The school sent me out to shoot the surf team in action. never shot surf before and was unsure about settings and crops. I was amazed at the athleticism of these kids. Their stamina outlasted me standing on the beach. What is needed for a good surf shot? Should it be tight or a little wider to see more of the Ocean? Do you need the surfers face to show? The board? wipeouts? thanks for the help. I really enjoyed shooting these kids and will try and do it again.
I'm liking #5, #6 and #7. I shot some surf on in Cali a few weeks ago for the first time and I have to agree with you on the athleticisim on some of the surfers. They do some pretty wild things with the boards.
I guess to answer your questions would depend on the shot. While faces always add to the shot and tight crops work for some sports....there may be situations with surfing where it works when there isn't a face....or a wider shot may be the better view.
I've see some pretty sweet surf shots here on FM so I'd recommend to look back through them to get a sense of how others shoot surf and process them.
#1 & #6 & #8 are your best shots.
#3, for example, i'd like to see a little further back and the surfer positioned to the left frame so we can see where he is headed. what does the wave setup look like? what maneuver has he just completed or looking to set up here? his eyes are further down the wave.
i would say that generally these could stand to be cropped further out. if you're going for a wider shot then you want to show where the surfer is going, not where they've been. showing a surfer's face is great but if it's peak action of a big maneuver this isn't critical. showing the entire board is a must, especially if you're thinking commercial potential, because this is how sponsors get exposure. additionally, if you can't see the entire board then you're cropped too tight anyways. wipeouts are more common than successful maneuvers, so unless it's a big wipeout that really really makes it stand out these generally aren't considered keeper shots.
