Water Shooting Essentials

Raw transcript

other essential items for shooting sir photos in the water are a set of swim fins which are short flippers that you put on your feet and they really help you swim a lot better especially if you’re holding something in your hands like a water housing and and you might also want a wetsuit even if you’re surfing some are really warm even a shorty wetsuit or something like that so we give you a bit more buoyancy it can be really really helpful because you don’t necessarily die being swimming under waves generally not a problem but you do want to have that little bit of buoyancy just to keep you up so you’re not struggling to tread water the whole time a lot of surf photographers do use helmets as well because especially for sheering with a fisheye you are going to end up with very very close to a lot of surfers who might not have total control over their equipment or might not even see you a helmet gaff are the most popular brands there’s there’s other ones as well but you might see a lot of them and Zak noyle famously you’ll see here the back of his head I think he uses it as a bit of a billboard as well which is a good idea on the north shore in Hawaii but you’ll see lots of photos of the back of Zak noyle helmet and so definitely something to look out for I don’t think anyone’s going to make fun of you for wearing a helmet as a surf photographer I’ve certainly worn one before I’ve got like a bright turquoise one just to stand out a bit more as well and then wear it all the time I can’t fit it over my wetsuit hood which is probably the main reason but it’s definitely worth considering so if you’ve got your swim fins your helmet if if that’s the route one go down you basically want to be as confident as you can in the water and if you haven’t been in the water around waves before it can really really get out of control very quickly unless you’re really familiar with the way waves break where to be how to avoid them where surfers are going to go on a wave even just you can have you can have been surfing quite a lot without surfing with really good surfers and might not understand the way they’re going to move towards you different surf craft like kite surfers I don’t really know where they’re going if I see them in a lineup it’s rare but occasionally I’ll see a kite surfer lineup I don’t really know what track they’re going to take towards me or away from me like I do with someone on a short board or a longboard I can kind of picture where they’re going to go and I can make myself scarce make sure I’m not in that position kite surfers for me I want an unknown quantity might be the opposite for you you might be really tuned in to where kite surfers are going but for me I’m a I’m a liability if I’m around them so I tend to avoid sitting around in the water with housing if there’s any kite surfers and other things you want to look out for obviously crowded beaches people aren’t going to see you you’re you’re not super visible as someone bobbing around with your chin above water and a little housing so you really really got to take it upon yourself to get out of the way of everyone else you can’t rely on other people to see you and avoid you and especially in heavy waves or hollow waves I will always talk to the people who are in the water if every opportunity I get I talk to them before I go in even if it’s a spot I’m not used to I say do you mind if I take photos generally speaking they’re happy for you to do that I’ve never had anyone say no no no don’t do that but I’d be willing to just put my stuff away and just go for a surf if that’s what they said so I would talk to the people in the water once you get out there say hello make yourself known so that they know where you are and if they’re experienced surfers especially then talk to them I am some of the the better photos I’ve taken up I’ve been after I’ve said hey how’s it going do you mind if I take photos they’re like no that’s cool what lens you shooting with they’ll normally know roughly what’s going on – if you say I’ve got a fisheye they’re going to know that you might want to get really close to them and they’ll be prepared for that if you say I’ve got a 70 to 200 they’ll know that you’re going to be seeing way away off of the peak and and not really getting in their way but at least know that there and you’re gonna be trying to get photos than like that so I think the main thing you need to do is be really confident in yourself so that just involves experience I think you’ve got to put the hours in swimming body surfing surfing anything in the water which gets you in and around like the impact zone especially because you’re gonna spend a lot more time there than you would do as a surfer as a surfer you generally out back waiting for a bigger set and then riding through the impact zone that’s the ideal as a surf photographer you’re pretty much in the impact zone if you want to get the best shots especially with the fisheye so if you haven’t spent all the time in that situation then you’re going to need to before you start swinging around a big camera just for your own sake and for the safety of others so body surfing is a great way of doing that it’s a great kind of wind down after a surf for me um if it’s a shore break especially body surfing is really really good fun you should try it if you don’t you don’t haven’t had a go already body boarding again it’s no coincidence that many of the top-level surf photographers kind of entered surfing as body boarders Todd Glazer is a good example he was in a kind of elite level body boarder and now he’s one of the best-known surf photographers Chris Burkard as well I believe kind of a sponger at the start and so I think body boarders end up spending more time in those hollow waves and in the impact zone they seek out heavier in my experience hollower waves and that’s what you want to be as a surf photographer so if you if you want to really experience what it’s like to be in the same zone as a surf photographer without taking your expensive camera equipment in there just to make sure you’re familiar with it and you’re comfortable there get a body board go body surfing spend some time there that’s the best my main advice to you I don’t think there’s any way you can really prepare for it unless you’ve been in that zone and it surprises me a lot and I’ve been surfing for over 20 years and body boarding for over 20 years and I still go out and I’ll sometimes be shocked by the way a wave will break or something like that if there’s a something unusual happen every now and then that won’t really surprise me so I don’t think you can over be hundreds n prepared but do yourself a favor and do it put in as much time as you can in the ocean in waves in the place where you know we don’t want to be because that’s where you going to end up and you can end up there with one hand holding something heavy trying to protect this trying to get a photo there’s a lot going on and the more comfortable you are more likely you are to be able to nail that photo when the time comes so to wrap things up essentials that you might need so you’ve got your swim fins I’ve got a whole video link underneath that talks you through swim fins and what you might want the surfer dog free versus other activities and then you’ve got I’m going to assume you’ve got a wetsuit or suitable attire for being in the water you’re going to want a lot of Sun cream because you’re gonna get the reflection off the water you’re gonna be sitting around more than you are on a surfboard I mean you’re an experienced surfer you know some Sun creams is an essential if you’re not that into surfing and Justins photography buy yourself some really really good waterproof Sun cream get some zinc slather that all over yourself because the last thing you want to do is burn yourself you’re gonna be you’re gonna be bummed out if you can’t go and take photos or surf because you’re you didn’t bring any Sun cream so that’s my little PSA on the basics of what you will need before you go in for surf photography don’t let it put you off though it’s an amazingly it’s my favorite part of surf photography is getting in the water quite often and I’ve read this from people who’ve emailed me as well perhaps they come 20 ones and said what do you think about this surf housing do you think I should get x y&z I’ve come back to them and then six months later they’ve emailed and said you know what I now I prefer shooting photos than surfing when there’s any crowd or when when the conditions are when the lights good I’d rather grab my housing and I would my surfboard and that’s the same for me I find I find it’s so rewarding you get to share in all of the waves and and you don’t get to do that as a surfer you it’s a selfish sort of endeavor is trying to get the best wave you if you’re in a crowded lineup and the ways are good then you’re usually on the hunt for a really good one but with a camera you’re so stoked when someone gets a good one just needs anyone doesn’t matter and you if you get the shot that’s even better so I think you’re going to be you’re gonna you’re gonna feel a lot of a lot love for the for the camera housing it’s just an extra part of my quiver now so I’ve got a body board I’ve got a stand-up surfboard I’ve got an SUV and I’ve got water housing and depending on the conditions I’ll pick one of those and I’ll have a great time and the water housing just fits in alongside that other stuff so definitely a huge huge benefit for you if especially if you surf crowded waves it’s going to give you a whole new lease on your surfing life