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how's this done?

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Northwest Kiteboarding -> Gorge / Portland / Oregon Coast
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azazello

Since 11 Jun 2005
60 Posts
Seattle
 



PostMon Aug 01, 05 9:58 pm    how's this done? Reply with quote

Some pretty good shots here, I'm in need of some schooling please.

What lenses are you guys using? What camera settings? I'm assuming those are from some recent DSLR's, they are pretty close feature-wise so exact gear choices shouldn't matter much.

Are you using waterproof enclosures? Is it possible to make decent shots from a little boat bobbing in the waves?

I have a D70 and the only lens I've got is a 35 f/2 fixed. Thinking about getting something like a 70-200 f/2.8 (probably Sigma), but I have my doubts about how fit that lens would be for shooting kitesurfing.

TIA!

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railgrab

Since 29 Mar 2005
177 Posts
Seattle, WA
Stoked



PostTue Aug 02, 05 7:06 am     Reply with quote

I use Canon DSLR camera bodies and love 'em. Kiteboard photography has a LOT going for it... great lighting, photogenic, predictable focal range, and usually very willing photo subjects! Aza, having a D70 or other SLR is certainly a key element for photos, as well as a working knowledge of aperture and shutter speed adjustments. If I can get away with it, I like to shoot 1/1000 or better to be able to freeze fast kite loops and high speed passes. With wider lenses like the 35mm, 1/500 is usually ok. When shooting from land, I typically use lenses ranging from 35mm to 300mm, and with my new water housing, a 20mm lens is nice so that I can capture riders who come practically within inches of me! Shooting from a small boat can be quite challenging, but is doable if you shoot a high shutter speed. When shooting from a boat, I often need to use manual focus since it's too hard to keep the subject centered very well. Nonetheless, kitesurfing itself is a very fluid movement (unlike the fast paced action of something like volleyball or hoops), so it is often nice to use predictive autofocus, since kiters are a lot less likely to juke a move on you! If you don't believe me, just ask Bammer Wink . Another tip I can think of is to use a camera which has no delay between pressing the button and shutter release. Oh, and spend a lot of time learning Photoshop if you're shooting digital... happy shooting and show us your pics!
Ethan

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bambam

Since 15 Mar 2005
760 Posts
Hood River
Photographer



PostTue Aug 02, 05 7:38 am     Reply with quote

Ditto on what Ethan is saying... One note is that you need to be careful in Photoshop and make sure you leave the original photo unaltered. Most magazines really want either your RAW image or unmodified/uncompressed TIFF's since the the print process is much different than producing images for RGB (screen presentation). I believe that your Nikon D70 is somewhere in the 8mp range and I would be careful with cropping images without keeping a copy of the original. If your shooting anything that you really care about, make sure you cranking it up and shooting RAW as this gives you the most flexibility with the images. Memory is cheap, but not having enough resolution can sometimes be much more limiting in regards to the final image.

On shooting images, your going to love a 70-200mm lens for shooting from shore. I just picked up a doubler as a poor mans option for improving my 70-200mm f2.8, but plan to only shoot that combination from a tripod. As I get better and better I am tending to find spots where I can get the action super close and going with my 17-85mm lens due to the interesting perspectives you can create.

Ethan is right on concerning shutter speeds. For the Windsurfing Nationals last week I was playing around with blur panning and was shooting down in the 1/60th range, but for action I try to always be at least above 1/500th and for shooting from a boat being at 1/1000th is an absolute necessity.

Have fun out there and remember to just keep firing. Some of the best pictures can come after the cool move when the rider hits the water and fully explodes! Learn to anticipate the action and start your sequences before the rider leaves the water. Don't be afraid to delete and try try again.

Jon

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azazello

Since 11 Jun 2005
60 Posts
Seattle
 



PostTue Aug 02, 05 10:26 am     Reply with quote

So I take it you're shooting in shutter priority mode with continuous AF on? What about metering - spot or center-weighted? Is a polarizing filter a must?

I'm not going to do anything for magazines, just for fun. Web-publishing quality is probably what I'm after most of the time, but of course it'd be nice to be able to get a 8x10 on the wall too.

I'm pretty good with Photoshop, spent lots of time "saving" bad shots because I've used a pretty crappy camera before. My results from a couple of years back are here (just random stuff, not kitesurfing-related)
http://azazello.net/kicks

Thanks a ton, I think there's enough info here for a jump-start for me Smile

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bambam

Since 15 Mar 2005
760 Posts
Hood River
Photographer



PostTue Aug 02, 05 11:26 am     Reply with quote

Nice stuff, you definitely have the eye for light, exposure, and composition... Don't be afraid to submit stuff to sporting magazines, and I think you will be getting professional quality kite shots in no time at all. Please share with the NW Kite community!!!

I tend to shoot mostly in aperature priority and use manual focus... Unfortunately with kiting your subject is relatively close with an very distant background. The AF system sometimes sees right through the fast moving kiter and I was very surprised at how many shots I was getting out of focus even with the Canon AF, which is the fastest on the market.

For some reason I find that the aperature priority with the Canon seems to produce the cleanest images and it gives me a known range of focus to work with and a "miss/fudge" factor with the manual focus (Thanks Lance for that tip!!!). For manual focus I would recommend developing a constant adjustment range as you follow your subject and set your zoom such that you don't need to monkey with it during the shot. Before shooting the subject I will usually fire off a few test shots to make sure my shutter and exposure are right...

Polarized filter is a must for bright sunny conditions with light bouncing off water... I use center weighted metering mostly...

Go get those shots.... Jon

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