Photoboating My First Event - Upper Yough Downriver Rodeo - Whitewater Kayaking Photography
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- Опубликовано: 23 авг 2024
- Jer - I volunteered to photoboat for the 2023 Upper Yough Downriver Rodeo, and it was such a fun experience! I was a little nervous for sure, this would be my first official photoboating event! Big thanks to Matt and Eddyline Creations, Don with Highwater Hobbies, and all the other volunteers and sponsors!
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Sources:
Green Race Vid - Green Race
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North Fork Championship - KayakSessionTV
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Iceman - Deadmanprd
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World freestyle - Dane Jackson
• DANE JACKSON WINNING R...
Upper Yough Downriver Rodeo Highlights - Matt Wallin
• 2023 Upper Yough Downr...
Steven Progress - Steven Legay
• Steven 2 year progress
Great vid man! I personally like how prominent that private boater is in that shot, I think it’s framed really nicely. Looks like a sweet event
Dude!!!!! This is great !!! Thanks for the shout outs !!!
We did it because we both Stevens! -Tony
Great stuff, Jer! Sounds like a two man team would be optimal for photographing a rodeo on this section. Keep crushing it!
So there was another photographer and videographer on the scene but a lot of those shots and videos were only for the event video itself. -Tony
I love the way you edit to put GoPro video and picture together so that we can enjoy and appreciate each picture in much more detail and depth. As for the Auto Focus issue you encountered, my suggestion is to check your camera "autofocus mode setting". The camera shall have various auto focus modes, you want to pick the smallest area autofocus mode (only measured the target distance based on center of the view, not based on a wide area), so that when you aim the camera, it won't focus on a nearby tree or water flow instead.
Ahh, yes. It was set on wide for some reason! Thanks for the tip, and thanks for watching!
-Jer
yeahhh this is what i meant^^^ the focus mode is important so you can stay on the subject. It still may jump to something else sometimes depending how you frame it and sometimes the depth with mess with you. Cooldown Boof is a spot that has this problem a lot, it will jump focus to the background if you're not careful
Love the explanation of the stories of the pictures. You should definitely do more of this! Thanks for taking time and effort to help capture the event!
Oh there will definitely be more of these in the future! We had a blast being part of the first Upper Yough Rodeo! -Tony
Wow, hard work, great photos, thanks 😊😊😊
Many thanks! -Tony
love the vid really appreciate all that you said it was sick boating with you!
It's always a blast boating with you guys and the rest of the Bandit bros! -Tony
Really cool stuff. I'm lucky that a few of the other guys in my club are photo boaters. It's alot easier to just look pretty than have to photograph
Having a good photo boater is key to making us look great on the water. I personally look rough in all my kayaking photos no matter how good the photographer. -Tony
I'm a photog that shoots a lot of events... You did a great job.
Three things...
One: Instead of using auto focus (and subsequently manual in your case), where you rely on the camera trying to decide what your subject is, set / select your focus point to ONE single point, and move it around to what makes the most appealing framing, and track the athlete. Use Servo focus Mode (I shoot Canon. Your system might call it something else). You will get way more hits than manual focus or letting the camera hunt and peck for focus.
Two: Pre Focus on the spot where the action will take place, then switch to manual focus when (If) you know where the line is and the predominant action will happen, and hold the trigger down as the athlete travels through your focus point. This way you eliminate the possibility of missed focus.
Three: When quoting an event that you know they are packing the proverbial "10Lbs of $hit in a 5Lb bag", make them well aware that you will miss shots due to logistical reasons. Maybe think of hiring a second photog, and leapfrog down the river... Hope that helps.
Bonus Four: DO NOT GIVE YOUR WORK AWAY FOR FREE. "Exposure" does not pay the bills! Free photography is slowly killing the industry. Your work has value, and you should be paid for the product you create for clients. They [clients] will make money from your images, in some way, therefore they should pay you accordingly.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the tips and thanks for watching!
I have been watching lots of videos on how to work autofocus, including different modes and prefocusing and back button focusing, and I think I've gotten a lot better at it now! Hopefully the next event will be much better!
As for for the event logistics, there was a sudden rain event the night before that caught everyone off guard. I let the event organizer know about missing shots, and he was thankfully super understanding about it.
I am slowly coming to terms with the idea of doing photography for money, its one of those things that I feel like I am not yet ready for haha! I am going to Chile this winter to work, and I am excited to work some photography there!
Anyways, thanks again for watching and I really appreciate the tips!
That was cool to watch and see the thought through the spots you were at that day! Whitewater photography especially on this river is such a challenge sometimes lol and you got some great shots at angles i haven't seen out there yet!
As for a tip, with the auto-focus theres definitely a balance of focusing on the kayaker/vs the rocks. I (this is Cara through this message lol) definitely have had that problem plenty of times, and you have to make sure the focus point wherever you have it set is on the kayaker and pre-shutter almost to be sure it doesn't jump to the rocks or other areas of the shot. Sometimes this has to do with the framing as well.
Also definitely feel for ya with the climbing on the rocks taking a ton of time part. For having to switch up from your planned out spots you did a great job! ^_^
Wow a comment from the real professionals haha!
It really is a challenge! Its such a dynamic environment with so many challenges! Doing this has really given me much more respect for photoboaters!
Thanks so much for watching! Will def keep in mind those tips on focus points and pre-shuttering!
-Jer
Great video...I was actually out there that weekend! Paddled UY the day before and decided to run the cheat during the rodeo. Would have been cool to meet.
Glad you liked it! If you see us around please come say hey!- Tony
Hey dude are you still up here? Just got my PFD today, and meeting again tomorrow at 9 at the Fishtop access for another lap!
Ahhh just saw this :( but congrats on the PFD!!
-Jer
Photo boating is no joke, good stuff Jer!
It's not much but its honest work- Tony
Cool you're getting into this to go along with the kayaking, Jer! Do they make these type of cameras waterproof?
Cool video, as always!
So most of the cameras you see photo boaters using are not water proof, its honestly what makes photo boating nerve wracking. Knowing that a swim will likely lead to the loss of expensive equipment is absolutely terrifying- Tony
@@JerKayaks that is terrifying! Lol
Good stuff man I’m trying to get into it a little bit
Keep at it and learn as much you can. Don't give up on it like I did -Tony
@@JerKayaks lol
Not a professional either, but have been taking action shots of race cars for decades and one time I spent a week taking action shots of the UCI Road World Championships, (cycling). I scouted the entire course ahead of time and found spots that had good light, interesting surroundings, and terrain that offered different types of shots. For example, during the team time trial I found a downhill section where the cyclists were traveling at high speed in a full on aerodynamic line. During the individual time trial I found a difficult section of uphill towards the end of the course where I could get multiple shots of facial expressions on the competitors and had more time to frame up shots. If I were to give any suggestions for this kind of photography it would be to scout ahead of time to have a route with a plan before putting in the water. Another suggestion would be to skip ahead a section here and there so you can get shots of more competitors and aren't rushed to take shots.
Thanks for the tips! I think those are all great ideas, the unfortunate thing for this event was that I literally didnt even know where the rodeo features were until they were decided almost on the spot haha! That, and this was only my second time on this river (the first being almost 2 years ago and at a different water level) so I needed to follow someone down.
I will def spend more time scouting locations and potential shots for future events!
thanks for watching and thanks again or the tips!
-Jer
Those are really awesome shots! 😊 I don’t have any advice because I usually just do landscape, so it’s very different but those are really great!
Thanks for the compliments! It's very much a new territory for Jer but he's been killing it. -Tony
One bit of simple advice is you mentioned taking 6000 photos. That’s okay with action stuff. Just don’t let yourself worry about how many you “deliver”. They aren’t all keepers and never will be. I photographed a wedding once and took about 5000 photos. I delivered 500, and probably could have culled that further to 300. Of those I think I had maybe 10 tops that I personally really liked.
Other than that keep it up, you’ll only get better. Observe, and anticipate as best you can. It’s okay to slow down and take fewer photos if you need to.
Have you tried photo boating a random river and random people no special event required? Might be good practice in setting up for quick shots.
Great advice buddy! Will definitely keep that in mind going forward!
I have done some more occasional photo boating randomly, but its something I really need to commit more time to for sure! Just like any other skill, it really needs practice!
Anyways, thanks for watching! :)
-Jer
Is your AF area set to center? That may resolve your AF issues. You should be shooting in aperture priority at your widest aperture to isolate the subject from the background. The shutter speed will naturally be high, so shutter priority isn’t doing anything for you. With the smaller APS-C sensor you need a wider aperture for images to look professional. A longer zoom lens is essential for what you’re trying to accomplish, on and off the water. The Sony E 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 OSS lens is cheap. Faces are the priority. You didn’t mention if you were shooting in burst mode, which would ensure you have a number of images to choose from. It’s pointless trying to time action images… shoot a burst a pick the best ones to edit. The Matt shot could also be done from a high angle behind at your widest zoom. Use a monopod and remote shutter release. Try taking your high and low angle shots from really high and really low. Try to have some near foreground elements in your framing so you have blurred elements in both foreground and background (dirty).
Thanks for the tips! Just adjusted my autofocus to center, it was on wide for some reason! I will try shooting in aperture mode and see how it goes!
I do currently use the Sony E 55-210 as my zoom lens, and am finding that I might need a little more zoom than that even! I am also shooting in burst mode currently!
Will definetly be trying all your tips next time I go out!
-Jer