To all the surf photog's

General Discussion
1

Hey all. Im a photography nut and do it at school. We have this project that we havev to do this end of year and

i was wanting to know if i could get some help. The thing is worth 12 CREDITS!!! and i want to get it right.

I have to do two boards full with photos and i have chosen the idea os the creation of a surfboard from blank to board and then to sea.

I have to try and focus on the surfboard, the shaper, and the tools and have to try and develop an idea throughout it.

Anyway. i havnt really seen many pictures like these even though i know there are plenty out there. I was wondering if

anyone had anything that can help me in the way of photographing shaping. Im going to go into the local surf shop and photo them shaping.

Any sites etc with ideas that could help me would be great to :slight_smile:

As you can tell im pretty undecided on what to show in most of the pictures and who better to ask than more SURFERS!

I have some ideas but input from surfers themselves is the best for it. Thank you soooooooooo much in advance.

Chris

2

Hi Cheater,

Is this something you might be interested in?

Just my friend and I goofing off when I was teaching him to shape.

I can send you the high res pic if you want.

Cheers,

Rio

3

Thats realy cool, i like it. But i dont think it really it would fit in with the style of photos that

i am expected to produce :S. We shoot in black and white film with high contrast.

Does anyone have anything ??? at all??? i’ve been searching quite a bit through surfboard shots but they are

all the same…

4

well,

more free tips …

do you have a tripod , a self-timer and slow shutter settings ?

I have a few “arty-farty” type ideas …

ben

…it’s 35mm S.L.R. stuff that you’re shooting , yes ?

5

I do have a tripod and i do have slow shutter settings. But i was wanting to take pictures off another shaper at his work otherwise i’d have to get my act together and make another board(which even though it’d be really cool, i dont have any money for it at the moment).

6

Like this

9

10

cheater: buy a blank, shape it, take a bunch of photos, go for different angles, explore composition & light, choose the best. you can do it mate. all the best.

11

[for fin panel layups…



12

yep ,

like Nathan said …different angles …below , above , alongside .

different lenses …28/ 35mm up close ,

50

135

protect the camera and lens from dust.

use a tripod and a cable release for slow sutter speed , smaller aperture depth of field shots .

keep your backgrounds dark , if possible

fill the frame , better still [closeups]

different lighting …

back lighting

side lighting

overhead lighting

front lighting

45 degrees lighting

again , these will depend on you moving around .

film …

400iso film , preferably …you guys get ilford hp5 [b and w] there ?

if you want it GRAINY , you can always push process it to 800 or 1600iso.

If you have access , take 2 camera bodies , one for 400 rated hp5 , the other for 800 rated [write on each one]

how well do you know the shaper ?

let him have an idea in advance of the sorts of shots you want to take , maybe visit the shaping bay to check out angles beforehand .

he won’t want you getting in the way , basically .

“Oldy’'s quad fish thread , my " my next …bushfire fish” thread , "hicksy’'s ‘auslocks’ and ‘moonrocket’ threads …

ALL these document the process of boards being made [ as well as your last fish one too, of course !]

If you make a list of all the stages involved in making a board , this should give you a couple of (36 shots per roll, preferably) rolls worth of shots to take .

**********Always take MORE film than you think you will need **********

okay , to recap again …

angles ,

lighting ,

filling the frame,

simple backgrounds ,

plan ,

LOTS of film !

consider TWO camera bodies , if possible [push process one roll , perhaps , for different contrast / grain effects ]

protect your camera , your lens [filter] , and yourself …from dust , and vapours [mask / respirator for you, if photo’ing glassing and sanding]

ben

13

I personally have not done those type of shots, but I would say shoot black and white or sepia; shoot with slow shutter speed + flash to make a trail behind a crisp image with movements from ambient light exposure; use a fish-eye.

14

I was hoping you would reply with some of your pics oldy. So inspiring as a photographer.

Thanks art those are also some nice pics.

AND thanks chip, i will have to print that list out and try and get them all. :slight_smile:

Im starting to get some really awsome ideas for this project. The overall project is meant to take 1 and a half terms,

and im meant to revisit the subject a couple of times. I just hope i wont be a pain to the shaper :S

The main reason i dont want to take the photos at my own house of my own board is that my garage looks really

cluttered and boring (not like that in real life only in the photos) and a shaping bay woud help A LOT. Still a garage setup like

Oldys looks really good in b&w.

15

Here’s one of my all-time favorites-Pat Curren shaping a board for his son, photographed by Andrew Kidman. I love how the focus is on his hands, with everything else a bit blurry.

Maybe some inspiration from this one? Good luck!

600×736 36.3 KB

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Quote:

Here’s one of my all-time favorites-Pat Curren shaping a board for his son, photographed by Andrew Kidman.

amen

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A quick and dirty photoshop job…

Enjoy!

Rio

EDIT: Woah! my pic won’t load inline!! it shows in the “preview post” but not in the actual post…

18

I like time lapse stuff. If you could do that, it might turn out real nice. Anyway, when you get done with the project make sure to post those pics on here!

19

Rio - rename your photo. I bet it has the “&” symbol in the name…no good.

20

Hey Benny,

Thanks !!! it worked!

Cheers,

Rio