Surf City!

[ian408]

Forget HB, it's all Santa Cruz baby...It was supposed to be 70(f) over in
Santa Cruz. I thought I'd swing on by and catch some surf shots. Bzzt. It
was about 50(f) and overcast.

I clearly need more practice at this because the frame after this shows very
clear air--but is out of focus.

http://ian408.smugmug.com/photos/12651781-M.jpg

http://ian408.smugmug.com/photos/12653494-M.jpg

http://ian408.smugmug.com/photos/12652253-M.jpg


I swung the camera around to catch these folks enjoying the contest...

http://ian408.smugmug.com/photos/12652573-M.jpg


Any advice would be very, very welcome!

Ian

P.S. Could we add a sports category?

[wxwax]

Were you using autofocus? What lens and settings? :ear

[ian408]

Were you using autofocus? What lens and settings? :ear
Yes. AF + Servo mode. 1/200, f13. 500mm. The shutter speed is definetly
too slow (or I should shoot with a tripod).

ian

[wxwax]

OMG, you were hand-held? wow, with a 500 I reckon you're right, a tripod would help. Also, at f13, the ol' autofocus might be a tad slow, no?

[DoctorIt]

yeah, i second that wow! hand held 500 - how big are your arms? :D

[ian408]

Sorry, I should have said I was on a mono-pod. I suppose you could hand-hold
that....for about one or two shots in really bright light :D

Light condition was constantly changing. The guy standing next to me had a rain
cover over his camera :huh But he was shooting w/heavy pod and a dampened head.
That would have made panning easier.

But yes, f13 is too slow for that. I tried multiple combinations of ss, iso and ap to
find something that "worked".

Check out this head shot...

http://ian408.smugmug.com/photos/12652574-M.jpg

This actually was hand-held. Had to pick it all up to swing over for the shot.


Ian

[ubergeek]

If you have the aperture set to f/13, the camera still uses the max aperture (whatever that is) to actually focus; it doesn't stop down to f/13 until just before tripping the shutter. (I'm not aware of any 500mm f/13 lenses, so I assume the stated aperture was what the camera was set to, not the max aperture of the lens.)

Cheers,
Jeremy

OMG, you were hand-held? wow, with a 500 I reckon you're right, a tripod would help. Also, at f13, the ol' autofocus might be a tad slow, no?

[gus]

Great shots ian...the photographers on the hill tell the story re the air temp.

[ian408]

If you have the aperture set to f/13, the camera still uses the max aperture (whatever that is) to actually focus; it doesn't stop down to f/13 until just before tripping the shutter. (I'm not aware of any 500mm f/13 lenses, so I assume the stated aperture was what the camera was set to, not the max aperture of the lens.)

Cheers,
Jeremy
I might not have been clear in my reply. The combination of shutter/aperture
are wrong for the shot. I would have been better off more open.

You're right, the settings are exposure settings.

Ian

[gtc]

Check out this head shot...

he certainly has quite a head on him...

http://ian408.smugmug.com/photos/12652574-M.jpg

This actually was hand-held. Had to pick it all up to swing over for the shot.


Ian[/QUOTE]

[Steve Cavigliano]

Yes. AF + Servo mode. 1/200, f13. 500mm. The shutter speed is definetly
too slow (or I should shoot with a tripod).

ianIan,
With that good of light, I wouldn't bother with a tripod. I would, however, crank the speed up as high as you can (personally, I'd shoot for 1/1000 minimum). Maybe, widen the aperture up a bit too.

Yep, you're doggone right about Surf City being in NorCal. Who ever heard of Huntington Beach? http://dgrin.com/images/smilies/lol3.gif

A few weekend's ago my wife dropped me off at the Lighthouse and let me shoot for 15 minutes while she circled (as usual, no parking available on the weekend). Anyhow, I got some decent results at from 226-500mm, handheld. Had that bright afternoon Sun off to my 2 o'clock, but I'm still pretty happy with the results I got :-)

Here are a few:
http://www.pbase.com/slo2k/image/36855042
http://www.pbase.com/slo2k/image/37051397
http://www.pbase.com/slo2k/image/36857243
http://www.pbase.com/slo2k/image/36857732

I need to go back when I can shoot a whole MD full of images http://dgrin.com/images/smilies/mwink.gif Good luck on your next shoot :-)


Steve

[ian408]

Anytime you want to head down and shoot, let me know.

ian

[pathfinder]

I might not have been clear in my reply. The combination of shutter/aperture
are wrong for the shot. I would have been better off more open.

You're right, the settings are exposure settings.

Ian


If you are metering with a typical averaging light meter, I suspect that the white water in the waves could use +1 stop of exposure compensation so that the waves aren't so grey and underexposed. I think that is what you are saying aren't you?

[ian408]

If you are metering with a typical averaging light meter, I suspect that the white water in the waves could use +1 stop of exposure compensation so that the waves aren't so grey and underexposed. I think that is what you are saying aren't you?
Hmmm. Now that you mention it, that might be worth trying.

Any way, the second in the series is blurred. I think it's because of the
shutter/aperture combination.

Ian