Wave Runner Stunt
Taken at the X Games. This was not part of the event but part of the entertainment.
Taken at the X Games. This was not part of the event but part of the entertainment.
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Aug, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This shot was taken at a X-games event in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The first of its kind televised by ESPN. The main event was a 'Wake boarding' competition and as part of the entertainment there was a display of Jet Ski stunts. The man featured was the star of the show and did some unbelievable tricks.Time
This shot was taken in the afternoon I believe. I took shots throughout the day as I was there for my job. The company I work for was providing broadband services and ESPN had asked for someone to be there all day during the event in case of any outages. I asked ESPN if it would be okay to bring along my camera, so when everything was running smoothly I got to do what I enjoy most.Lighting
It was a grey, overcast day for the most part. I struggled a little bit with trying to keep ISO low whilst using a high enough shutter speed to capture the action. I had only been doing photography for about 8 months at this point and my equipment was really entry level. It just shows you can get great shots without the best equipment.Equipment
This was my first camera, a crop sensor Nikon D3300 with the Nikon AF-S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 VR lens. Not the fastest lens at 300mm or the sharpest but still a good lens. All my shots at this event were hand held. I wasn't allowed into the 'press photographers' area on the shore-line so had to shoot over the heads of spectators for the most part. Standing behind the pro photographers I was definitely feeling some lens envy.Inspiration
I had never done any sports or action photography before and didn't really have what I considered to be good enough equipment but as I was there and photography was quickly becoming my passion I went for it. I think this turned out to be a good piece of action for me to whet my teeth on as the Jet Skis were not moving very fast and were staying around one small area to do stunts.The splashing of the waves, the exhaust fumes and the exertion of the riders all added to the drama.Editing
I post-processed all the images from this event in Lightroom. This shot was fairly heavily cropped, as were all of them. The action had to be about 100 to 200ft away. Most of the shots were a little under-exposed as it was an overcast day and my lens was not the fastest. I adjusted the highlights, raised the shadows and did some selective sharpening. I was really a total novice at this point with post-processing (and everything else) so spent a lot of time trying different adjustments until I felt satisfied.In my camera bag
I upgraded my Nikon D3300 to a D7100 earlier this year and sold the 70-300VR. My goto lens these days is definitely my Nikon 300mm AF-S f/4 which I got for a steal on Ebay. I have a Nikon 2x tele-converter but mostly shoot at 300mm. Most of what I shoot is nature, birds insects etc. For Macro I have the Sigma 105mm f/2.8 OS and for landscapes I have the Sigma 17-50MM OS. When doing macro I like to use off-camera flash so I have a Neewer Speedlite 750 II which I put on a bracket and use a wired trigger. Depending on the kind of wildlife I'm trying to shoot I either carry a Monopod or Tripod. Just recently I bought a Vanguard Veo 235AB tripod which is light and compact. I've not had chance to try it out as yet but can't wait as my previous tripod was a beast to carry. Most of the time I use a Lowepro Flipside 300 backpack to carry everything in but Vanguard sent me a free messenger bag as part of a promo on the tripod and I see myself using that a lot too. Additional equipment I have with me most of the time (in the trunk of the car at least) includes a deer blind, a folding stool, waders and binoculars.Feedback
If you want to take similar shots to this your life will be easier with a fast lens. Even in good light you are always looking at a compromise between ISO, shutter speed and aperture but for action shots like this, especially with a telephoto, you will need a fast shutter speed to freeze action. I use shutter-priority when trying to capture fairly fast moving action. If it was a panned shot you can use a lower shutter speed (with lots of practice!) but in this instance where the subject is moving in one place you want to freeze the action. If you raise the ISO you risk noise, lowering the f-stop makes it a harder shot to get focus on the subject. Out in the open like this flash is not an option. You are better to under-expose and raise the exposure in post, in my opinion, than to raise the ISO too far. Obviously this also comes down to equipment. When choosing a lens for action like this or wildlife I would always go for the fastest and sharpest I can afford rather than go for a long reach. You can always crop if you need to. Other than that I would say take a LOT of shots and practice, practice, practice.
