It's been at least a year since I've shot any surfing pics [we don't have much of it in Missouri].
Must say I miss it. Only having a 300mm + 1.4x teleconverter is a bit limiting at times, but its still a blast to watch great waves.
The size of the waves vs. the Redondo breakwater rocks vs. man is pretty nuts - if you fall and get pulled into the rocks you are basically done for.
With some sweet waves breaking on the rocks, got the 16-35mm out to see what the view was like as the surfers launched out.
A friend of mine here has a surf housing, hopefully I will be able to use it soon to shoot from the water! Thats the perspective I think is the most interesting for surf pics.
Full gallery - click on it or use the buttons to scroll through all 50 some pics.
Just got the new Canon PowerShot G11 point and shoot camera as an Christmas gift.
I wanted to have something with high-quality files, good low light performance without flash, yet still compact for shooting feature pics while working at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver this February.
While the G11 is only 10mp, unlike the 14.7 megapixel G10 - the designers of the G11 seemed to have looked at the features that really mattered, not just the megapixel race. Canon brought back the flip out LCD which has been around since the G1 - but disappeared a few generations back.
As a whole, the camera feels quite snappy [pun intended] - its quick and responsive with intuitive controls.
The controls on top are well laid out, with a dial for ISO from Auto up to 3200 as well as multiple shooting modes [P, Av, Tv, M], and an exposure compensation dial. I see myself shooting with this camera mostly in aperture priority, no flash, setting my ISO and my exposure compensation depending on the situation - if I am looking to expose for the foreground in a backlit situation or create a silhouette.
A backlit portrait at 3200 ISO, better than I expected from a point and shoot.
The other feature I have enjoyed is the "quickshot" mode, its fast, snappy, to the point - the idea being you don't miss the shot. You just use the optical viewfinder [or hip-fire it], it focuses quickly without flash and gets the shot
The movie mode, though not HD [a major disappointment] has good color and quality, even when recording at night. I'm interested in learning more about multimedia, until I can get a more powerful rig, I hope to use this to make cool movies just for fun as an exercise in this.
A solid Macro Mode has been fun to use so far - but also quite sharp - even at 3200 ISO
Photographed close up, in "Macro Mode" at 3200 ISO
Detail of noise, or lack thereof, at 3200 ISO, hand held, 50% quality.
A candle at the dinner table:
50% Crop of that candle:
The camera features a remote port to connect a pocketwizard cable release as well as a hot shoe that supports my Canon 580EX II. There is also a water housing available from Canon - I hope to try these out soon.
While it shoots RAW - it requires Photoshop CS4 to open the files, or using Adobe's DNG converter as a workaround to open - so looks like I will have something else to buy unless the DNG conversion works well.. ugh.
More macro action at the dinner table.
As a whole, I'm excited about the potential of the camera for shooting feature pictures in situations when a full DSLR is just not appropriate or allowed - my dad said the layout reminds him of his Leica - you could carry it anywhere, people would not think it is as powerful as it is, maybe the G11 can get close to that too.
Looking back at what has happened this year, I thought it might be good to write about my experiences from SportsShooter Academy VI.
The Sports Shooter Academy is a memorable opportunity for students and professionals striving to move their sports photography to the next level. Like with any great photojournalism workshop, you'll make some new friends, see some old ones, and have experiences you won't forget - but here, its about sports and great pictures. Robert Hanashiro and the rest of the SSA faculty have put together a cool workshop featuring three intense days of shooting college basketball, volleyball, soccer, swimming & diving, water polo, track & field, softball and tennis.
The chance to shoot sports completely new to yourself - but with the coaching of experienced photographers - is fantastic, plus the faculty is great about encouraging students to think differently about their work, to make frames that you would not normally make for a "daily newspaper" - to get creative and shoot pictures that you want to shoot.
I am particularly grateful for the SSA experience as one of the images I made at SSA VI was part of my sports portfolio that won bronze in CPOY this year. Beyond just the pictures I made then, I learned a lot more that I have yet to express in my images. The experience from the workshop continues with you into every assignment you have after that week.
There is not a set way of shooting at SSA - you can shoot how you want to, but you can also get advice and ideas from other students, you start to think more about how you see the world and sports - the emotion, relationships, and moments that happen on and off the field. The workshop doesn't just deal with the technical [though a lot of that is available], it teaches you about how you think about sports photography as a whole, making every picture mean something.
I really cannot say enough good things about the workshop and would encourage other students and professionals to apply, you will find it time well spent. I did not apply this year, but I will certainly do so again in the future.
---------------------------------------------------- For more information about the Sports Shooter Academy, or to apply for SSA VII check out SportsShooterAcademy.com
Horse racing remote camera set up under the fence with the help of LA Times' Wally Skalij at Santa Anita Park.
The photojournalism community is a unique and wonderful thing.
. Daddy D'z BBQ Joynt! Great ribs, not a fan of their cornbread though.
Thanks to the internet, there a lots of powerful sites like SportsShooter.com, APAD, and Lightstalkers. These sites provide message boards to learn, interact, and discuss - but nothing compares to the chance to make new friends and build relationships in person. We learn not only from interesting speakers and late night portfolio critiques, but from the people around us. Other students and journalists gather with open minds and a willingness to learn and share. The top names in our industry give up their own time to help the up and coming, college kids with aspirations and dreams.
Mr. CPOY 2009, but Ryan's attitude is so down to earth, you wouldn't know it without looking at his portfolio!
While I go to a big PhotoJ school like Mizzou, where I've made great friends and connections, I feel that the personal relationships I have made while attending workshops and seminars like Atlanta PJ, MPW and The Mountain Workshops have been a tremendous part of my photojournalism education. I've learned more in a few days than an entire semester, meeting great people from across the country along the way.
ZUMA Press founder Scott Mc Kiernan talks about the biz of photojournalism with ZUMA's Tessa Ferrario and freelance journalist Stephen Alvarez
In an industry as small and as difficult as ours, the people you know and trust are the ones you will turn to first, who you will ask for help and advice - and who you will try to help when the tables are turned.
I love being a photojournalist. Spending my time with friends who feel the same way as I do about storytelling and pictures is second only to making great photos [and sometimes the two even collide!].
Driving back from Atlanta to Columbia, Missouri - I've never had a 10 hour drive pass by so quickly. There is more to life than we realize sometimes, it never hurts to just admire the beauty in the world around us and appreciate what we have.
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