Landscape, Nature And Travel Photography

Fitting a huge eye-catching scene into a 35mm frame can often be a daunting task. I routinely see photographers attempting to do this and missing the mark. Experiencing a grand scene and capturing it effectively for others to experience often eludes photographers. One trick of the trade is to leverage a component of your scene for scale. In many instances the object included for scale is the element of focus and other times it can be a secondary object lending itself to provide viewers an anchor to make sense of the scene.

As an example photographers photographing Mavericks will either shoot a close up of the surfer losing all perspective to the scene or they’ll include a view of the massive wave with the surfer. The later can produce some jaw dropping images highlighting the size of the waves in relation to the surfers.

2nd place finisher Shane Desmond surfs a giant wave in the second heat of the 2010 Mavericks Surf Contest held in Half Moon Bay, California on February 13, 2010

Another popular technique to exploit an exaggerated sense of scale is to utilize a tilt-shift lens or employ a faux tilt-shift effect. Capturing an image with a very shallow depth of field or mimicking a very shallow depth of field can make normal photo subjects look like toys. To exaggerate the sense of scale, in the previous image, I used Photoshop  to apply a Gaussian Blur to a duplicate layer of my image. I then applied a layer mask to show all but a thin ribbon of the blurred photo… revealing the in focus layer behind. The result is the following version of the photo.

Toy effect added in post-production of 2nd place finisher Shane Desmond surfs a giant wave in the second heat of the 2010 Mavericks Surf Contest held in Half Moon Bay, California on February 13, 2010

If you’re looking for a quick and dirty way to apply a faux tilt-shift effect check out this online tool to upload a photo or use a photo from the web to create your own – TiltShift Maker

So which do you prefer, the original or the faux tilt-shift version of the Mavericks surf photo?

Technorati Tags: photography, sports, mavericks, surf, surfing, extreme sports, Half Moon Bay, Pillar Point, wave

I could generate a laundry list of thoughts as to why the Mavericks surf contest is one of the more amazing events to cover, but in the end it comes down to the sheer spectacle of man vs. nature. Having photographed every Mavericks Surf Contest since 2005 I’ve covered most every angle except from a jetski and the water itself. This year I was very fortunate stay dry on the media boat to get some killer photos.

Chris Bertish, the first place finisher & champion, on the lip of a giant wave at the 2010 Mavericks Surf Contest held Saturday February 13, 2010 in Half Moon Bay, California

Start to the Day & Camera Gear
Covering the event is as fast paced as the action itself. The day started early at 4:30am gathering my gear and driving to the Pillar Point Harbor. Still dark outside at this hour there is no way to see what conditions look like other than reading the surf & weather report. Talking with friends and event staff the night before, while picking up my media credentials, I heard it was going to be big… as in bigger than any year prior. While waiting on the dock to board the media boat I could take in the beautiful sunrise. The coastal mountains were shrouded in fog and golden light was beaming through revealing a hint of the day’s surf conditions. Surf was certainly up, but how much compared to years past it wasn’t clear.

The call came to board the boat, I grabbed my gear and I did my best to carve out a place to take position for the event. After the safety briefing on the boat it was all business. As the boat was leaving the harbor I made sure all my gear was in order including a Canon 7D provided courtesy of BorrowLenses.com and my Canon 1Ds Mark III. Also set up was a hot-shoe mounted Sony HXR-MC1 HD video camera on the 7D. By the time I adjusted camera settings, checked/cleaned lenses, and hunkered down for the long haul we cleared the breakwater and headed out into very choppy water.

Conditions & Challenges
Conditions at the surf break, roughly 1/2 a mile from shore, were picture perfect with amazing golden hour light, clear visibility and GIANT waves. Everything that had been hoped for seemed to be coming into place.  Unfortunately for those on shore looking to get a glimmer of the action from the cliffs the large surf was generating tons of mist hindering the view in combination with the slow to dissipate low lying coastal fog. Eventually the fog lifted for those viewing the contest from shore, but for the 20-25 media photographers/videographers on the boat there was nothing holding us back

The blessing of huge surf created the curse of rough shooting conditions. It wasn’t uncommon for the boat to bob up and down from 6-12 feet. In many regards I felt like a rodeo cowboy with one hand on the rail and the other keeping my cameras from hitting the boat and near-by photographers. I carried onto the boat only what I planned to use, so no camera bag was necessary. Others took bags and monopods to lay on the deck that were constantly sliding into others and getting under foot. To get a solid photo I had to jam my foot against the edge of the deck/railing and pin my back to the cabin of the boat. This served two purposes… 1. To keep from going overboard when shooting and 2. To enable me the ability to use both hands to stabilize my camera as best as I could. It was a very physical day.

Alex Martins drops into a huge wave at the 2010 Mavericks Surf Contest

Surf & Surfers
Mavericks is a unique surf event in that once they determine that conditions are right they announce the contest date to take place in 2-3 days. Contest participants are pre-selected and expected to arrive in Half Moon Bay, California with in 24 hours no matter where they happen to be. This year’s Mavericks Surf Contest winner, Chris Bertish of South Africa, flew 30-plus hours on Thursday to arrive in time Saturday morning for the start of the event. Bertish and the other participants are hand selected world class athletes. The 50-58°F water requires all northern California surfers to wear 5mm wet suits hiding much of their athletic stature.

All the effort to make the event is paid off with giant waves rivaled only in a few places world-wide (Hawaii, Indonesia and South Africa). On this day the surf was reaching epic heights of 40-50 feet. Note that a rough rule of thumb is multiplying the wave height by ~2 to get the range of height of the face of the wave. A 40 foot wave can have an 80 foot face. Unlike past events the waves just kept getting bigger throughout the day. The tides were working in the favor of the contest. The only downside to the day was that as the day progressed the intervals of the swells seemed to extend creating larger lulls between sets. By the time the final heat rolled around there was more waiting than surfing, but when the waves arrived they were epic by any standard.

More Camera Gear Info
I can’t thank BorrowLenses.com enough for the use of the Canon 7D. It was the primary camera that I used. In the past I’ve used my Canon 1D Mark II with great success. I had but 45 minutes to spare after preparing my gear to learn how to configure and use the Canon 7D. Canon has continued to make it simple to configure its dSLR settings. The use of the Quick Control screen to easily access all basic camera settings was of great value throughout the day. In reviewing the camera’s feature settings, the night before the event, I disabled the on camera flash & Live View, set the AF mode to Quick, set the color space to AdobeRGB and specified centered focus points to be used. I checked for dust spots in a few test shots and found the camera to be in great working order.

Why did I chose to shoot with the Canon 7D? Three things come into play when I photograph sports subjects (or wildlife for that matter) from a boat: shutter speed, resolution and frame rate.

Shutter Speed
Capturing my subject at a high shutter speed is essential to offset movement of the boat. This is especially true when you’re fighting a substantial pitch due to high surf. In addition to water conditions facing unpredictable coastal weather where the lighting can become dark can also negatively impact ones ability to keep a high shutter speed. Noise free high ISO functionality is key to adjusting to weather conditions. I prefer to shoot in Aperture priority mode (occasionally in Shutter priority) while manually fine tuning the aperture settings to strike a balance between needed depth of field and shutter speed.

Resolution
The higher the resolution of the camera sensor the greater flexibility I’ll have to fine tune my composition in post-production by cropping photos. Higher resolution photographs allow me to correct poorly composed photos resulting from unpredictable movements of the boat. While I can line up a composition in a split second I can’t predict how the boat will move due to the surf. It’s not uncommon to look at photos in post-production and notice substantial movement or in extreme cases lost shots.

Frame Rate
For many it might seem that the 5fps of a camera like the 1Ds Mark III or other body would suffice for a sports event, but this is not the case. 3 to 5 extra frames per second can make the difference between getting the shot and not. This is particularly true when photographing an extreme sport such as surfing, let alone dealing with unpredictable movement of your shooting platform.

On all fronts the 7D handled the job nicely. Is the camera up to snuff for landscape work? I couldn’t tell you at this point, but for sports photography I wouldn’t hesitate to use it again.

Photos
Throughout the week I’ll post some of my favorite photos from the 2010 Mavericks Surf Contest to the blog, but in the meantime I’ve embedded a larger set of images below for you to enjoy. Let me know if you find a favorite and feel free to embed this slideshow elsewhere.

Mavericks Surf Contest 2010 – Images by Jim Goldstein

Technorati Tags: Photography, Mavericks, Maverick’s, surfing, surf, sports, extreme sport, Mavericks Surf Contest, 2010

It’s been a great year for photography, perhaps even better than last year, and as 2008 nears its end I thought it would be fun to select my favorite photos from the year. I had a tough time narrowing things down so here they are…

Honorable Mentions:

	Honorable Mention #5: Pike Place Market One thing I love about taking travel photos is the constant challenge to find a new perspective. While I got odd stares from passerbys I knew as soon as I set up for this photo it was going to work. With a little creativity even a location you’d think can’t yield a new perspective can surprise you.
	Honorable Mention #4: Sea Otter Portrait (Enhydra lutris) This year I’ve made it a project of mine to photograph California Sea Otters and introduce as many photographers to them as possible through my photo tours. This particular otter was enjoying a rare spot of sun with a dry and groomed face. The foreground is his slick wet stomach. It just goes to show you how different their fur can be wet and dry.
	Honorable Mention #3: Zip Line Adventure – Maui, Hawaii Maui proved to be full of photographic opportunities. Documenting the Maui Zip Line Adventure was a blast and one of the major highlights of the trip. As if the zip line wasn’t enough to get the adrenaline flowing, securing a 1Ds Mark III to your chest in addition was a guarantee to get the heart racing.
	Honorable Mention #2 Bobcat (Lynx rufus), Yosemite II I’m not sure I could have coached this wild Bobcat to pose any better for me. To be honest it was hard work tracking this cat and getting into position well before it would reach me… all while not disturbing it. This was definitely one of the best wildlife encounters I had during the year.
	Honorable Mention #1 Bring Your Own Big Wheel 2008 – Happy Easter Adventure seeking adults +  plastic wheeled tricycles + a very steep and winding San Francisco street = hilarity This event has proven to be one of my favorite to photograph. I can’t wait for BYOBW in 2009. Featured in Bring Your Own Big Wheel 2008 Photo Highlights

My Top 10 Favorite Photos of 2008:

#10: Cable View Panoramic, Golden Gate Bridge

Featured in EXIF and Beyond: Mastering Digital Panoramic Photography this panoramic photo taken with a 24mm Tilt-Shift lens has proven to last the test of time. I find myself drawn to this image as much today as I had been the day I took it. The fresh perspective, textures and scale of the scene are elements of the photo that continue to draw me in.

#9: Say Cheese!

Portrait of a Swiss Cow in a Pasture with Mount Eiger in the background.
For the record no tongue ever touched my lens, but it was close. Fortunately for me this bovine was quite docile and didn’t push me down the hill or pull me into an electric fence I was straddling.

#8: California Sea Otter & Pup (Enhydra lutris)

This quick bonding moment between mother and sea otter pup occurred shortly after an over amorous male tried to “divide and conquer”. The female otter was able to simultaneously fend off the male otter while protecting her pup. It was high drama with a happy ending.

#7: Bobcat (Lynx rufus), Yosemite

The sight of wildlife in the snow at Yosemite always amounts to dramatic imagery. With out a care in the world this Bobcat was trekking through a snowy meadow. As mentioned this was likely the wildlife encounter of the year for me. While I got much tighter photos of this cat I find this environmental photo to be my favorite of the set.

#6: California Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris)

The last California Sea Otter photo of my Top 10 set is a portrait of a feeding Sea Otter. This otter made fast work of this crab, but seemed to pause momentarily (in reality a split second) so as to pose for me. What makes this photo special to me is the detail of the otter’s features including the fur, ear, whiskers and paws.

#5: Heron Pond Reflection – Grand Teton National Park

Morning hikes at Grand Teton National park are among my favorite both for the ethereal beauty of the landscape and the awe inspiring encounters with elk. If you’ve never been, Grand Teton National Park should be on your short list of places to visit. The mountains are incredibly beautiful, but the surrounding lakes and rivers are rich with life and intimate nature photo opportunities. This pre-dawn photo attracted my eye both because of the pastel hues of the fog filled sky and the layers of vegetation filling the frame.

#4: Mavericks Surf Contest 2008 – Long & Sterling

The biggest wave of the day at the 2008 Mavericks surf contest was no doubt the most dramatic. The sheer size of these waves is amazing, the surfers are incredibly skilled and the event is a blast to photograph. While this photo highlights the scale of the wave to an individual surfer, it will unfortunately never relay the earth rattling roar of the water.

#3: In Time

Taken in Switzerland this past fall I found myself irresistibly attracted to the fall color of the trees. The jagged form of the bare tree branches juxtaposed against the backdrop of fall color was one that I enjoyed exploring. This particular photo is one I find myself returning to view over and over again.

#2: Matterhorn Reflections, Switzerland

Unequivocally this day was the most beautiful of all my days spent in Switzerland. High above Zermatt I enjoyed taking in the morning light as it illuminated this alpine lake. This scene was too beautiful to confine to one frame so I created a 3-photo panoramic using my 24mm Tilt-Shift lens.
Note: For those in the U.S. unlike North American conifers those in Europe turn golden before their needles are shed. This took some time getting used to this. I kept thinking the trees were being killed by a bark beetle.

#1: Behind the Veil, Snake River – Grand Teton National Park

When Mother Nature puts on a light show in Wyoming she goes all out. This photo was taken after a substantial storm moved through the area. As the storm began to clear a hole opened in the clouds far beyond the horizon. This opened a path for the last rays of sunlight to paint the clouds and peaks of the Grand Tetons with amazing red light. Even more impressive to me was the unusual phenomenon of low lying clouds creating a thin veil conceiling the mountains. All around this was a magical scene to take in and one I’ll cherish for a long time to come.

Technorati Tags: landscape, photography, wildlife, stock photo, travel, photo, best of 2008, favorites of 2008, best of,   Mavericks, surf, Grand Teton National Park, Switzerland, Matterhorn, San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge, Seattle, Pike Place Market, Sea Otter, Enhydra lutris, Maui, Hawaii, zip line, Lynx rufus, bobcat, Yosemite, Yosemite National Park, BYOBW, Bring Your Own Big Wheel, fall color

Mavericks is always a spectacle to witness, but in 2005 no one had a better view than the Coast Guard. I found it particularly amusing that amid the chaos of the event the Coast Guard found the time to check out the action. I’ve yet to see a repeat of this and I think its unlikely this type of scene will unfold again quite as nicely.  Even still every year I return to photograph this event I keep waiting for another moment like this to present itself.

Every Surfers Guardian Angel, Mavericks Surf Contest 2005
View More Mavericks Surf Contest Photos

Technorati Tags: Mavericks, surfing, photography, photo, stock photo, Coast Guard

Check out the epic 2010 Mavericks Surf Photos taken February 13, 2010

Saturday was the 2008 Mavericks Surf Contest and I had the opportunity to photograph it from the shoulder of the surf break. The event was incredible as always. Surf conditions were big to say the least and the performances of Greg Long (the winner of the contest), Jamie Sterling, Grant Washburn, Grant Twiggy Baker, Even Slater and Tyler Smith were incredible. More photos are to come, but here are a few to enjoy in the meantime.
Update: More Mavericks photos have been added to my Photoshelter Mavericks gallery for more immediate viewing.

Greg Long and Jamie Sterling drop in on a huge wave at the 2008 Mavericks Surf Contest

Boards and Buoys, 2008 Mavericks Surf Contest
Notice anything odd about one of the boards?

Tyler Smith drops in on a monster wave at 2008 Mavericks Surf Contest

Jamie Sterling (red) and Greg Long (orange) battle it out in the final heat of the 2008 Mavericks Surf Contest

Stay Tuned For More Mavericks Photos…

Technorati Tags: Mavericks, surf, contest, photo, photos, photography, giant, wave, surfing, surfboard, Half Moon Bay

I couldn’t help, but post these to photos from this past weekends Icer Air event. I thought these two photos were particularly cool. (I’ll forever resist using the term “sick”). Koji Kraft was really ripping it up on the vert ramp and at the end of Neil Hendrix’s run he flashed a great face.
More at my Icer Air 2007 Photo Archive

Koji Kraft getting big air on the vert ramp at Icer Air

Neil Hendrix all smiles at Icer Air on the Vert Ramp

Technorati Tags: Icer Air, big air, snowboard, ski, skiing, snowboarding, extreme sports, photos, photo, San Francisco, Neil Hendrix, Danny Mayer

Yesterday was a great day at Icer Air 2007. The ski and snowboard big-air competition was incredibly fun to watch and photograph. I spent my time getting photos of the ski and snowboard big-air competition as well as shooting the activities on the vert ramp. Below are a few samples of photos from Icer Air 2007 and another 64 photos are initially only available at my photo archive.
Icer Air 2007 Photo Archive

Jumping the Bay Bridge III – Icer Air 2007

More Icer Air 2007 photos…

Danny Mayer Catching Big Air on The Vert Ramp At Icer Air 2007

Jon Olsson Icer Air 2007 Big-Air Ski Champion Read more…