Hey just wondering if anyone on here has gotten into surf photography from the water. You see tons of shots from the beach, but it seems like not many people get in the water to shoot. Im heading over to San Diego in a few weeks I think I might rent an SPL housing and give it a go to try it out. Anyone have any experiences shooting on the east coast?
Ya, I don't know much about the SPL housings, but back in the day housings were all custom, they weren't always perfect and leaks/damage was not too uncommon. I figure the SPL housings are pretty good though. These days, Go Pro, has pretty much revolutionized the ease of shooting in the water. The video is good, but I don't know how good the photos are?
Yeah for the most part they are all still custom, but they are still the industry standard, so I think as long as you take care of it it, leaking shouldnt be a big problem. As for gopros, they really are only good for shooting video in crystal clear, super sunny days. Anything less and forget about it, the sensor inside is too small to gather sufficient light. And photos are useless too, partly because of the shutter lag. As for the surfers, would you be stoked to see someone in the lineup getting professional-quality photos of you getting shacked? Or would you freak out and get all aggro because you think one more person in the water is the end of the world?
Shooting water is a blast, and surfing to get water shots is also a blast. It can make otherwise closeouts or average days really fun. I love shooting water. No one will mind you sitting in the lineup taking photos, unless you are not good at getting out of the way. But, if everyone is sitting in the same spot all trying to get the shot, it can get a little messy.
Get some fins. It will help you getting into and out of the best spots to take pics. Minolta used to make a 35mm waterproof cam. It was fun.
Better to apply that rental cash to a good high speed (no shutter delay) watertight point and shoot camera than to risk your SLR on a rental housing. Or, just be certain to max out your insurance.
Fins are absolutely essential, especially on bigger days! I have a pair that I use when shooting with a gopro and wouldn't go out without them. Point-and-shoots are tough because, besides the shutter lag, they usually dont have a wide-enough lens or a big enough sensor to get decent results. I'm also thinking of getting a housing for my flash and getting night shots. Could be amazing, I haven't really seen that done before. Either way, back to my original question, I wonder why there are hardly any water photographers on the easy coast?
Fair assesment. Either way, if anyone thinks they don't lack the talent and want to work together on getting some shots over the next few months, let me know. I think it would be pretty cool. You provide the pizza
i have a question,, kind of veering off topic. i have almost 0 knowlage of cameras, will 1/2000 second speed be good for shooting from the beach?
That's kindof like saying "will an 8 foot gun work for surfing in the ocean?" the answer is "sure", but the only way it would work well is if the conditions are meant for it.
ok well for shooting surfers will that be sufficent for any type of shooting? what would YOU recomend?
not to be snide but I would recommend learning about the "Exposure Triangle". Check this out it is a good read if you are actually interested in learning about it. http://www.digital-photography-school.com/learning-exposure-in-digital-photography
I picked up a Pentax Optio W80 before I went to CR last year...it's a waterproof point and shoot camera, but it has worked well for me, but then again I'm not really trying to come up with professional shots either.
what kind of camera you shoot with? i currently have the 30d and 70-200 f/4 that i got in college but now that i graduated ive been looking at upgrading to a 7d, dont really feel like full frame is worth the cost, and wouldn't mind get a housing with a tokina 10-17 for water shots
yeah I have the 60d and I love it. I feel like for what I do full-frame is overkill also. I'd rather spend the extra $ on lenses. And yeah I was thinking the exact same thing, housing + tokina fisheye. One thing that I've always wondered, are the images taken with fisheyes from the water straightened out to lose the distortion? I don't know if it's because there aren't any straight lines in the ocean or what, but to me the photos taken from fisheyes in the water don't look as 'wacky' as the ones on land.
If your shutter speed is one shot every .002 give or take, that is incredible and is more than capable of taking any surfing picture you want, unless that isnt what you were talking about when you said 1/2000 second speed
How much are housings? and dont they come with warranties if they leak? I would love to get into shooting from the water but i would only do it on so-so days not the funner days. 1/2000 is a super fast shutter speed you could probably only use that on a really sunny day.
