C&C Wideangle kitesurfers

Calina

This evening in Sutton.

I'm not releasing EXIF for the moment, so in summary, the shot was taken:

@ 20mm and 400ISO and aperture priority (I've just noticed it was 5.6 which it should not have been argghh - I prefer f8 on that lens) 1/2000. On reflection I wanted a narrower aperture and a lower ISO. I'd have settled for 1/1000 in that case. Mweh. I went for aperture priority instead of the more usual manual so as to reduce the amount of tweaking I had to do whilst I was in the water.

The photograph was taken from the middle of the channel, if you know Sutton. If you do not, I was waist deep in water. The fact that the kite is not entirely clear is probably due to a drop of water on the front of the lens. The aperture didn't help either I guess.

Tarakiwa

Looks like you took your life in your hands to take it!

rymus

Very nice as usual... It does look like some kind of haze obstructing the kite but I wouldnt worry about it. Oh and please get a waterproof housing, I can't take the stress of knowing that some day you'll come on here with a post saying "oops, I dropped my camera in the irish sea"

Calina

Yeah, I know. I'm considering one for a 40D but will probably pick paudie's brains about that on the weekend.

Tarakiwa, yes, I did take my life in my hands but not so much from the guys jumping around me - I know them long enough to know they're not going to try and kill me - it was the traffic when it got really busy - far too many people to be watching for and avoiding...

Borderfox

Very nice Treasa, unusual angle. Did you use a polariser on this?

bigeoino

great shot...
I love your quibbles - can't wait to see one when you're really happy!
(a quick question - are you in a wet suit / dry suit or waders?)

Calina

No polariser and I didn't mess around with it in Photoshop other than to get rid of some empty space. the colours are as were compressed by the camera (shot in jpg).

I wore a wetsuit. I tried waders before but really, you're better off with a wet or a dry suit.

Some of the zoom stuff makes me really happy but I am not completely on top of how to do the wide stuff yet (I still have aspirations). I guess you always need something to work to...or aim for. One of the guys I photograph regularly is a very high jumper. I want to get him going straight over my head. And yes, I do wear a helmet in the water. I look like a dork.

Borderfox

With wide angle stuff trust is the biggest issue, I have tried some 10mm test with a horse and rider galloping towards me and it takes a lot not to leg it. I think with wide angle it has to be 10mm to get the most out of the shot. Well done Calina, I will have to drop down to Dollymount one of these evenings. Whats the best time to go down?

bigeoino

Calina wrote:

... And yes, I do wear a helmet in the water. I look like a dork.

or duck?
maybe you can get one of those decoy ducks for your helmet.

I am really impressed with you dedication. there is a kitesurfing near me and was wondering how you managed such engaging shots!

Valentia

I saw your recent shots on your Flickr and meant to go back and comment but got sidetracked

Love the shot! This one on Flickr really stands out. Dynamic action and composition. Really exciting action IMHO. The deep blue and angle work very well.

Borderfox

I would agree with Danny, the deep blue is fantastic and couple with the kitesurfer and the twisted angle is excellent. This is the type of shot that imo would sell well.

GristlyEnd

Fabulous shot. I'm one of those that went down to Dollymount one weekend with my 70-200. I took a few from the beach but nothing great. Wouldn't mind heading back down for some tips if you're around?

Calina

Okay...Darren, Keith, the next time I am most likely to be on the beach is tomorrow so if you want to meet up then, pending weather (if it's raining I am not going - there is a limit to how often I'll get cold and wet in one week), we'll come to some arrangement by PM. Zooms all round. I'll take risks without watercasings for myself, but not for anyone else. Also I'm nervous enough of taking people into the water given the traffic there was there lastnight Darren, if you've a teleconverter for that 200mm zoom, you'll probably need it. Forecast for the weekend is not that great. If you're interested, please PM me phone numbers.

bigeoino, if you're interested, and rymus is interested, and if the weather is suitable and if there is anyone around, I'll be in Cork the weekend after next at the Fota Meet up. We might look into doing something then if there's time and kitesurfing (okay, it cuts into the post match analysis drinking tea time, but hey...what the hell) Rymus, what do you think? I might be able to find out if anyone will be around the east Cork beaches.

Anyone in the Donegal area, that weekend, there should be a competition in the Rossnowlagh area - I won't be there myself since I'll be in Cork larging it up in Fota but they are always pleased to see photographers on the beach.
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Re: the shot which Danny linked to - I was slightly disappointed with them last night. I don't know if it's because I was tired or what - but I think it's because I've a fetish for razor sharp images and courtesy of the aperture and the ISO, they are not as sharp as they should be. This is why I have some quibbles (sorry bigeoino) about the shots as they stand. I like the colours a lot but I don't have so much control over that.

Last night was only the third time I've been out with that lens - the first time the weather wasn't great for photographs, the second time it wasn't that hot for kitesurfing (although some of the photographs are spectacular), so I feel I've a way to go before I'm fully comfortable with it. I'd like to be able to shoot fully manual with it - am wondering about programmable mode? I guess that means taking out the uhem instruction manual again. Argghh.

bigeoino

Calina wrote:

bigeoino, if you're interested, and rymus is interested, and if the weather is suitable and if there is anyone around, I'll be in Cork the weekend after next at the Fota Meet up. We might look into doing something then if there's time and kitesurfing (okay, it cuts into the post match analysis drinking tea time, but hey...what the hell) Rymus, what do you think? I might be able to find out if anyone will be around the east Cork beaches.

sorry I won't be there....
I think that's the electric picnic weekend... where I'll be getting wet :cool:
or it's the beginning of the world cup... in which case I'm in france.:)

as to beaches... the one near me - harbour view near kilbrittain - has it's fair share of wind and kite surfers and the beach is sheltered so waves are small and is particularly shallow so ideally suited to a long walk out...

rahtkennades

Calina wrote:

Yeah, I know. I'm considering one for a 40D but will probably pick paudie's brains about that on the weekend.

Tarakiwa, yes, I did take my life in my hands but not so much from the guys jumping around me - I know them long enough to know they're not going to try and kill me - it was the traffic when it got really busy - far too many people to be watching for and avoiding...

Calina,
that's a great shot. I certainly admire your bravery if nothing else, those things look fast!

re the housing, it's definitely worth getting one! I doubt the house insurance will cover it!:p

Have a look here for the flexible covers you can get. There's various types, and cheaper than listed here too.

mobileblog

Just after taking a look through your flickr. The (q_pIMG_3067 and PSE_IMG_0808) ones are great. How did you even get into this (I mean standing waist deep in the sea to take the shots). It’s all about getting the perfect picture I guess. Do you surf as well?

philstar

super action shot, well captured

Calina

Okay, a couple of answers:

rahtkennades: I hadn't seen that one. I had looked an aquapac one which really didn't look all that great for what I do. I really need splash protection. And no, I'm pretty sure the house insurance won't cover it. I'd be surprised if anything does to be honest.

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I've tried windsurfing (I was bad at it), surfing (I was terrible at it) and kitesurfing (ask in three months time but I really really like it). So you could say "yeah I do" but uhem...okay, a way to go yet.

About 4 years ago I passed Malahide channel where there were a bunch of guys doing this. I had a film SLR with me and I thought "that looks cool" so went and took a handful of not very great photographs. I bought more zoom (uhoh) and still didn't manage to get what I wanted. So I stopped until sometime last year when I went digital, discovered autofocus and started buying even more zoom lenses. 1.6 crop factor on the sensor particularly aided me.

Standing in the middle of the sea was because I wanted to get the kite into the shots as well (and make them look spectacular rather than like snapshots) so I bought a wide angle and discovered I'd have to go closer to the action, much closer to the action. I've a long way to go at that before I produce the photos with the wideangle that I am aiming for. After that I'm not sure what I can do that's really different. Someone recommended a fisheye lens but skill wise it'll not be too different to the wideangle. I'll think about it later.

I stick with it because the guys I photograph are a great bunch and they make it fun for me. Someone said ages ago that photography could be a very solitary game. For me, even if I'm the only photographer on the beach (and increasingly I'm not), it's very social. I got to know a lot of people through this.

the one thing that fascinates me is how different people respond to different types of shots. I expected more people to go for the 3067 than did, ultimately during the day.

Borderfox

I would even try one of those waterproof Olympus cameras and try to take shots half under water and half above. Like this but without the Elephant!!

http://www.stevebloom.com/images/s/003608-SB1.jpg