow starts to fall, but not Montauk resident James Katsipis [above]! In fact, this photographer, surfer, and outdoorsman actually prefers the winter season on The End [Montauk’s nickname]. James shares his super cool KDHamptons Diary below, and enjoy his fantastic photograpy:

James shares: I am going strong in Winter 2013! I’m really embracing it this year. I feel one with the cold! Shooting a ton of photos of all things Montauk winters have to offer. Trying to really capture that true cold feeling in my photos. I want you to feel chills when you see them! Been doing a lot of swimming with my camera too. Just being out in my wetsuit and gear in the cold water is just the best adventure going right now. Especially since we’ve been tracking an 18foot, 3,500 pound great white shark, Mary Lee, off the coast of Montauk! Hope I don’t run into her!

The photo opportunities in Montauk are limitless in the winter. You get these amazing blue skies all day and lighting out of a story book. Its enchanting! One particular series I’m doing right now is the Cold Water Surfer Series of a core group of guys who surf year round and brave the cold waters in search of empty Line Ups and perfect waves. The Whalebone Creative Crew: Jesse Joeckel, Austin Eckardt, Pat Havlic, Travis Beckmann, Nick Jeockle and Charlie Weimar. When they’re not out braving the cold waters on a board, they are fishing for days on Charlie’s Dragger. People are always asking me how I can live out here year round? I just smile, chuckle a little, and keep my hidden paradise to myself. It’s just us ~ and we have all the beaches to ourselves. Well just us, and the seals anyhow!

Everyday I wake up make some hot coffee, call the boys and we check the surf. Just like summer. But with no tourists around. Which is fine by me. Mother Nature does its own crowd control, when it counts anyhow. If your into icicles on your mustache and in your beard then this is just the place for you. See ya out there!

Since its winter, I do most of my eating and cooking at home. But I do go out to eat for sushi at least once a week. I go to Zakura in Amagansett. I love their Red Head Roll and the Pork Gyoza. Its really cozy, and their new fish tank is a nice touch. They are really sweet people too.

What’s my Montauk nightlife like? I’m usually home keeping warm with my two dogs Kona and Malia. Kona is my new Puggle and Malia is my Siberian Husky. Quite the odd couple. If I am not home working on my photography, I’m either at the movies, hanging out at a friends house, or at The Neoteric Art Gallery. Scott Bluedorn has been putting on some great shows this winter, including an apocalyptic tribute to the Mayan calendar. A bunch of great artist all wrapped up in one show. He just had another show The Freak Show Vol.2 with live music by James Ryan, Matt Schmitt, Phill Farell. Amazing turn out, great people, and so fun! Never a disappointment at the Neoteric.

As for Ms. Mary Lee I have not seen her this week. I keep a close eye to the shore line but to no avail. Great Whites are a magnificent specimen. You don’t get to stick around on a small planet like ours for million of years by being seen very easily. Perfect Predator. Maybe next winter I’ll pop over to South Africa to go get a closer look in a cage dive. But that’s the next adventure~ still have this one going…..

**To see more James Katsipis photography go to: www.Jameskatsipis.com