Surfing in the Pacific Northwest

A few months ago I had the opportunity to take photos of my nephew (Jake) surfing. I don’t think you can tell from the photos, but I was shooting in the rain. Actually, to say it was raining is an understatement. It was pouring. I had the camera and lens covered with a rainsleeve (www.optechusa.com) and my camera bag inside a garbage bag. Thankfully everything stayed nice and dry. Catching the Wave This was a great opportunity for me to practice taking photos of a moving object. Being mostly a landscape photographer I do not get this opportunity very often. At first it was challenging. I had to figure out a composition that would work so I wasn’t running up and down the beach, but also be in the right place to catch Jake surfing. Oh, and I also had to keep an eye on the tide as it was coming in rapidly. And yes, I was able to keep myself and my gear out of the water. In my book that’s a very successful adventure. Wave Breaking I’m sure Jake would have preferred bigger waves, but for my first time shooting a surfer I think I was fortunate the surf wasn’t very big. I had enough going on trying to keep track of all the moving parts between the rain, the tide coming in, Jake surfing, and the waves. I had a blast. Birds flying over surfer The orange sky was created by a slash burn that was happening a few miles away. Up here in the Pacific Northwest, a slash burn is done after an area has been logged. Last Wave With the sun going down, and the limited amount of light in the sky, I figured out quickly that I needed to use auto ISO and select a shutter speed that captured Jake’s movement without too much blur. I also used a constant depth of field of f5.6 and for most of the shots my ISO ended up being maxed out at 6400. I hope I get another chance to shoot him surfing. I had a lot of fun. It was another great day in the Pacific Northwest.

6 Comments on “Surfing in the Pacific Northwest

  1. You really have a great eye for photography gf..love you cousin nancy

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  2. GREAT shots, Gina – you keep getting better & better,. Happy Holidays —-Love you—–Phyllis

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  3. Your pictures are so clear you can see all the sand stirred up in the waves. I love the sky with the bright orange from burning. Very beautiful.

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  4. I agree with Tonya, the one of him looking out at the next wave was great, Sounds like a great experience as well.

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  5. Beautiful shots! I love the one with him looking out towards the wave!

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