La Jolla Surfing 7/25

[Transfer]

July 25th saw some great surf in So Cal and I went out to check out a local day at the beach. The surf was around 10ft and got bigger later in the day (while I was swimming, yikes!) The surfers were a long ways out so all shots basically at 400mm (70-200 2.8 with 2x TC).

#1
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2658/3756376173_f59b4ef083_b.jpg

#2
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2622/3757177248_35fc84c409_b.jpg

#3
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3489/3757175972_e210a2a03a_b.jpg

#4
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2562/3756375531_b41b4e8177_b.jpg

#5
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2614/3756375601_9a8d090ffd_b.jpg

#6
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2504/3757176444_a4f4962e3e_b.jpg

Thanks for looking!

[BeritOlam]

Where in LJ did you get those? Just curious.

[cwood]

looks like just south of the scripps peer...

[jbgeach]

I love the first one, something about that ship just makes the composition outstanding

[1Twist]

I love the first one, something about that ship just makes the composition outstanding

AGREE ☠☠☠

[MikeFairbanks]

That isn't south of the pier (La Jolla Shores).

That's Windansea. The photos are taken from an elevated location (low cliffs).

The wave is backing off slightly in some of the photos.

Windansea is a great place to longboard. Shortboarding is okay, but a lot of people misunderstand that break and it ends up too crowded.


I think La Jolla is popular as a place to visit for surfers because of the legendary surfers who came from there.


But it's no better of a surfing venue than North County. In fact, North County has better waves in my opinion. Just an opinion.


Dude, your composure is good in many photos, but check out the surfing magazines. That'll give you an idea of how surfers want to be portrayed in stills.

Outside of photography: let's talk about surfer positioning.

Picture #1 is excellent. Any surfer would love to have that pic of himself. It's backlit, sure, but it's a great picture (in California, wake up EARLY to get the good light).

#2: trash can. It's not a good turn. It's a weak turn, and his shoulders look akward. The surfer may be good or a kook but this picture is not complimentary to the surfer. Only non-surfers would enjoy looking at that turn.

#3: delete.

#4: delete

#5: delete

#6: This is 50/50. If it were me, I'd keep it. But it's not anything a surfer would get excited about other than saying, "man, the waves are good that day."

This picture proves that there was some good surf, but that's all it shows. It doesn't tell us that the surfer was ripping. In fact, there's a section of the wave breaking in front of him, and we wonder if he'll even get past it.


The first picture is, by far, the best of the bunch.

[MikeFairbanks]

Go to Cardiff and look at the statue called "the Kardiff Kook."

All the surfers mock it. However, most of the residents of Cardiff think it's a great statue and a great tribute to surfers. The Garden Club (or some club) raised a HUNDRED GRAND to have an artist make that statue). My father (who lives in Cardiff) says, "I've seen pictures of surfers just like that. The newspaper shows surfers who look just like that." He actually thinks it's a great statue. But my dad is not a surfer, so how on earth could he know?


I always ask him, "Then why is that statue mocked by every surfer?"

He doesn't know the answer because he's not a surfer.

The artist told the city that he was a surfer (cough, cough BS, cough cough), so he got the commission to make the statue.

But any surfer who looks at that statue will say, "there's no way the artist is a surfer."


That's why they call it the Kardiff Kook. No surfer want's to be portrayed like that.

Do all surfers occasionally (or frequently) surf like kooks? Of course, and if you took a thousand pictures of a surfer in one hour, most pictures would make him look like a kook, but the surfer would go through those images and delete almost every single one of them.


Being a surf photographer is exponentially more difficult than anyone knows. The only way to take good surfing photos is to be a good surfer or to get really lucky. That's a fact.

People constantly dress up the Kardiff Kook in attire that mocks him.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/page2/images/080825kook.jpg

[Transfer]

Mike,
Nice ID on the beach and great advice that I have to agree with. I think I was too focused on capturing the waves and not so much the surfers. They were also so far out that I couldn't get any interesting action shots, and I did go at about 1pm and missed the light from the east, however, I went at mid/high tide which is supposedly best surf there.

Here's a few more that showcase some good times in the waves. Sunset shots from a different night.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3482/3756375751_4dc5175875.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2550/3708434631_226acd8825.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3498/3708434915_a8113d42b7.jpg

[BeritOlam]

#1 in the first post is a very sweet shot, especially with the ship in the background. Very well composed....

[MikeFairbanks]

Mike,
Nice ID on the beach and great advice that I have to agree with. I think I was too focused on capturing the waves and not so much the surfers. They were also so far out that I couldn't get any interesting action shots, and I did go at about 1pm and missed the light from the east, however, I went at mid/high tide which is supposedly best surf there.

Here's a few more that showcase some good times in the waves. Sunset shots from a different night.








Yes, you did. The first shot of the guy going left and doing a cutback with the ship in the background is an excellent shot.

Like I said before, any surfer would be stoked to have that shot of himself on the wall.

A lot of it is anticipating the turns. You caught that surfer mid-turn, which is perfect.

[MikeFairbanks]

Mike,
Nice ID on the beach



Most people who have been surfing their entire lives can recognize a specific location in the world just seeing a couple pictures (sometimes one) of a wave.

Waves are like faces. No two are alike. You could take a pictures of Pipeline, Sunset Beach, Malibu, Sebastian Inlet, and many other spots and show them to a surfer and they'd probably guess correctly on where the photos were taken.

It's a trip. It was my religion for 38 years. Still is to a certain degree (except now I am landlocked).

By the way, check out the spot about 200 yards south of Windansea. Big Rock. Sometimes that place is insane.

Also, Oceanside pier (early in the morning) can get really good.


If you want some serious high performance surfing, go to Lower Trestles in San Clemente. It's a hike and you need a good lens, but the wave is so good that most surfers surf twice their normal ability there.

[poppie guy]

Nice set of photos!

[mikeassk]

My goodness boards shorts in Cali!!!!
I cant wait to move back to San Diego,
I'm sportin a 4/3 and booties in nor cal... :(

[MikeFairbanks]

My goodness boards shorts in Cali!!!!
I cant wait to move back to San Diego,
I'm sportin a 4/3 and booties in nor cal... :(


Try surfing in Atlanta.

Oh, wait. There IS no surfing in Atlanta. :(


I could live the rest of my life on rice and beans and a straw hut in Hawaii. I really could.


Hawaii is heaven for surfers. Every day there is surf. I mean EVERY day!!!

[BeritOlam]

Try surfing in Atlanta. Oh, wait. There IS no surfing in Atlanta. :(

....but the Bayou wakeboarding is a real blast!!! ;) ;) ;)

[rouxeny]

God that statue is terrible. I'm a beginner surfer and even I can see how bad it is.

I like the first shot.

Thanks for all the surf photo tips. They're very helpful.

Yes, in Hawaii, there is pretty much surf every day.

Unfortunately, there is also work, nearly every day. :cry: