Date: 5/15/03
Words and Photos: Jason Buffalow

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Wakesetting the Delta (click to enlarge)

Wakeboarding photography is not a cheap hobby if you are taking it seriously. Developing costs, equipment and film are extremely expensive and will eat you alive. From the get go you need to figure out how serious you want to get, as it will determine the costs involved.

As for the arsenal of equipment, spend what you can afford because the best equipment takes the best shot. As a general rule, you will need a good body (the faster the better). Pretty much all of the guys use either Canon or Nikon. You will need a light meter and a flash. You will need a 50-80mm lens and a 75-200mm lens. Lenses make all the difference in the world. Buy the best you can afford. The canon "L" series is the industry standard for shooting wakeboarding. Get a good bag (water tight) to hold all of your gear as it will get wet and banged around a little.

Mike Schwenne (click to enlarge)

We are now shooting with digital cameras. You will loose definition from slides, but they are much more diverse. As a general rule, anything under five megapixels will not do your work justice. I am currently shooting with an 11.1-megapixel camera, which is acceptable for magazines and websites. I see lots of stuff that is done with the 5-6 megapixel cameras and it is very good, but still not good enough for the magazines. Again, money is everything in this line of cameras. I have been enjoying it because I can go right to CD's, DVD's, websites, email, etc. with no costs or developing.

Now for the basics of shooting. You have to know your cameras, but, as a general rule, you will be shooting 50-100 ASE film and around 1/1000 speed. Bill Doster taught me the importance of a light meter. Get one and use it constantly. It is the key to making pictures great.

Chris Williams (click to enlarge)

As a general rule, you will need to be between the sun and the rider. That is the goal of your driver. Depending on the shot you are looking for, you can move around, but the general rule is the same. As another rule, you will have about two hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening and that's it! If you are shooting from a boat directly behind the rider, please be very careful as this is super dangerous.

The key to any photo/video shoot is preparation. There is nothing worse than making a ton of plans, getting everybody up early and then having people flake or gear not show up. I always make two back up plans and this includes equipment, people and boats.

The first thing is figuring out who you are shooting and why they are worthy. Just because somebody can do a couple of tricks does not mean that you want to spend time and money capturing it on film. Secondly, you need to have a group of people that you want to shoot. There is very limited time so select people that are going to show up and be ready. I can name tons of riders that are great, but can't get to a shoot on time and, subsequently, ruin the entire shoot.

It is really important to have a back up plan of riders. Make sure that you have a couple of guys on deck at all times. Trust me on this! Remember, most wakeboarders do not want to be up at 5:00 am to jump in the cold water, so you are the motivator. Remind everybody the night before of the meeting location, time and what the purpose of the shoot is. Lead by example. Be early, be ready and never let them think you are confused.

Mike Schwenne (click to enlarge)

The second thing is the support crew. I try to always have two backup boats for chase and/or safety. You never know what is going to happen, so you have to plan for the worst. I normally plan one backup as a wakeboard boat and the other as just a chase boat. Have all the boats filled and in the water before the riders show up. Every minute counts, so if you are ready then they will understand that you mean business.

You will need a pretty large crew that you can trust. They need to be able to drive boats, move gear, deal with potential injuries and keep the stoke. I am blessed to have a great crew that makes shooting a breeze. You have to be able to trust the drivers of both boats because this is a dangerous situation and they need to be prepared. Your crew is the main key to making your life easy or hard. It is really important that you keep everybody relaxed or it translates to the rider. So keep it light and fun. It's just pictures and we are doing what we love.

Chris Williams (click to enlarge)

In addition to shooting a rider from the boat, another great angle is shooting from land. Try to find some place that is elevated or anything short of being at water level. This gives a great perspective. Chances are you will need at least a 200-300mm lens to get this action at a good enough resolution. We like shooting from bridges, on top of the levy's or even on top of a tower on a boat that is stationary.

The other shot that is super cool is from a tube. Over the years, we have seen shots from in front of the rider and behind. The theory here is that you get a really different perspective and nice and close. You will need a good waterproof camera housing that is designed for your camera. You need to have great confidence in the rider and driver in this type of shoot because it is very dangerous. If you are shooting from in front you will want to be 10 to 15 feet in front of the rider and using a 50-75mm lens. If you are shooting from behind, figure on the same, but with a wide angle or fish eye for a cool look.

Chris Williams (click to enlarge)

Remember that as the boat turns the tube will want to go the opposite way. One way to avoid getting whipped is to have the rider stand in the middle of the wake while the photographer holds onto the rope during the turn. Also remember that you need to try to keep the water housing as dry as possible or it will affect the shot.

So those are the basics. It takes a ton of practice and a ton of work to get the goods, so get to shootin'. Check out www.westsideconnection.net for the latest west coast pictures and videos.

Shoot you soon!

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