Honda US Open of Surfing 2008

#5 is the best composition and carrys alot of intensity but contrast seems a bit off.

I wish I would have a 400...

Hey = great pics..How did you get teh colors so crisp and clear.. I was shooting Thursday with a 300 4.0 with a 1.4 converter. I shot at different times of the day and there was no way the water/sky was as blue as your shots. Did you do any PP?

andrewdorian wrote in post #6003862
Hey = great pics..How did you get teh colors so crisp and clear.. I was shooting Thursday with a 300 4.0 with a 1.4 converter. I shot at different times of the day and there was no way the water/sky was as blue as your shots. Did you do any PP?

Well most of the shots had a 1/3000-1/5000 shutter speed due to the 400L f/2.8 IS fast nature at ISO 100. I had my ISO set to 400,since I was using first the 100-400L. After seeing some shots at f/3.5 and NOT f/2.8, since I had the 40D safety Av/Tv setting. I set ISO at 100. Else all of the shots would have been 1/8000!!! and I wanted the f/2.8 bokeh.

I did some PP but only to help with the backlit subjects, added black to some colors in selective color and USM. That was it...but even with the 100-400L I was getting NICE colors...keep in mind if you got the surfer under a cloud's shadow you might get some contrast gain, since the clouds will diffuse the sun. So that might have been my case...dunno....! I can always blame it on the 400L f/2.8 IS

Also noticed how #5 lacks punch and the water color is different...the sun had hitting them FULL blast and kind of giving a flash overexposure.

sebmour wrote in post #6003620
#5 is the best composition and carrys alot of intensity but contrast seems a bit off.

I wish I would have a 400...

The surfer was near the pier and probably causing some crazy color cast. The 400L I rented...I also wish I had a 400L f/2.8...an incredible piece of Canon engineering... I just did some curve and dodge on the her...

Hmmm...I have lived in HB for 40 years and never seen the water in those colors..

From LaTimes...

http://www.latimes.com …2008jul27,0,677​9093.story

Look at the water color change on different shots...

http://www.latimes.com …pg,0,6108837.ph​otogallery

Look at Coco's photo and malia's different colors. I also can see that they dodge malia, since she was back lit. I used shadow/highligh to overcome that.

silvex wrote in post #6004706
Well most of the shots had a 1/3000-1/5000 shutter speed due to the 400L f/2.8 IS fast nature at ISO 100. I had my ISO set to 400,since I was using first the 100-400L. After seeing some shots at f/3.5 and NOT f/2.8, since I had the 40D safety Av/Tv setting. I set ISO at 100. Else all of the shots would have been 1/8000!!! and I wanted the f/2.8 bokeh.

I did some PP but only to help with the backlit subjects, added black to some colors in selective color and USM. That was it...but even with the 100-400L I was getting NICE colors...keep in mind if you got the surfer under a cloud's shadow you might get some contrast gain, since the clouds will diffuse the sun. So that might have been my case...dunno....! I can always blame it on the 400L f/2.8 IS

Also noticed how #5 lacks punch and the water color is different...the sun had hitting them FULL blast and kind of giving a flash overexposure.

Thanks..regardless of color the waves, the surfing and the girls ..whew..they were outstanding..

andrewdorian wrote in post #6009974
Thanks..regardless of color the waves, the surfing and the girls ..whew..they were outstanding..

Thanks!

silvex wrote in post #6002501
Thanks! I was wearing a camo-potn vest. Were you on sat or sunday awards. On sunday I took a different angle next to the honda scooter that Nathaniel "rode"

Ya I remember the camo vest. I was there both days. I stood below the ski on stage.

wow... the shots, timing, color... perfect... awesome job

HauntFreaks wrote in post #6013556
wow... the shots, timing, color... perfect... awesome job

Thank you!

Excellent shots, but that water looks more like Hawaii or something, not Huntington Beach. I really like how you shot these with the high shutter speed freezing every little drop of water.

justincase724 wrote in post #6015889
Excellent shots, but that water looks more like Hawaii or something, not Huntington Beach. I really like how you shot these with the high shutter speed freezing every little drop of water.

The water color changes according to the sun. Shots near the pier show water dark, since the pier shadows it. The 400L f/2.8 IS lens is an amazing piece of Canon engineering. Most shots I had a 1/3200+ shutter speed. To freeze action you need above 1/1200. Some photogs with slower lenses do that in TV mode they set there aperture 1/1200 and adjust iso to make sure the exposure is ok.

Some other shots I did with the 100-400L, but I used ISO400 to get me in the 1/1200+ base.

Thanks!