Going to try and stop by waimea bay next weekend while I am in Hawaii and catch some photos of people surfing the big waves. The longest lens I currently own is a 70-200 which i imagine is painfully short for that sort of photography. I was thinking of renting a 400 5.6 and possibly a 1.4x teleconverter to capture the action and pray that it is bright outside while I am there. Will the 400 be long enough or do I need the additionally reach from the TC? Will be using my 1D3 so f/8 focusing wont be an issue.
Also, any suggestions on how to approach photographing surfing would be greatly appreciated as I have absolutely no clue where to begin.
Rent an underwater housing, don fins and swim out for the best angles. If it's not too choppy you might consider renting a jet ski and using it as a shooting platform.
The best light at Waimea is early morning as waves and surfers will be front lit. Afternoons are beautiful but single point/axis AF at F8 would be really tough due to the strong backlighting.
I highly recommend renting from Hawaii Camera. They have an amazing staff at a convenient location, if you are in Waikiki. This might be a once in a lifetime, so why not rent this:
If I grab a lens it'll be from lensrentals.com (less expensive and I am on a fairly tight budget). While I imagine nailing focus will be tough, won't f/8 provide a decent bit of depth of field that far out?
Unfortunately, I don't know enough about the dynamics of big waves to safely attempt fins/jet skiing out there without injuring myself or others in the process.
Unless you can get out onto the rocky point near the break on the east side of the bay you're going to need as much lens as you can gather and then some. Even on the point you're going to need some pretty big lenses, to get closer up action shots.
I was at Waimea for the Eddie Aikau contest the last time the contest ran. I was near the road on the west side of the bay. I tried shooting with a 1D II, with a 2 stacked 1.4x on a 400 5.6. I got a couple of barely usable heavily cropped images. I had more than enough light, but was sorely lacking in the reach department. I'm not at home so I don't have any samples I can post for you though ...
Not sure what you're experience with North Shore surf is, but it's pretty unpredictable at best. Waimea bay in particular does not break until the surf gets BIG (20+ ft), even by N. Shore Oahu standards, really no more than a few times a season. If you mean this coming weekend the surf report for this coming weekend is not calling for big surf. http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/pages/SRF.php
I just moved from Oahu a few months ago, feel free to shoot me a message if I can help with any other questions.
Gochugogi wrote: Rent an underwater housing, don fins and swim out for the best angles. If it's not too choppy you might consider renting a jet ski and using it as a shooting platform.
The best light at Waimea is early morning as waves and surfers will be front lit. Afternoons are beautiful but single point/axis AF at F8 would be really tough due to the strong backlighting.
Unless an experienced swimmer/surfer this is a NO NO NO!
Rent a 500 or 600 and enjoy, the 400 bare will be best AF wise, with 1.4 it will be slow, shooting from waters edge is as close as I'd get, those massive waves and white wash are nothing to mess with.
When I was on foot, not wheels like now, a 400 or 500 from the shoreline even here in SoCal was sometimes not enough reach; that was in the 70s with no AF Since going AF, all I've shot with is a 300 f4L IS with 1.4x II, and mostly shoot from piers or boardwalks; I shoot with a 40D; use every bit of it's 6.5fps and shoot single shot a lot; center point AF only. Given my FL limit issues, I mostly crop pretty heavy...I can't really handle the bigger glass now.
My best advice...run off a few dozen test shots to determine good exposure; just shoot the waves at various points, crest, face and the white water, to get a good handle on the speed and the lighting.
Try following your prey; surfers, shooting for the tops of waves, on entry shots can be quite rewarding. After the initial takeoff things get even faster, If you've not shot surfers before, don't look for your keeper rate to be really high.
If you're going the tripod route, not handheld, you might consider a gimbal head, they can really help greatly with the bigger glass...following a surfer on a big face is quite interesting...keeps a smile on my face, also reminds how fortunate we are to enjoy such efforts with all that power of mother nature on heels/fins!
That's all I've got for ya, enjoy all that magnificent beautiful blue!
Jerry...ex Wedge surfer...call me crazy, my buddies did, still do
Always check the surf report first. Like fluffy mentioned who knows how the waves will be or if a swell is coming through. It would also be a good idea to scout some other areas up north. Maybe Pipeline or Sunset. Another fun place to shoot if you don't mind spongers and bodysurfers is Sandy Beach down in the southeast. Since it's mostly shorebreaks you could getaway with a shorter lens, but don't get too close and underestimate the current as it could knock you over quite easily. Makapu'u may be worth your time as well. There's also some great opportunities for some seascapes in the area. You could even hike up Koko Head if you want. Hopefully you'll get lucky and a huge swell rolls through that week.
I shoot with my 100-400 and have no problems. My favorite place is the pipeline. Generally I set TV to 1250 and adjust my ISO if any problems. Usually the light is great. Check my site for surfing pictures. I have shot at Waimea with the 100-400 and I do need to crop. Sunset is a bit far. www.sscphoto.zenfolio.com
I will be there again in December for the pipeline masters. I do not like to use my TC.
ssc45 wrote:
I shoot with my 100-400 and have no problems. My favorite place is the pipeline. Generally I set TV to 1250 and adjust my ISO if any problems. Usually the light is great. Check my site for surfing pictures. I have shot at Waimea with the 100-400 and I do need to crop. Sunset is a bit far. www.sscphoto.zenfolio.com
I will be there again in December for the pipeline masters. I do not like to use my TC.
Cheers, Steve
Steve, just went to your website, your opening picture of Avalon's casino brought back many a memory; summers spent in my youth, the 70s, sailing to the island...brought a huge smile, warmed my heart...can't wait to see your surfing imagery...bravo
Ahh thank you for linking to the surf report, it looks like I probably won't need to even worry about getting photos of surfers if there won't be any good big waves coming in. I have been trying to sort out where it was. Perhaps I will end up down in Hawaii again sometime in the future when they have the great waves that they are known for during the winter.
I never shot surfing on north shore Oahu, but shoot surfing in So CA all the time (waves break closer to shore here). I use a 300 and 500mm lens here which is plenty of reach for here. Oahu needs much more reach to get detailed surfer. If the waves are really going off, it's nice to get a shot of the whole wave.
Use a monopod and shoot in manual mode. You MUST shoot in manual. The waves break and you get white wash that will change exposure. You want the surfer to be correctly exposes, not necessarily the wave. Use a single point AF not "ring of fire". You'll have fun just getting out there.
Since going AF, all I've shot with is a 300 f4L IS with 1.4x II, and mostly shoot from piers or boardwalks; I shoot with a 40D; use every bit of it's 6.5fps and shoot single shot a lot; center point AF only. Given my FL limit issues, I mostly crop pretty heavy...I can't really handle the bigger glass now.