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Pro rider popping overhead

Shooting pro kitesurfers in Turks and Caicos using Nimar watersports housing.

Shooting pro kitesurfers in Turks and Caicos using Nimar watersports housing.
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Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

settings

Aperture f/3.5 ISO 100 Shutter 1/2500 Focal Length 16/1

location

Turks and Caicos Islands

upload_date

Jul, 2019

Views

807

Likes

+40

Awards

Zenith Award

Top Shot Award 22

Spring 21 Award

Judge Favorite

Contest Finalist in People In Motion Photo Contest

Contest Finalist in Full Adrenaline Rush Photo Contest

Superb Composition

+15

Absolute Masterpiece

+11

Peer Award

Outstanding Creativity

Top Choice

Magnificent Capture

Emotions

Impressed

Top Ranks

Top 20 rank

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

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Top 10 rank week 1

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Top 30 rank

Top 30 rank week 1

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Behind The Lens

Location

Long Bay beach in Turks and Caicos around 5 pm, mid-July standing/squatting in about 3-4 feet of water. I've been shooting surfing and kitesurfing for 15+ yrs and travel with a lot of water-capable gear.

Time

Was shot end of day (always the best time for watersports), me and my gear in the water out about 100 feet from the shore, sun setting towards the beach.

Lighting

I shoot kitesurers often with wide-angle lenses so I have the potential to capture the rider, board and kite, this also means I encourage (good/pro) riders to try to get as close as they can as I will try to get under them as much as possible. I will usually point out the line I want them to take. Often this means I will be shooting into the sun, In this case the sun is setting towards the beach. Its always a dicey scenario and can be dangerous for both myself and the rider if something goes wrong (so much can and often does :). Although deceptive at 16mm the board and rider are often just a foot or so from my head, in some cases (and I have many shots to proove it) inches! Adjust aperture to get as much depth of field as possible so both rider and kite are in sharp focus. You have approx 70 feet between board and kite to work with - so lot of depth. I have a waterproof off-camera speedlight rig that I built using pvc pipe that I sometimes use for fill in these situations but not here.

Equipment

In this case an Italian-made Nimar Water Sports housing for Canon 5d Mrk4 along with a Dome lens adaptor for the L-series 16-35mm F2.8. I'll almost always be at 16mm at this point in the shot, zooming out and popping off individual shots (never burst mode) as the rider gets closer until he/she jumps overhead. You need to squeegee the water off the dome after every pass or your next shot will be a mess. I built a special curved squeegee just for this purpose. It hangs off the housing.

Inspiration

I shoot a lot of pro kitesurfers and met James (James McGrath) that day on the beach while shooting some other riders. Later in the day (when the light was nicer) he was out riding a strapless surfboard (not attached to his feet when he jumps) and I went out to join him. I love shooting this time of day and often directly into the sun because of the crazy effects it has on the water, it's total chaos and hard to predict what you might end up with but I love the challenge.

Editing

You HAVE to process this type of shot because of the crazy contrast of shooting into the sun. You often also get light reflecting off the water back up at the subject with an aqua cast. Nothing too intense but will usually lower the exposure, boost/darken the blues (for the sky and water), bring up the shadows, tone down the highlights, then bring up the whites so it pops without killing the dynamics of the splashing water. Often there's just nothing you can do to make it work, too much blow out in the highlights or shadows. Its part of the pitfalls of doing this.

In my camera bag

For watersports: Canon 5d Mrk4, Ninar water housing, Canon F1.8 80mm prime, Canon L16-35mm F2.8, Canon L300mm prime F2.8 +x2 adapter.

Feedback

Don't try this at home lol! You have to be really comfortable being in the water with your gear. You have to *really* know what to expect from the rider, one miss-timed jump and you can be seriously injured, I've had boards come inches from my head and have had to duck into the water many times. You MUST give directions to the rider, and understand the wind/water conditions in order to do that properly. After a few shots you can gage his/her capabilities and let him try riskier approaches. NEVER let anyone stand next to you while you're shooting (people will always try) and make sure other riders and swimmers keep a safe distance. You should probably wear a helmet - I just haven't found one that didn't always bang into the housing when I shot. I LOOK through the viewfinder through almost the entire pass. If you do this in waves for surfing shots its a whole other set of dangers and another discussion.

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FOTAU

FOTAU

Pro rider popping overhead

Shooting pro kitesurfers in Turks and Caicos using Nimar watersports housing.

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow FOTAU

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