Kite Surfing

[adacosta]

My wife and I spend some of our time cross country skiing. Decided to head out to the Ottawa River, we had NO idea that so many people in Ottawa Kite Surfed!

I always bring my camera with me and was able to get off a few shots after introing my self to a few people there.

I was ill equipped though. i wish i had my polarizing filter, and my wide angle lens to capture the people surfing with the kites, when xcountry skiing i try and travel lite.

to give you and idea when capturing: an individual surfing with his kite in the frame: they would have to be WAY off in the distance, even with my 28-135. or i would have had to stage a shot lying on the ground angled up, enticing one of them to come close to me for that shot (i wish i had of).

i was able to get a few of them surfing right by me and snapped this one.

again, these caught me off guard i.e. the kite surfers, i am planning on going back to get some better shots.

I don't do a lot of sports, usually shooting in manual. I found my self really trying to play with the brightness of the snow (WB) and muttering with my shutter speed contemplating slower to show movement or faster to stop the guys in their tracks and show expressions. to give you and idea, some of these guys are traveling in excess of 70KM/h.

thoughts are appreciated. Thanks in advance.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22035071@N04/2307857485/" title="IMG_1284 copy by trickyd_1, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2124/2307857485_caeb46b823.jpg" width="500" height="331" alt="IMG_1284 copy" /></a>

Some questions i have and feedback i am looking for.

was this the right aperture when shooting sports?
ISO?
Composition?
horizon placement?
potential adjustments?
focusing... i set it to auto focus and enabled my far left focal square, this allowed me to place my subject in the left of the frame giving him room tor travel into. does this work for you?

Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/800)
Aperture: f/9
Focal Length: 28 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

here are one of their kits (on the ground) - i would guesstimate 25feet long, tethered to a 75+line

http://flickr.com/photos/22035071@N04/2307890687/

[RexK_Cozumel]

First off that is not kite surfing. More like kite skiing.

There is really not a "right" aperture for shooting. Although it is generally easier to use a smaller aperture so that more of the frame is in focus. As for the composition on this shot it looks pretty good. He is traveling into the frame instead of out of it which is a plus. It would have been better to get a bit closer so that you have more of the espression on his face. As for focusing it really depends on the sport. for kite boarding and track (any sport where the action is going to be moving in a fairly predictible direction) then what you did is fine. However in some sports where the person can move in unpredictable directions it is generally better to leave the focus point in the middle of the frame and shoot the person in the middle of the frame and then crop later as need be. That way if he moves left when you think he is going to go right at least you still have him in the shot.

[nDre]

hi adacosta, good try on capturing the moment.
it's quite tough to capture fast moving sport but I think you've done a good job here.

No problem with the ISO and I quite like the composition. The fact that his hand touches the snow and left a trail adds to the sense of motion.

On the other hand, I'd like to see it with better focus on his face and maybe increase the shutter a bit to make it more focused.

Also, of course it would be much better if you could include the kite in the photo, maybe you could change your angle or use wider lens.

But generally, I like the photo :D

cheers

[peeperita]

what a pleasant surprise this must have been for you and your wife to witness.....

fine work on this subject.....

i really don't think there's a "correct" anything when shooting sports in general.....i believe your depth of field was a good choice as the background is fairly uncluttered....iso is, in my book, as low as you can go to make use of the aperture and shutter speed you want in any given situation.....

your composition is strong....your subject is placed well and ditto on your horizon.....

i looked at the larger size of your image and i believe your focus to be dead on.....

no negatives here......wonderful image....

thanks

peeper

[PHugger]

My son and I participate in a similar activity, but usually much warmer.

My son on a mountainboard out in the Mojave desert -
http://home.comcast.net/~phugger/mb_jean.jpg

We usually tool around in three wheeled buggies like these -
http://home.comcast.net/~phugger/buggy6.jpg

I'd bet that your kite skiers can go a bit faster than 70 kph. I've personally witnessed someone go more than 115 kph in a buggy. My personal best is only around 80kph.

The few pro photographers I've seen all use very wide angle lenses and their basic compositions all seem to try to get both the kite and pilot in the shot.

Here are some shot by a pro that I'm acquainted with -
http://www.pbase.com/robv/sports



PCH

[Digidave]

Nice link there PHugger. How the heck did he catch some of those shots!? Absolutely breathtaking!!:)

[PHugger]

It's funny you should ask. I remember being really ticked with him at the time. He has a certain arrogance and simply parked himself right in the middle of the action. This provided him with the perfect vantage point for HIS pictures. For the rest of us, he became an unwanted background during some of the best photo ops.

http://home.comcast.net/~phugger/pictures/rv_2.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~phugger/pictures/rv_1.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~phugger/pictures/rv_3.jpg



PCH

[adacosta]

Thanks to all for your replies.

cheers,

Trick.