Surf Photography 101

We have put this article together as a basic guide to getting yourself set-up to take surf photos. We welcome any questions you have that aren't covered here, so don't hesitate to e-mail blair@surfpix.co.nz.

Cameras
The first decision you are going to have to make is whether to go Digital or Film - there are pros and cons of both formats and we have outlined some of the major differences here:

Digital

• Pros
  Shoot to your heart's content, keeping only the best surf shots.
  Preview your surf photos on the spot.
  Pictures can be easily uploaded to your PC.
  Easier to look after than negatives/prints.
  Quality of digital photos never degrades.
  
• Cons
  Digital photo resolution still cannot compare to good slide film.
  Slow focus and exposure - many digital camera don't respond very quickly when the shutter release button is pressed. Even a pause of half a second makes trying to capture the peak action difficult.
  Batteries get eaten up faster.
  Most optical zooms are relatively small.

Film

• Pros
  Cheaper to obtain zoom lenses.
  Film provides excellent resolution
  
• Cons
  Film and development costs.

As more and more photographers are going down the digital route, this medium will take our focus.

What is a Megapixel?
A pixel is one of the dots that make up a digital image on a screen, and a million of these equal 1 Megapixel. Basically the more pixels an image has, the better the quality. If you are not going to be getting large prints off your photos then you don't need to worry about getting the highest Megapixel camera on the market. (in order to get 6x4 prints, you will want a 3MP camera). Here is an approximate guide to what you can expect from cameras with different Megapixels:

Under 3MP
o Fine if you just want to email photos to friends
o Will print small pictures (up to 6x4), but the quality may be less than desirable

3 Megapixels
o Will print good quality standard sized photos (6x4)
o Will print large photos (8X10), but they may be a bit fuzzy

4 Megapixels
o Will print large photos (8x10) with sharp detail

6 Megapixels +
o Will print very large photos with a sharp resolution
o Contrast and sharpness is much more pronounced
o This is the minimum Megapixels you will need if you are aiming for semi-pro quality.

For maximum image quality, look for the camera capable of capturing the most actual, not interpolated, pixels with the least amount of compression. Also, as image quality is affected by many other factors such as the quality of the lens and how sensitive the image sensor is to light, don't rely totally on these numbers. The fool proof way is to shoot test images on several different cameras and judge for yourself which one offers the best image quality.

Optical vs. Digital Zoom
Optical zoom is what you want to look at when buying a digital camera. Digital zoom increases the image size using software, but image quality rapidly deteriorates. Only pay attention to optical zoom - you won't have much need for digital zoom if you want good quality surf photos. Look for a camera that has at least a 10x optical zoom.

What is the traditional equivalent of my 10x optical zoom?
Most digital cameras have an original focal length of 35mm (although some start at 28mm and others at 38mm). This starting focal length is represented as 1x zoom on a digital camera, so a 10x optical zoom on a digital camera with an original focal length of 35mm is the equivalent of a 35mm-350mm zoom lens.

SLR Film Lens
If you are shooting using an SLR (Single Lens Reflex) film camera, then you generally need a 400-600mm lens. Some spots you can get away with a lot less - from a boat, pier, point or if the surf is pretty small and breaking close to the beach.

Choosing film
As a general rule, Kodak tends to be a warmer film with strong reds and oranges, while Fuji typically has stronger blues and greens. Many photographers will only shoot Kodak, while others only use Fuji film - it really comes down to personal preference and to a degree the conditions.
The ISO/ASA rating that each film has describes how quickly the film reacts to light. Slower films are less sensitive and generally require longer exposures / more light. Faster films react rapidly, and can be used in low light situations. The trade-off between slow and fast films is quality. Slow films generally produce sharper, more detailed images, while faster films often have higher contrast and grain.
Taking sharp, close-up surf photos requires a shutter speed of at least 1/500th of a second, which for most people will mean that it necessary to use a film with an ISO/ASA of 400. Pro photographers with the best cameras/super fast lenses shoot on ISO/ASA 50, but this is out of reach for most casual surf photographers.

Teleconverters
Unless you have a budget in the thousands, it is pretty difficult to find a digital camera that offers more than a 12x optical zoom (approx. 400mm in SLR terms). If you take into account the fact that you need a 400mm-600mm lens for most surf photo conditions, you need to explore other options if you want some serious photos. One way to get round this is to add a teleconverter. These usually come in 1.5x or 2x.
A disadvantage of teleconverters is that they do reduce the amount of light able to enter the lens, which in turn affects the speed/quality at which you can capture action.

Tripods
For pretty much everything but line-up shots, you will need a tripod if you want to get sharp close-up action shots. You can pay anything from $20 to $1,000 for a tripod - the more you pay the sturdier and less shake prone it will be. For the casual weekend surf photographer you should be able to pick something up for under $100 that will do the trick.

What and where to buy?
Once you have decided whether to go Digital or Film, you need to decide what and where to buy.

Prices are coming down all the time for both film and digital cameras. With the huge amount of people switching to digital, there are some awesome deals out there for traditional SLR film cameras. In the digital world, higher Megapixels and greater optical zooms are being offered while the base price remains the same.
If you are looking for a brand new digital camera, it is best to do your research first at a site such as tech.yahoo.com or www.dpreview.com. Once you have decided on the camera that will best meet your needs, visit www.pricespy.co.nz and you will find the supplier that is offering the best deal. Remember, if going down the parallel imported route be sure you know what you are receiving (there are a lot of parallel imported new digital cameras on TradeMe as well). For all second hand cameras, you can't beat TradeMe for a huge selection and some great bargains on offer. Be aware though - it's not entirely uncommon for someone to pay more for a product on TradeMe than what is available in stores - this is where PriceSpy comes in really handy.

Conditions
Light is one of the most important aspects of getting good surf shots. Surf photos that are lit from the front look significantly better. On the West Coast it is easier to get good shots in the morning when the sun is rising over the land. However on the East Coast with the sun rising over the sea, it is more difficult to capture those early morning sessions. Depending on the angle though, you can get round this by shooting more side-on to the action. It can be pretty awkward in a place like Gissy in Summer - the best light is always in the afternoon so it's a matter of waiting for the sea breeze to die down or hope it's offshore all day. Unless the conditions are all-time, it is not really worthwhile shooting when overcast if you are new to surf photography - it is bloody hard to make the shots look decent.

The actual shot
Unless you are shooting line-up shots, the surfer is going to be the focal point of your photo and it is all about timing. Shoot just that little bit late and a potentially great shot becomes a dud. Practise makes perfect and your timing will get better with the more photos you shoot.
Good photographers anticipate the surfers next move so they can capture it at the peak of the action. The more photos you take, the better you will become at this.

Water Shots
75% off all published surf photos are taken from the beach - probably because it's a hell of a lot easier! There are some advantages to water shots though, with a biggie being the fact you don't have to fork out on a huge lens. You can even get the odd ok shot using $20 disposable cameras, but it is a bit hit and miss. There are plenty of waterproof casings available for all types of cameras.
Other advice when taking water shots:
 - use fins (flippers), this will make life a lot easier!
 - get as close to the action as possible.
 - excellent light will make your shots much more appealing
 - understand the wave you are shooting so you know when it will pitch or bowl. You will have a much better chance of capturing the critical shot.

I have a camera full of surf photos, now what?
Get them on surfPix and show them off to your mates!

We use Picasa to grab our photos from the digital camera and manage them on the PC. It is free and from Google - we definitely recommend using it! 
It has some pretty cool features that can save you a lot of time. The one we use the most is probably the 'batch edit' feature. It will automatically adjust/resize as many photos as you want in one step - perfect for reducing the size of each photo for easy uploading to the web.

Once your surf images are safely stored on your PC, it's time to upload them to surfPix (this is covered in detail in our FAQ section) and start showing them to the world! Some quick and easy ways to get the word out include e-mailing your mates and telling people at your local spot to check out your surfPix profile.

Get into it and we look forward to checking out your shots!

Could this article be improved? Send an e-mail to blair@surfpix.co.nz and let us know your thoughts.