Surf Photography
I have been going through my archive of surf images lately in hopes of someday getting it all online. It is a long process. Lately, I have been working through the Bali section and keep finding some epic images that I forgot about. This shot is just an average line up photo taken from the beach with a telephoto lens. A monkey could have taken this shot, so I did. Click. I then processed it to make it summer hazy, but it came out just plain ugly.
I like that it is just a simple line up shot with no one on the wave….wait a sec. Look down in the lower portion of the wave where the white water is hitting…there’s someone there (click to enlarge the image)! I’ll be damned. Oh well. It would have been a hoax anyway (like many line up shots that capture crowded or closing out days at just the right angle at just the right moment).
It was pretty crowded this day with the usual locals – Rizal, Bol, and a few traveling pros like Shane Dorian. I love shooting Padang Padang because it offers so many good angles and opportunities. It is very photogenic and well lit. My favorite angle though has to be the water. As you can see in the foreground the tide is just right for a surf or a camera swim. There is a pretty strong rip right off that rock that sucks you right into the lineup. The problem is coming in. Just like breaks in Hawaii, one needs to time it right and have a set wash them in. When the tide it gets lower than this it breaks nearly on dry reef, and when it gets too high the wave doesn’t have its famous barrel (unless it is really huge). The guys on the rock are hanging out with a video guy that is shooting and probably getting some great footage. I like the guy on the extreme right with his arm just kind of casually resting on his leg without a care in the world. Wouldn’t you like to be hanging out on that rock after a surf right about now? I know I would. Boy, missing Bali…
The SickShots blog is written by Dave Collyer and features his photographs. It covers his favorite topics of Surfing, Travel, Photography and Life. Dave has taken more shots in the Mentawai Islands than anyone and can be hired for your surf charter or for your surf trip anywhere in the world. He also shoots weddings and portraits in his studio or on location. Dave maintains a huge image archive online of his best work. When he is not on assignment he lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son.
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