Just for Fun No C&C will be given: Bodyboarding

I shoot a lot of surfing and sea sport and particularly enjoy the challenge of bodyboarding as the riders are very difficult to capture and are often enveloped in the wave.

All excellent pictures Luc, but I especially like #3. Outstanding!

Thanks for sharing,

Cheers,

I should have added a bit more detail. As far as I know there are about 5 bodyboarding magazines in the world so the market is very limited. As far as the magazines go none of these pictures are of much use. The first pic, while dramatic, shows the rider landing behind the face of the wave and the move thus fails. The second fails in that it is difficult to judge the size of the wave. The third is dramatic but the rider is basically just trying to survive and the wave is closing out - in surfing parlance he didn't do anything. The picture did win the People in Nature section of a wildlife photography competition. I use Canon (5D and 1DMark111) normally with an old 600mm L (non IS) sometimes with a 1.4 converter on an old and heavy Benbo Tripod. I should use shorter lenses more often to show the wave size. I would normally remove the dust bunnies but forgot....

Luc,

What do folks use for flash when photographing surfing sports?

Asher

Luc Hosten said:

I shoot a lot of surfing and sea sport and particularly enjoy the challenge of bodyboarding as the riders are very difficult to capture and are often enveloped in the wave.

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Luc,

I especially like this picture as it cuts into the "anatomy" of the powerful water and gives us an interesting composition with several layers and to the right a package of energy, the surfer!

Asher

Hi Asher I seldom use flash for shore based surf photography. There is however an annual night surfing competition and I will be using a flash extender (probably a local copy of a "better beamer") this year. I know this area and seas well and have "tame" surfers who understand that the sun plays a role in photography so most shots are planned and I only visit certain venues at certain times of the day. The only things I can't plan for are the waves which are fickle. Should I venture in the sea again it would be with conventional waterproof flashes.
Luc

Luc Hosten said:

. Should I venture in the sea again it would be with conventional waterproof flashes.

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Such as which ones if you could afford to choose?

With inwater surf photography money always plays a role. My main problem is that housings are very expensive and we have to import them. Flash is probably not so important in surf photography as you can choose your time and place to suit the available light. Attaching anything to the camera in the surf zone is going to affect you and the camera when you get hit by a wave - at most beaches here (like the famous Supertubes at Jeffreys Bay where the local leg of the ASP Billabong Pro is held) getting in and out of the water is the biggest problem. At most times you can dive beneath the waves but in very shallow water you cannot and have to time your entry carefully. Sadly the most expensive is normally the best as you dont want to take chances with leaks and expensive equipment. The last camera I used in the surf was a Nikonos 5 and it was a long time ago. There are locally made housings but they offer little control over the camera and the construction does not give me any feeling of security.

verrry nice Luc. I'm with the guys and love number 3...love the shades of blue and green with a dash of red and the indefinable, abstract nature of the water makes it all look quite 'impressionist'...very cool