Filed under: Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, Boston Whaler, Danise Cavallaro, Lightning Atlantic Coast Championship 2009, Lightning Championships, Michael Bagley, Michael Bagley Photography, nautical photography, New Jersey, Photography tips, Sailboats, Sailing, Sailors, Toms River Yacht Club
We spent yesterday bouncing around the Bay, chasing the Lightnings at the Lightning Atlantic Coast Championship, hosted by the Toms River Yacht Club. The wind was stiff, hovering around 15 knots out of the south. While certainly it was refreshing on a hot humid day, it stirred up the water out on Barnegat Bay, giving the sailors (and us!) some, well, interesting conditions to work with. We were impressed with the skills and abilities of all of the crews as they screamed around the buoys reaching speeds of five and six knots into the weather, and taking bona fide sleigh rides once they flew their spinnakers. It seemed as though there were one hundred boats in the fleet, and with that many boats sailing in those conditions it was a testament to the talent on the water that there were no major incidents. Even the best sailors, though, can get caught out by a rogue puff of breeze here and there, and we consider witnessing several sailboats capsize as the events that will be remembered as the most exciting of the day (especially when we can caught them with our cameras!).
Lightnings are small, 19-foot centerboard sloops, and were once considered a high tech racing sailboat. Designed in 1938 by Sparkman and Stephens, they are hard chined hulls with large sail areas for their size. Though other more modern designs gain popularity in certain locales, Lightnings have never lost their appeal, and there are racing fleets, both junior and adult, all over the United States. Barnegat Bay has a 50-year tradition of Lightning races, and there currently exist about a dozen clubs in the area. We have no doubts that there were some locals among the excellent competition out on the water, and we hope their familiarity with Barnegat Bay gave them an edge.
Our post about Top 5 Photography Tips (see below) addressed the challenge of shooting a moving object from a moving object. The key to success on a day with choppy seas and three or four foot waves is timing. I was reminded how frustrating it can be to try to juggle the movement of your boat and the movement of your subject and get the shot you want. Last week I worked on getting a good feel for how our sturdy Viewfinder moves when floating idly or running slowly in the water. Being mindful of the movement of our boat through the waves, and training my brain to predict when we would be cresting or coming down from a swell, helped me this weekend when the conditions were less predictable. We were happy to come away with more than 400 usable images from our afternoon shoot. This zen-like focus, however, did not save Mike nor myself from the occasional dousing of both human and camera. It is fair to say that the cameras dealt with it better than the humans.
Our photos are available for purchase at michaelbagleyphoto.shutterbugstorefront.com. We hope you will take a look to see the action from Saturday.
~Danise
Filed under: Michael Bagley, Michael Bagley Photography, nautical photography, Photography tips, Sailboats, Sailing, Sailors, stock photography | Tags: marine photography, Michael Bagley, Michael Bagley Photography, nautical photography, new jersey photography, Photography, sailing photography
We are asked the question often: “How do you do that?” The truth is that nautical photography is not altogether tricky. Perhaps the hardest part for most people is access – finding a boat and a race and good weather all at the same time. But if you can put those things together the rest is fairly straightforward.
Today’s cameras are amazing. Whether you’re using the latest and greatest DSLR with an equally pricey lens or the family point-and-shoot camera, you are ready to take great pictures on the water. The light meters in use today are incredible, and even less expensive models can make well-exposed images. Plus, with sunshine, reflective water, white sails, and bright decks, the light on the water is often excellent for photography. Autofocus has come a long way in the last decade, and even small units will have the ability to discern focal areas and make your photos sharp. Obviously, the higher end DSLRs will enable you to change lenses appropriate to your circumstances, shoot faster in repetition, and take advantage of numerous other advanced features. But if you have the eye and the desire, any camera will do.
So you have the boat (and hopefully a good and safe driver!), the wind is blowing, the regatta is starting…what are the Top 5 things to think about while making images on the water? Here are our suggestions:
1. Keep your horizon straight. – It’s easy to stay focused on the subject (a boat, a sailor, etc.) and lose track of the way your own boat is rolling. Practice keeping an eye on the shoreline or horizon while you click away. It gets easier and easier with time. And if you get a great shot with a boat going slightly downhill? Fear not – a little work in a photo editing program and you can usually fix the problem.
Ooops! A little tilt on the horizon.
Nothing a little work with the mouse can't fix!
2. Shoot with fast shutter speeds – Pointing a camera at a moving boat while standing on a moving boat increases the chances of making a fuzzy picture. If you’re using a DSLR you can shoot in Shutter Priority mode and keep your speeds above 1/500 second. On rougher days crank it up to 1/1000 or higher. Most of our images were shot between 1/1250 and 1/3000. Again, regattas are often in great light, so dialing in a fast shutter speed does not require taking the ISO too high to affect image quality. Even if you’re using a point-and-shoot, many of them now will offer either a Shutter Priority option where you can choose your speed, or an “Action” setting where the camera will set the shutter speed for you.
3. Know what the boats are going to do. Great wildlife photographers are often very good animal behaviorists as well. They know the habits of their subjects and can use that knowledge to make outstanding photographs. So it is with boat photography. Odds are that if you are interested in marine photography you have spent some time on boats before. Knowing how a sailboat uses the wind, tacks and jibes, and some of the limitations of a sailboat can help you capture better images. If you don’t have any racing experience and want to shoot regattas, getting on board a boat as crew can help you learn the way a competition works. Often the sponsoring yacht club of an event will post a Notice of Race (NOR) online that will include start times, start sequences, course information, and other useful details about a regatta. Check out all you can before things start and you’ll be better prepared to shoot.
4. Look around alot. – It’s very easy to get locked in to the scene in the viewfinder or to the cluster of lead boats. But there is action everywhere on a race course. Every so often take a good look around and see what’s happening – you may find the shot of the day. Last week we didn’t follow this advice and just missed seeing an A Cat lose her mast in a strong wind. Today we were out and caught a great sequence of an E Scow going over because we kept a good watch. Look around!
This is one of a sequence of five images we grabbed because we looked around!
5. Don’t affect the race! – Hopefully, this goes without saying, but…we know it need be said. As photographers we want to capture all of the action, and often there are opportunities to get close to it in order to make strong images. We want to make certain, however, that whatever we do does not in any way influence the way the racers do their thing. Watch your wake, and don’t make waves that could slow down a sailboat. Don’t become an obstruction. If you’re in a medium or large boat, don’t get between the wind and a racer. Don’t get so close that you become a distraction for the skipper or crew. Use common sense and good manners. Most of the time sailors are happy to have photographers making images, as they will enjoy seeing themselves later on. We all have an obligation to help maintain that sentiment.
Have tips of your own? We’d love to hear those things that have helped you make great nautical images.
