Here's another surfing edit I thought I'd share with everyone. I shot this yesterday with my 550D. It was damn hard to shoot with pouring rain most of the time and the camera wrapped in a couple of plastic bags, but I managed to nail a few shots nonetheless. I would love any feedback positive or negative!

Stormy Snapper on Vimeo

Lenses used were the Tamron 70-200mm and the Sigma 10-20 f/3.5. I used a Pro-aim slider (the cheap one from eBay) and it performed better than I expected - So far I'm happy with it particularly for the price.

For those who know anything about surfing: It was one of the most impressive sessions I've ever witnessed at this particular break. Joel Parkinson, Jordy Smith and Mick Fanning headlined the cast which also included former world champions Mark Occhilupo and Tom Curren. Unfortunately due to the weather I missed alot of opportunities. Being limited to a 200mm lens didn't help when trying to find somehwere sheltered to film from, but hopefully my 2x convertor will arrive later this week and it'll be one less thing to think about.

Hey John,
Typical crowded Snapper, but your pics look nice. And I do like the slider shots at the start.

Steve.

Thanks Steve. This day was actually unusually uncrowded.

Today is a different story... word's got out and there about 400 people and several ski's out at Snapper.

Good stuff. How long is that slider? Looks like it goes on forever. Going to Hawaii this summer and plan to rent some glass for the trip. Still trying to decide between being on the beach or getting an underwater housing.

Thanks Greg. It's the smallest slider available - 2ft. Shooting with a 10mm lens at 50p then slowing down in post makes it seem a bit longer though.

If you're going to Hawaii in the summer then my guess would be you are going to the South Shore? If so, I'd say get a housing. A lot of the southside spots are a long way out but with nice safe channels you can easily paddle a longboard out there and have a nice stable platform to shoot from - much easier than swimming! If you wanna shoot from land at most of those spots you're looking at a 600mm lens probably.

Nice job on the tripod/how it was not jerky. I would suggest if possible to take some video from other viewpoints. I have never been there, is it possible to get a shot looking into the barrel?

Not without a jetski and a water housing!

Thanks for the comment about different angles though. This day I was particularly limited by the weather (only one spot offered rain protection) but I agree it needs a bit more variety in the angles.

John, nothing like water shots but the risks are great of damage to your gear as well. Lucky for you that you can shoot.

I bought a Canon 7D & a number of lens planning on shooting for a couple of months until I got injured. Unfortunately at the start of my holiday, (July) I broke my hip at G land followed by a bone infection I got in a Bali hospital on my 1st op leading to 4 operations. Finally I am scheduled for my 5th operation to get a fake hip on May 18th. Since July I have not been able to walk or work so it has been a life changing accident.

Funny you say that Jeff, I'm currently suffering from one of those life-changing injuries as well.

I injured my back surfing last year. I've been on the surgery waiting lists for a while now, and unable to shoot weddings anymore, I've focused my attention back to surfing videos. I'm having the surgery at the end of this month, after which I'll be recovering for another 4-6months. I consider myself lucky though that I am still able to walk and enjoy the odd bodysurf while I wait for surgery. I can only imagine the frustration of being in your position for 12 months.

I still enjoy shooting weddings and will resume them in the not too distant future, but surfing is my main passion and while I have the time on my hands, I've been doing everything I can to get myself noticed in the surf film industry.

All the best for your surgery on the 18th. Hopefully you'll be back in the water soon!

Thanks John! BTW my doc claims I should able to surf & ski the same waves & runs as before if I work out/get back into shape which should take a good year. He has seen the waves & skiing runs I do so I was really happy to hear that.

Backs are pretty tricky. I know people that have recovered 100% & others that never got right again. I think a big issue is to get back into shape & keep the weight down if those are issues for you.

It's good to hear you'll make a full recovery...

The most painful thing for me will be missing my first Hawaiian winter in 6 years. I'll probably just be tentatively getting back on the board around about November/December. I've been working with a physio since the accident and weight is certainly not an issue for me (think Rob Machodo's build) so hopefully getting back to full fitness after the surgery and the initial resting period won't be too hard.

With swimming likely to be an intensive part of my recovery, a camera housing is on the cards soon I think. Combining rehab with work will certainly increase my productivity.