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I had to wait almost 2 weeks since receiving my new/secondhand Aquatech housing and today for a very short time the sun appeared, so I took advantage of it and here's my first shot in the water.
This is pretty much straight from the camera, no crop or straighten just converted from RAW in lightroom with slight changes to tone curve and presence.




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Great shot Mark, you must be happy with that?
You have great elements in this photo which make it appeal so much;

1. Concentration and eye contact with the surfer.
2. The background crowd watching on.
3. The rule of thirds really worked in this shot in my opinion, water, surfer and crowd.

Great website name too! Quite creative

Thanks Geoff, for your comments on the shot and website name.
Regards the name, we simply wrote down about 100 names and just crossed them off one by one, but that one stood out as soon as I wrote it down.
Cheers

Wow, if this is your first shot, can't wait to see what else you can come up with.

If you don't mind, how much did the 2nd had housing cost ?

Alpha_7 wrote:Wow, if this is your first shot, can't wait to see what else you can come up with.

If you don't mind, how much did the 2nd had housing cost ?

Not at all, the housing was an Aquatech and came with 3 lens ports, one for the 10.5mm, one that will fit both the 50mm and the 85mm, and another for the 70-200VR with zoom control.
It cost me $2500 all up. It doesn't have a pistol grip but I like having to look through the viewfinder to frame a shot, no need to crop. Although it does add a bit of pressure, you need to get you body high enough out of the water to frame and then shoot and thats not as easy as it sounds.

I shot the Noosa festival of surfing entirely from land with both 300mm 2.8 + 1.7TC and 70-200VR (off the rocks) and came to realise that I needed at least 500mm but would prefer 600mm at f/4 and that's a $10k plus purchase for a new one, which i'd have to have, (new that is) and I just cant justify that purchase right now, so when the housing came up for sale it was a no brainer, $2500 and I can get as close as I like to the action.

I'm really looking forward to shooting more from the water, the shots are just so different than from the land.
Did I mention that i'm stoked.

Edit: There's a few more in this post http://www.dslrusers.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=32022

I'd be stoked too! Are you going to be exploring the world under the surface as well, not sure the surf and those riding the waves ?

And great justification, 2500 is cheap compared to a big prime, and in the water shots are MUCH better IMHO!

Alpha_7 wrote:I'd be stoked too! Are you going to be exploring the world under the surface as well, not sure the surf and those riding the waves ?

Craig, I've visualised 1000's of shots I could take in the many hours I've spend bobbing up and down in the ocean waiting for waves, until now I've been unable to take them. So in answer to your question, YES, although I'm limited to 10mts depth as this is not a dive housing, it's a sports housing.

But for the time being I need to shoot surfing, I have a few events to shoot this week. Malfunction at Kingscliff and I've also been asked to shoot the Bureigh Longboard Club's Anzac Day Comp, so I need to practice the surf shots for now.

Alpha_7 wrote:And great justification, 2500 is cheap compared to a big prime, and in the water shots are MUCH better IMHO!

Not just your HO, editors like them more too.

mark wrote:Although it does add a bit of pressure, you need to get you body high enough out of the water to frame and then shoot and thats not as easy as it sounds.

Mark,

Have you thought of wearing a vest of something similar so you are a little more buoyant? I assume you are wearing a wetsuit, which will help a bit. Maybe wearing fins might help, too, as you can push yourself out of the water more easily.

I know with my underwater rig, taking surface shots is extremely difficult, but then I also have two strobes to increase the weight. Filling my BCD with air, helps a bit, but it is a lot of work.

ATJ wrote:Mark,

Have you thought of wearing a vest of something similar so you are a little more buoyant? I assume you are wearing a wetsuit, which will help a bit. Maybe wearing fins might help, too, as you can push yourself out of the water more easily.

I know with my underwater rig, taking surface shots is extremely difficult, but then I also have two strobes to increase the weight. Filling my BCD with air, helps a bit, but it is a lot of work.

Thanks for the suggestions Andrew, yep I've thought of those. I don't think a vest would work as I also need to be able to dive down quick under waves and surfers and I wouldn't fancy the vest for that. The fins are a must, not just for getting up out of the water to shoot, there's also the current that you have to swim against, which is pretty hard one-handed. I'm also seriously considering a helmet too, gets pretty busy out there and although I've never worn one to surf, seems like the smart option if you're shooting in the water.

I'm sure with a bit of practice I'll be able to get myself up and hold for 8-10 shot sequences, this time round I did manage 6 frames in one sequence, but I had no fins and the current was pretty heavy.

Please do wear a helmet! Pictures of you after a head clash with a fin or board are not something I'd like to see, some more surfing shots, that would be much preferable.

Good Shot.
The wave appears to be a little fat where the rider currently is but i can totally understand why you wouldnt want to be too deep (new housing + getting in the riders way)
Im sure given the right conditions, wave and rider you will be taking Surf mag worthy shots in no time.
Keep up the good work

Miike

mark
our local kiteboarders gave me a brand new helmet because i have been hit twice ... so if you're going to get that close and maybe the surfer isnt that experienced at judging the distance and speed .... well it can hurt

cheers rob

Dude you did it, you got a housing!!!! You must be stoked. Cool image as others have said - love the perspective. I can't wait to see more images from you. I know with your (surf) knowledge and vibe we are going to see some brilliant work in the future.... just can't wait