Country Surf
North shore Oahu is also called "The Country" Here is a nice wave in the country
North shore Oahu is also called "The Country" Here is a nice wave in the country
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Jan, 2015Views
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Awards
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Contest Finalist in Water World Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Monthly Pro Vol 9 Photo Contest
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken near Waimea Bay on the north shore of Oahu where I live. I had checked the surf report and knew we were getting a large swell with waves up to 30 feet. This was the first time shooting from this location so I had to watch the waves for awhile to make sure I was set up in a safe place. There can be long lull's between the sets of waves coming in and the shoreline can change drastically when those big waves roll in. I have been completely drenched before so I am very careful of where I shoot from, always checking what the tides are doing when I set out in the morning.Time
I started out around 8:00 in the morning to figure out where to shoot and get set up. This was taken later around 10:00AM. That is a good time because the sun is usually out by then but its not too strong. Its good to have the morning light shinning on the wave. This was taken in Winter when the waves are biggest here, we do get a summer swell occasionally. If shooting in the summer I start out earlier and am done by 11:00 or so.Lighting
I Wait for the sun to come out, otherwise the water just looks grey with no detail. Sometimes its a long wait and I end up shooting anyway but those shots rarely turn out. Its also interesting to shoot in the late afternoon into the evening when the sun lights up the wave from the back. Shooting waves when the sun is overhead is difficult, the highlights often get blown out no matter what settings I use. I never stop experimenting with different settings to best expose these beautiful waves. I usually put the ISO higher(200-400) in order to get a faster shutter speed with an aperture of 7.1 or higher depending on light conditions. For this shot I used a shutter speed of 1/1000, 400 iso and a 8.0 aperture.Equipment
I shoot with a Canon 7D, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L II IS USM Lens, a canon extender 2x III. I use a Manfrotto tripod with a Really Right Stuff Ball Head that I could not live without since I move the camera around so much. I also use a good quality polarizer filter.Inspiration
The ocean has alway inspired me. I started shooting waves in order to get a closer look so I could paint pictures of them, I did't want to use other photographers work to copy in my painting so I figured I better learn how to shoot my own photos. I started put about 3 or 4 years ago. before that I knew very little about cameras. I got caught up with how much fun it was to use the camera and learn so much with each outing, that I pretty much only take photos now. I may get back to painting them someday but I'm having too much fun now. I am so lucky to be surrounded by so much beauty here on Oahu but it can be hard to decide what amazing thing to photograph next. Its only natural for me to choose waves since I am literally surrounded by them. When there are none I usually go hiking and shoot tropical flowers.Editing
Lightroom is great for adjusting exposure and contrast, noise reduction, clarity etc. I try to do as little as possible, because I am Still learning and don't really know any fancy editing tricks and photoshop pretty much mystifies me. One thing I usually have to do is reduce the color saturation, especially the blue, otherwise it looks too fake.In my camera bag
A bag is pretty much out of the question for me, Its too difficult to grab that and my tripod in case I have to run from the waves, which I have to do every now and then.Feedback
If you have a chance to shoot where the waves are big, be sure to check the area out to see where the high tide line is, and stay a bit behind that. I have seen many people walk right up to the shoreline and set their stuff down only to have a 40 foot high set come in and wash their stuff away. Take the time to see what the Ocean does when a set comes in. There can be 20 minutes between them so it can be deceiving. Always know if the tide is coming in or going out. It is much safer at low tide and you can get closer to the wave without getting soaked. Do not use Auto settings, experiment with the manual settings described above, don't get discouraged, I have taken hundreds if not thousands of blurry or wrongly exposed photos but I learned from them and did't give up. Aloha!
