Wake Boarding Shoot Help

A friend of mine just asked me to shoot him and his cousin wake boarding mostly because he wants action shots of his cousin doing back flips.
Right now I have a 30D with only have a 50mm, but I might have access to a 75-300mm lens.
Could anyone give me any advice at all especially with the camera settings?
I was also wondering if it would be a good idea to use burst?

Thanks

i used to wakeboard,

i would say fast shutter speed's, boat's moving, person is moving, alot of moving,

i think the 75-300 tracks a little slow for jumps, but if the person is staying rather still, i think should be ok.

burst is only usefully when you can get a good lock and focused shots.

just thinking out loud.

I was able to try shooting wakeboarders at CWC in Cam Sur Philippines last January, and most of the time I tried the fastest shutter speed I can get with the max aperture of my kit lens at max zoom of 85. I'm also usgin high iso. Try getting close to the subject if possible without endangering your gear. I saw somebody using the nifty-fifty. But generally I'm not happy with my try so If I have a chance to get back there, I'd make sure I'll bring a faster lens.

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The great thing about shooting wakeboarding from a boat is that the wakeboarder is always about the same distance from you. I use my 70-200 on a rebel XT, and it's the perfect lens for the job. The 70-300 should do well. I set the aperture at around f/5.6 in Av, open up 2/3 stop and I don't really have to worry about focusing. Keep in mind this is only true If you are sitting near the spot where the rope is connected.

If you want the very best action shots, you should rent an underwater housing and sit on an innertube that has a shorter rope than the wakeboarder's. From there, you can shoot up at them with a wide angle lens. Usually only photographers that are shooting for magazines do this.

I don't have any shots on this computer of backflips, but I do have these watersports shots:

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i would think once your focused on the boarder, you wouldnt have to change it much since there on the end of a rope .. the distance to the suject wont be changing much.. just an idea tho
mike

just tossing it out there,

he's leaning back too much and putting too much weight on his back leg. the board should be flatter to the water and his back knees less bent, that will take most of the weight off the back of the board.

He should be almost close to the standing position

Chandler. wrote in post #5236272

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Aaagogo wrote in post #5243020
just tossing it out there,

he's leaning back too much and putting too much weight on his back leg. the board should be flatter to the water and his back knees less bent, that will take most of the weight off the back of the board.

He should be almost close to the standing position

That was his very first time wakeboarding. He did quite well.

Try manual in those tough conditions. First set the f-stop & shutter speed you need. Then adjust the ISO. Need an exposure crutch?

More on how the subject affects the exposure in Post # 47

Good call Frank. I'd definitely use manual now that I know how it works (thanks to your threads).

Chandler... that 2nd pic is hot!

Thanks allstar. The conditions were far from hot though. air temp in the low 40's, water temp in the low 50's. This was just after thanksgiving, near Seattle.

I want an effect wherein the background is blurred and the only clear shot is the one you're focusing...how do you do it in a fast paced environment...

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The longer the focal length of your lens, the faster it is (f-stop, use it wide open), & the closer the subject is to you, the better the effect will be.

Thanks a lot for your help...

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He who is afraid of asking is ashamed of learning
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