Views
862
Likes
Awards
Zenith Award
Contest Finalist in Splash Photo Contest
Peer Award
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
Top Choice
All Star
Outstanding Creativity
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Ranks
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
Took this shot while standing on the Huntington Beach Pier in Southern California. Huntington Beach is internationally famous for it's large waves and yearly surfing competition. But I was in town for a car show and walked out on the pier just to sight see. The waves were up! Several very talented and well known surfers were enjoying the waves. It didn't take long to zero in on the more talented surfers.The unique thing about the Huntington Beach pier is that the waves break right under the pier! So the surfers are like 20 yards away from you. What looks like a helicopter shot is actually me standing on the pier with my hand held. It was a great experience.Time
This was early Saturday morning and about the only people up were the beach joggers and the surfers. We got so wrapped up in shooting the surfers that we didn't realize so much time had passed, and as I was walking off the pier I realized how crowded it had become.Lighting
It was a nice winter morning and the coastal fog retreated early, so I was treated to bright sunshine on the ocean water. Surfers were riding the waves on both sides of the pier so I just the side that saw the best light.Equipment
Wasn't really prepared to do long shots, so I didn't have a tripod of steady stick with me, but at least I had my telephoto (NIKON) 55-200mm f/4-5.6 lens with me, and my trusty NIKON D3100.Inspiration
I've always wanted to do some surfing shots for my portfolio, but never had the time to attend surfing competitions here in Northern California.Editing
I did very little post-processing. Just my usual; turn up the saturation a little, and turn up the clarity a little.In my camera bag
I guess you can call me a bilingual camera person. I carry both a NIKON D3100 on me, as well as a Canon EOS 50D. The NIKON was my very first DSLR camera and I have shot hundreds of thousands of photos with it over the years. I use the Canon for shooting auto races, it does a nice job of capturing the race cars speeding by! The pack has both standard lens, and telephoto lens, for the two cameras. Back up image cards, and back up batteries (with their chargers). An assortment of filters, a steady stick, etc.. Then there is all the things I need as a human to survive a day at the races or packing into the hills; a foldable hat, sun tan lotion, a large bottle of water, a box of tissue paper, and a towel.Feedback
Even though I was in Southern California to cover an car show, I made the time to go and explore the coastal beaches. So now I have the great surfer shots for my portfolio that I always wanted, I had a fantastic time on the pier, and I have some fun memories! All things I would of missed if I had just gone to the car show and back home. GO EXPLORE!