taking surf pics

Upon Taking Great Surf Pictures

Mahalo!

there are lots of reasons why people get into photography, may be it personal, professional or just to keep moments of special occasions whatever the reason maybe but surf photographers are a different breed! i salute them!

before becoming a surf photog you should have the right know how & eqiupment for it. a simple under water camera for taking pictures of fishes & other marine scenery would not suffice. your underwater casing should be able to withstand the great pressure that a wave will force upon you & your camera. a 4 foot high wave will excert almost a ton of force in pounds when you're on the lip and then crushing you & your camera upon breaking. and being under all that water will certainly break a camera housing. alot of surf photogs have custom made housings which they themselves designed & tested out for there are just no casings available in the market today made specifically for taking pctures out in the surf.

also the photog should learn to be confident & comfortable in the surf. in which it could be very harassing just to go out where the waves are breaking. i remember once at Makati isaland at eastern samar where we have to paddle for 45 minutes just to get to the reef break, head high waves and bowls just right then another 45 minutes to get back to shore. a wave runner can bring you there but who has a wave runner in the middle of a lonely island? you have to have passion for it or else you'll quit the first time you encounter something like this also getting reef cuts, jellyfish or shark attacks is also a consideration. then the photog should know how to surf, respect the ocean & the people living around them. being in top physical condition is a must if you wish to be there at the surf & make sure that you know how to take pictures & time the shots taken to get the right effect or picture you want. of course you can take pics at the shore but you should have real big lenses to get the pictures you want. the surfer & the surf. nobody will apreciate a picture of a surfer that will only be a dot on the whole frame but i have seen pictures taken from the top a hill & still you'll grow in amazement how it was taken. hiking up a mountain just to get that shot is very very tiring but the rewards of getting the perfect shot is worth all the effort.

you should know when the right conditions are for great surf so that your trouble of getting there, the right equipment & the cost of going around would be all worthwhile. weather watching is an element that can't be taken out of consideraton.

someday you'll learn to be a good one for sure..

love for photography is not enough, you have to love of the sea & the surf lifestyle as well..

surf's up! hangloose! Shaka!