Jet Skiers

canon400d

Yesterday I took a few shots of some jet skiers. This is the first time I have ever shot anything fast moving like this so your C & C is more than welcome as it is the only way I can learn.
Regards
Bob

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2whlrcr

You need to get closer to the action. You need to fill the frame as much as possible with the rider, so a long lens is in order. Try not to do this through excessive cropping.

Plus they all look a little underexposed. I'm sure all the water is throwing off your exposure meter, just like snow does. Try manually boosting your exposures one stop and see how things turn out. Make minor adjustments from there.

canon400d

2whlrcr wrote:

You need to get closer to the action. You need to fill the frame as much as possible with the rider, so a long lens is in order. Try not to do this through excessive cropping.

Plus they all look a little underexposed. I'm sure all the water is throwing off your exposure meter, just like snow does. Try manually boosting your exposures one stop and see how things turn out. Make minor adjustments from there.

Thanks ever so much for that sound advice. I will certainly bear all you have said for the next time.
Regards
Bob

[Deleted User]

Hi Bob

I know how you feel, I try to shoot kite surfer from the beach and unfortunately most of the time they are to far away and I end up scenes like your pictures 3, 4, and 5 where there a nice bit of action but it to far away. What lens do you use?? I use a 70-300mm Canon but certainly could do with a 400+

Anyway, nice shots

Tim

RockHead-MA

Very tough to effectively the action of something like this. As already stated, ya gotta fill the frame. If you can't get close enough, think of the rule of 3rds...

The other helpful thing would be to get lower, closer to water level -That would show off the wakes and spray better than the high angle you shot these from. One of the better ways to do that would also be to shoot with a SLOWER shutter speed -more panning to blur the background, or in a non-panned shot shows motion of the spray. Sort of counter-intuitive, but it can work well.

I'd also try pumping up the color saturation to max vivid or what every your setting is, to make the colors of those skis pop.

canon400d

draggin wrote:

Hi Bob

I know how you feel, I try to shoot kite surfer from the beach and unfortunately most of the time they are to far away and I end up scenes like your pictures 3, 4, and 5 where there a nice bit of action but it to far away. What lens do you use?? I use a 70-300mm Canon but certainly could do with a 400+

Anyway, nice shots

Tim

Thanks for looking Tim, I had a 17-85 on my 40D at the time. I had my 50-500 in the car but if I had gone back for it I would have missed everything as they were finishing as it was getting quite late.

canon400d

RockHead-MA wrote:

Very tough to effectively the action of something like this. As already stated, ya gotta fill the frame. If you can't get close enough, think of the rule of 3rds...

The other helpful thing would be to get lower, closer to water level -That would show off the wakes and spray better than the high angle you shot these from. One of the better ways to do that would also be to shoot with a SLOWER shutter speed -more panning to blur the background, or in a non-panned shot shows motion of the spray. Sort of counter-intuitive, but it can work well.

I'd also try pumping up the color saturation to max vivid or what every your setting is, to make the colors of those skis pop.

Thanks for looking and giving me those excellent tips which I have made a note of and I will certainly put into practice the next time.
Regards
Bob