Kitesurfing Photography Tips?

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GerryD

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Gerald Davies
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I was looking to try and do some kite surfing photography this year, with the intention of including it in my AWPF panel. Being based in Swansea I have easy access to the beaches in Porthcawl, Aberavon, Swansea, the Gower and West Wales. Longest lens is a 200mm, with crop on the 60D makes it 320mm. I do have a waterproof cover for the camera, which will stop the worst of the seawater and sand from getting at my camera.

I've spoken to one of the local kite board schools who has given me a load of tips on best weather conditions and tide times.

As anyone photographed kitesurfers in the past and if so do you have any tips or tricks? Is the 200mm lens going to be long enough? Does anyone have any good spots that they would recommend in the above area?
 
I would say 200 isnt long enough no ... I used a 400 and had to crop in using a 1dmkIV ... I see kite surf pics that i personally think are poor.. its not landscape photogrpahy.. you need recognisable faces and preferably with strange expressions.. what you dont want is distance shots with nice clouds or sea in background where you cant tell who the surfer is..

just my opionon.. not an expert on the subject at all. heres some i posted FIVE YEARS AGO! haha :) didnt realise it was that long ago

https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/kite-surfing-blackpool.267667/
 
200mm will definitely not be long enough. 400mm would be much better. Kitesurfer's are usually quite far out, perhaps a little bit further than surfers. But my main advice would be to learn the actually sport. Learn to know what the guys are about to do by studying them. Most people will tend to lean right back before a launch, and also I'd get to know how the direction of the surfers in relation to the wind direction will affect what their intentions are. I.E someone that is tacking is not about to do anything interesting.
 
KIPAX said:
I would say 200 isnt long enough no ... I used a 400 and had to crop in using a 1dmkIV ... I see kite surf pics that i personally think are poor.. its not landscape photogrpahy.. you need recognisable faces and preferably with strange expressions.. what you dont want is distance shots with nice clouds or sea in background where you cant tell who the surfer is..

just my opionon.. not an expert on the subject at all. heres some i posted FIVE YEARS AGO! haha :) didnt realise it was that long ago

https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/kite-surfing-blackpool.267667/
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Thats a very good set of photographs on your link :-) and time does go by far to quickly :-(

Thanks for confirming what I felt about the 200mm lens and the tips about recognising the faces. That 2x convertor is looking more appealing, as it's the 2nd time it's come up over the last few weeks and regreting selling the 100-400 now. :-(
 
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twhite87 said:
200mm will definitely not be long enough. 400mm would be much better. Kitesurfer's are usually quite far out, perhaps a little bit further than surfers. But my main advice would be to learn the actually sport. Learn to know what the guys are about to do by studying them. Most people will tend to lean right back before a launch, and also I'd get to know how the direction of the surfers in relation to the wind direction will affect what their intentions are. I.E someone that is tacking is not about to do anything interesting.
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I was planning on spending a grerat deal of time with them over the summer and getting to know thier routines. Panel judging is not until November. You have provide some great tips for me to get going.
 
I go to Portland harbour to shoot Kitesurfing if i can,although not been there lately. Always have a 100-400 on a 7d body and now will use either 100-400,300 or 500 with 7d mk2 Even with the 500 on the 7d mk2 the boy's and girls will be small in the frame when they go halfway across the harbour.
 
Stan Standfield said:
I go to Portland harbour to shoot Kitesurfing if i can,although not been there lately. Always have a 100-400 on a 7d body and now will use either 100-400,300 or 500 with 7d mk2 Even with the 500 on the 7d mk2 the boy's and girls will be small in the frame when they go halfway across the harbour.
Click to expand...

Thanks for confirming what everyone else has said. Thinking I need to change my plans. Need to get my thinking cap on.
 
I'm a part of the land based kiting community, although have friends who enjoy kitesurfing. Too much water and getting cold for my liking :) Agree with the above post, learn the sport and you'll be sorted!

I don't know Wales very well at all, I'm in East Sussex so I can't really help you on location. I went to Pembrey once last year and was blown away at the sheer size of it! Sometimes around my neck of the woods, my 70-200 on a 7D is spot on. If you time it right and catch the kitesurfers on an incoming tide, shallow pools are generated on some beaches which they absolutely love because it gives them an area of flat water at a consistent depth - ideal conditions for having a play around.

See if you can have a chat with some of the kitesurfers too, most of them are a pretty approachable bunch. Maybe offer to email them some pictures if you get any good ones of them for Facebook or something, they love all that. Doesn't need to be high res of course, but it might just persuade some of them to 'perform' a bit closer to you and your camera :)

Couple of examples below, ok there's not a lot of detail on faces in there but that wasn't the thing I was after...

Bexhill1_zpsadbo0kh9.jpg



Bexhill2_zpsmuzdd0qg.jpg
 
Thanks for the information above. Pembrey is a big beach, but there is a competition there on the May back holiday, so I will go down to have a look(health permitting). Being a competition I'm guessing they would have to perform their tricks between 2 given points to help the judges. This should make it easier to get good images. Depending on what I get paid this week(hoping back pay will come through :-) ), I might get a teleconvertor, which will be a great help.
 
rest bay in porthcawl attracts a few kite surfers and plenty of board surfers its a very popular place theres also coney beach as well not to from rest bay.
 
It would depend on the beach, and on what type of photo you wanted. At the beach here, they regularly come within a couple of meters of the sand and the pier.

Super teles would be handy for getting tight shots of faces, etc. but that's about it. You're going to struggle for variety, won't be able to show the height in jumps, the conditions of the water, their kite, etc. you're going to get close ups of bodies with a few strings.

You also have the option of course, of sticking an ultra wide and a helmet on, and getting in the water with them, which will likely result in more interesting images (though not during the competition I would imagine).
 
I've done it before from in the water (waist deep).. tips i'd say would be

get a rain cover for your camera, one of those 10 quid jobbies shoudl do, just to protect it form the salt really..

If you're in the water, don't wear flip flops! Sandals yes... flip flops will drag as you walk around and can unballance you (as I found out)
 
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