Surfing Photography

I started surfing photography around fall of 2003. I have gotten help from this site and the sports forum at www.fredmiranda.com

This is what I have learned from looking at photos on the web, in the magazines and going out and shooting over the last 18 months.

Starting out, people will be either shooting from the shore or from a pier. Shooting from a pier gives you the advantage of being closer to the active part of the wave, but you will be shooting from an angle that is a little awkward, but still can result in intriguing shots. The other issue is that you will be shooting on a downward angle which will compress the size of the wave and the surfer. Typically, wave height is something you want to exploit. So pier shooting requires thinking about different compositions of which shots where the surfer is going "off the lip" or vertical on the top of the wave is a strong composition.

The advantage of shooting from a pier is that you can get pretty tight shots of the surfer filling the viewfinder with 200 to 300mm lenses. These lenses are typically affordable and are easy to carry and handhold which means you don't have to carry a tripod.

Shooting from the shore provides the most common shooting angle which is both good and bad. It is good because this is what people are used to seeing. It is bad because this is what people are used to seeing. For most shore and point breaks, you will need somewhere around a 400mm or longer lens. This can be achieved with the use of teleconverters, but at the cost of some sharpness. When most people ask what lens they should buy when starting surfing photgraphy, the msot common answer is a 400mm F5.6 or equivalent like a 300mm F4 with a 1.4 teleconverter. Zooms can be used and are used, but in reality, you won't be having much time to adjust the zoom while you are panning and following a surfer, so why not just go with a sharper prime lens? Obviously, the big gun lenses are the 500mm and 600mm F4s which are great for surfing but cost a pretty penny. They require heavy tripods and it is a lot of equipment to haul around, but the opportunity to get the best shots usually reside in the glass used.

For camera bodies, let us think about where we will be shooting. Typically it is around the ocean and water. There may be blowing sand. Camera bodies that are weather sealed are probably a bonus and will provide some piece of mind but are not absolutely required. The next issue is probably frame speed. Surifng is a fast moving sport and many will opt for bodies that are 8 FPS, to better guarantee that the peak action is captured. Others feel that with experience, the peak action can be captured by a single shutter release. Beginners are probably helped by the shot gun technique, but will probably find their own style with practice. Certain sequences are certainly better captured with a fast frame rate such as a surfer launching himself into the air and making a landing. Rapid sequence photography was made for such an action.

What is currently the most interesting shooting position is out in the water. This requires a water proof camera or camera housing. Water proof camera housing may cost more than the camera body depending on where you purchase. These shots are typcially taken with wide angle lenses which means the photographer has to be very close to the surfer. This puts the photographer and, less so, the surfer at risk for injury. Some water photographers have been injured or have drowned, so keep this in mind. Know your limits and the limits of the surfer you are photographing to keep things safe. But, the rewards of water shots can result in some of the most dramatic shots seen in surfing.

Camera settings again are a matter of preference. I prefer to shoot manual and check my histograms to make sure I have minimal to no blow out in the white water. I try to keep my shutter speed faster than 1/800 of a second to avoid motion blur and movement blur from panning. I have experimented with slow shutter speeds for panning shots and the results can be interesting, but the number of keepers I retain are less. I use a predicitive autofocus while panning and will vary the location of my focus spot to change the compsotion so the surfer is not always centered.

Shooting times for surfing depends on your location. Optimally, having the sun behind you will provide the best light on the surfer. Midday sun usually results in shadows on the face. On the west coast, morning is usually the best time while on the east coast the afternoon will provide the best light. The quality of the light can make or break a photo. If one is shooting a scheduled contest, then you shoot when it is scheduled, but if you are shooting free surfing, then find the time when the light will be your friend depending upon the location of the beach.

Surfing action can result in explosive photos due to the combination of water and speed. It is this action that one should try to capture in the photo. Understanding the dynamics from surfing comes either from being a surfer yourself, or watching a lot of surfers doing their thing. I have never surfed, so I learned from watching. After a while, one gets the feeling for when a big move or turn is going to happen and it is that anticipation that tells you when to hit the shutter release. This comes with practice, practice and more practice. I am fortunate that I live in an area where there is reasonable surf at least in the winter. I wish I lived in Hawaii.

If you wonder what I typically shoot with, I use a canon 1Ds Mark II which shoots at 4 FPS. I use a canon EF 600mm either with or without a 1.4 TC mounted on a tripod with a Wimberly gimbal head. I shot my first paid contest this April and my shots are posted at Surfline

The elements that make up good surfing photography is equipment to get close to the surfers, setting the equipment up to take good photos, good light and surfing conditions and a surfer that can take advantage of those waves. It can be quite addicting in my personal experience.

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