Surfphoto...

Packing...

I'm off to Sri Lanka tomorrow for the UK Pro Tour Champion Of Champions event... I'll be whacking up content on Slide. Just in case your wondering here's what's going with me-
CARRY ON BACKPACK (DaKine)
Canon- 40D body, G10 compact, 300mm f2.8L IS, 200mm f2.8L, 85mm f1.8, 17-40mm f4L, convertors 2&1.4. Tokina 10-17mm fishy zoom. Macbook Pro 15-inch. Flip video. Blower brush which looks like a hand grenade according to some airport security doofus.
PELI CASE FOR HOLD
Aquatech housing, three ports (dome/85/200), pistol, GoPro vid cam/housing, 2 x 580 flashes, pocketwizards, Flip vid housing, swiss army knife, suncream, card readers and assorted cables/crap.
BODYBOARD BAG FOR HOLD
A new addition to my travel arsenal- it's a 3-board plain black logoless Rhino case I got from Dave Heard and it's killer. Surfboard bags are just too much hassle to handle with camera gear, you've got to be able to move all your crap by yourself sans trolley for a decent distance. I've got one lid in it to shoot from on bigger/rippy days (super useful for big Mundaka etc) swimfins, light stand, monopod, clothes, reflectors etc. It's a beaut for travelling in Europe as it gets on as 'Sports Equipment' pay the £15 each way and you can take an extra 12kgs as Sport.
So there you go. That's me. Packed. Will get back on the case with the 101 strand soon. Cheers.

Fireworks...

Whilst not something you'll generally come across in your pursuit of the perfect surfing shot I do have a soft spot for fireworks... I missed the display they put on for Obama when I was in Prague cos I was lying in bed in the hotel wondering what all the banging was. Just got up in time and grabbed the camera to see the last onslaught and missed and amazing photo op... Anyhoose. On a slightly lesser scale they did some at the Gul Night Surf event at the weekend so I got to do some practice- simple technique just need a sturdy tripod, a wide angle lens and a cable release/remote. Set up your shot before the fireworks start, do some test long exposures holding the shutter open with your remote to check your apertures not too open (this was about 10secs at f8) and then repeat these settings when the display is on. The higher the aperture number the more exposure time and hence more explosions you'll get on a frame... Long time til Nov 5th but summer evenings with a bit of light in the sky make for a nice image..

Surfphoto 101- Lifestyles

The humble lifestyle shot is the next on the list of images you can achieve with a bog standard SLR or compact. Don't need anything fancy for a basic one. Available light is fine, particularly morning or evening light, otherwise cloudy days are good as the clouds act as a massive diffuser softening the harsh shadows you get with direct sunlight. Again it's all about composition, don't just sit your person slap bang in the middle of the frame focusing on the centrepoint, make use of your digi screen and work on it, see what works. Practice makes perfect so try things out with a mate/partner. Lens wise anything from 20mm to 300mm works for lifestyle shots- anything goes. Check out glossy mags for ideas. Shooting with the aperture wide open gives the background that lovely soft bokeh effect but rules are there to be tweaked. This shot of Sophie Hellyer wouldn't be vastly improved if I shot at f1.8 (it was more like f4 at 40mm). It's simply her stood in front of a construction site wall in the Maldives on a hot but overcast day. The photo is given a bit of pop by use of a flash camera left (tell tale hard shadow gives that away) on a Canon flash cord. A cheap lead that gets your flash off the camera and into much more pleasing places and balances the diffuse sunlight nicely...

New iPhone 3GS and Software Update...

The new iPhone 3GS and version 3.0 software for current iPhones was announced at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference yesterday. Geek boy here followed the live feed on Mac Rumours with much joy. The new software for current users gives us turn by turn GPS, cut, copy & paste and MMS messaging plus a brace of cool new features including tethering which is a real bonus for photogs. It means we can use the phones EDGE/3G network connection to upload shots on site without hunting for a wifi hook up. Makes event coverage way easier and internet editorial content a breeze, we'll be able to update shots from sessions as they happen... The new version of the iPhone features a revised 3MP camera which you can tap on the screen to select your AF point and a sweet macro close up mode as well. Not to mention video, which can be edited on the phone and posted online straight away. Journo types will be frothing on this feature. No word yet on how much it's gonna cost in the UK or how much it'll be to upgrade... Whatever I'm frothing.

Get On Twitter...

Am getting more and more into Twitter, so much so I've deleted my Facebook account. Twitter is quicker, easier and doesn't lead to hours of aimless stalking of your friends. It's also really useful as another way of bringing content online. From events I can update on the fly from my phone, or on the road people can follow what I'm up to rather than having to wade through all the FB poop. Ever since they changed FB (cos they were scared by the rise of Twitter) I've not been that into it. So. Get yourself on Twitter. Follow some folk like- Jamie O'Brien, Mick Fanning, the Hobgoods, Darth Vader and more. It's also perfect for responding to questions through the direct messages feature. I'll be posting the next 101 post any day, been busy with Slide Mag recently...

Surf Photo' 101- Pulled Back Action

Next to the Line Up shot the pulled back or environmental action shot is the easiest to achieve without fancy camera gear. Any bog standard SLR with a kit lens can pull off this kind of image as can a compact with a decent zoom. It's all about the backdrop with these kind of shots which means you really need to think about angles and use your 'manual zoom' (as in your feet) to yomp about the place til you find what you're looking for. Then it's a case of waiting for the surfers to do something good. A big turn/aerial works best or tube shots if the waves are cooking. The sense of place these style of shots bring is what makes them winners. The mags love them and would far rather run this kind of thing than a super tight action shot of the same move.

Oh So True... Classic Vid That All Working Photogs Will Appreciate...

Surf Photo' 101- Line Ups...

Any action shot featuring a surfer dates- sponsors change, logos evolve, riders go bald and board designs morph.
A good line up, however, is timeless...
This pic from Ireland is nearly 10-years old and I never get bored of it. It's also sold well, featuring in countless magazines and as the main poster/ad image for the Quik Masters event in Bundoran.
To take a good line up you don't need fancy wide angle lenses and water housings, nor do you need a crazily expensive big lump of Canon L series glass. You just need a camera. Any camera. Even a compact. Line ups are best shot with lenses from 20mm up to to 200mm (depending on how far away the wave is and how long it is) so most compacts are fine. A bog standard SLR with kit lens is also fine. Line ups take patience and composition... not fancy ass gear. 

Surf Photo' 101- Laptops, Cards, HDs, Etc...

A decent laptop is now an essential part of your armoury. Never used to be but times change and be glad you’re reading this now and didn’t have to deal with laptops like my Apple 180C ten years ago that had something like 8mb of RAM and found Internet Explorer a struggle… I’m a Mac geek -as are many photog’s and creative’s originally due to the Mac’s superior colour handling ability when it came to print work flows- but these days it doesn’t really matter what you have as long as it’s got a decent processor under the hood. The current MacBook would be my choice- it’s tough, good value, rock solid OS and with Photoshop CS4 on board will do all you need. If you’re flash with the cash then the MacBook Pro will get you a few more horses under the bonnet which always helps (especially if you are planning on doing any video work).

Wolfram Alpha...

There's a new search engine called Wolfram Alpha which is quite boffiny but does have one very nice application for us surf photographising types- just type in 'weather thurso' or 'tides newquay' etc and you get a whole bundle of really useful up to the minute data which is based on fact as opposed to maybe/woulda/shoulda models that the surf forecasting sites use... Knowing the tides is essential for a lot of spots and this is a real quick source for it.

Surf Photo' 101- Flickr Group...

I've transmogrified my shots from Apple's snazzy looking MobileMe galleries (which looked swish and all) to Flickr which doesn't look so nice but has infinitely more functionality. This sites all about building a community of shooters and Flickr is the perfect place to help out... So you can check out my shots on there. I've also started a Flickr Group (link in the 101 drop down menu>>>) where I'll be critiquing shots as the 101 series builds through the different surf shooting techniques. If you want to join up now the current theme is 'Line Ups' so post your best couple of British, Irish or European line ups for us to peruse and comment on.

Surf Photo' 101- Flash...

Surf photog’s are mainly available light photographers- meaning we work with what Mother Nature is throwing at us be it sun, overcast skies or rain. The environment we work in does not lend itself to being lit artificially with flashes and studio lights (unlike those jammy skate and snowboard photog’s). That’s not to say you shouldn’t be rolling with a flash or two in your gear bag. A flash is essential for lifestyle work, be it providing a simple catch light in the eyes of your subject or making up the light when natures not helping you out. Flash lit portraits on stormy days look epic, one of the few benefits of living in the UK is the often moody skyscapes- use ‘em. I’ve got a couple of Canon EX550’s which have the benefit of being able to trigger each other as slaves, a Canon Off Camera Cord for real quick and simple portraits and Pocket Wizard remotes for everything else. I’ve not gone up to the 580’s yet as I don’t really see the need. Also rolling with a tri-grip gold/white reflector, a basic light stand and shoot through brolly (for all things flash bookmark the Strobist site it’s all time). Flash does have its applications in the water as on camera flash or used remotely but I’ll deal with that when I get to techniques. Gear wise the flashes are standard and for remote flash you’ll need Pocket Wizards and a willing swimming assistant!

Surf Photo' 101- Support...

A good tripod used to be one of the essentials in surf photography. In these image-stabilised times the good old three legged beast is not so much of an essential anymore unless you are: a) Very weak b) Roll with a 400/500/600mm L series lens and a 1 series body. I haven't used one in years, sure I've still got the old girl (a Manfrotto 055 series with mid range head) but in these days of tight ass weight restrictions when traveling the tripod is just too big and too heavy to bother with. If you are driving to your shoot then fine have a tripod, make sure it's solid and the head is rated to take the weight of your rig cos they will bend and snap otherwise (a head like the Manfrot 229 will do ya, avoid video heads as they are designed for smooth panning and weigh extra).

My Pro Surfer Update...

The surfer/photographer exposure rating website My Pro Surfer is developing nicely and responding well to feedback from all concerned. The latest addition to the leaderboard is showing the spread of points across the magazines so it's easy to see which riders are garnering coverage in all corners and conversely which mags have their favourite surfers... I'm digging it. But then I would, I'm a geek...