Friday 18 February 2011

Wanda Surf Carnival



Last Sunday I had the opportunity to take photos of the activity at a junior surfing carnival alongside a group of professional photographers.

As there were children involved we all had police checks and the whole day was so well managed by the company engaged to take photos of the participants we were even supplied with cameras. This was a challenge for me as I normally shoot Canon and the Nikon D100 I was given to use was totally alien. In fact I was so focused on the camera (was that a pun?) I missed a lot of the action.

I have done sports photography before, including Rugby League, Water Polo, Hockey and Motor Racing, but this was a totally different style. Whereas I normally approach the task with the intent of including additional elements such as competitors to add context, here the intent was to isolate the subject. More a case of Sports Portraiture than Sports Action. Unfortunately I did not realise this until it was pointed out later in the day.

Although I am disappointed not to have been able to fully match the pros, I did enjoy the challenge and the learning experience of shooting in full manual mode as well as dealing with the weather which went from cool in the morning to windy and then built up to heavy wind and rain in the afternoon. I was certainly glad not to be using my own camera in the salt and sand blown up by the wind but did manage to keep the camera reasonably dry even when the rain was so heavy I could not see to focus.

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About Me

This Blog is about my journey as I try to rediscover photography and all it's pleasures. I took up photography with a passion following my retirement from work and have had ups and downs as I aspired to learn and become the best photographer I could be. I have no interest in becoming a professional in the field, merely that others may enjoy the results of my achievements.