Photographing surfing, (what not to do.)
Surfing life in South Australia…
is mainly centred around family holidays and extra weekend breaks. Over the years I have learnt what to photograph when my children are surfing and what NOT to photograph!
We have a beach house at the bottom end of Yorke Peninsula and as I have mentioned in my other blogs, we have been frequenting these beaches in this area for many years.
It’s always been all about the surfing. Right from the beginning when my children were little we had to choose a holiday destination that had waves. At the tip of Yorke Peninsula, the various beaches around the peninsula are known for their great surfing waves. Consequently over the years we grew to love all these spots.
My love for photography also grew over the years and one of the most challenging aspects, was the capturing of fast moving bodies on a wave. However as was my custom, time and time again while waiting for one of them to catch a wave, my thoughts and the direction of my camera would drift off to survey the sights. A bird, a yacht, a beautiful cloud, some sun bathers, what ever it was, inevitably I would miss the golden shot.
That evening while viewing the photographs of the day, I would be reprimanded… “Oh my goodness, she’s done it again, photographed a bird instead of my tube!!”
I have learnt to focus my entire attention on endlessly watching the waves and the surfers. It can give you a bit of eye strain keeping focused on distant objects on a bright sunny day, However, good sunnies and a sunhat go a long way in saving the day. And when you catch that magic shot it is well worth the wait.
A moment of boredom and a yacht sails by in the distance. How could I resist??
A bird or two but what a view.