Shooting sailing boats from a power boat, any advice?

Hi there,

in a couple of weeks (first week of March) I'll be going to Mallorca

for a week. Once there I'll borrow a Canon D30 with a 28-300 lens

(not a really fast one). Most of the time I'll be in a sailing

school, and will try to shoot people who are learning advanced

techniques.

I'll probably be in a small motor boat, and they'll be saling either

small planning sailing boats or small catamarans.

 

Does anyone have any advice / comments?

Mabye someone has had a similar experience?

 

Cheers,

 

Fernando

Be prepared for wind, spray and lots of movement. Fast shutter speeds. Use a neck strap so your camera doesn't fall in.

 

Have a good time.

"Use a neck strap so your camera doesn't fall in."

 

Ah, thanks! I forgot about that!

 

[runs to Jessops to get a neck strap]

I have shot a few on Lake Erie. I'm not familiar with your camera, but the camera bag of choice is plastic bags to stow your stuff in. I keep one camera in a medium garbage bag with a twisty. I also keep a couple of those cloth squares that you get from your eye doctor to clean your glass, because you know as soon as you look thru the viewfinder there will be those two little drops of water on the lense. These have a fine sheepskin/shammy feel to them and if you just blot the water beads it won't smear like paper towels. Position yourself up wind and let them come to you/verus trying to track them down. If you know where the mark is or where they are going to tack,be there. Spot meter faces and remember where the sun is.

Good luck

Thanks a lot for the advices Jim.

I'll try to get a few good shots without dropping the camera in the water (will get lots of plastic bags as well)

"One Hand for Yourself - One for the Ship" means you can't do anybody any good going overboard. Practice trying to do things one-handed. You'll probably want to have everything packed away really well, in waterproof bags, etc., and secure them to the boat in a way to keep them from going adrift (either over the side or just in the way). Anything you might want to access while out should be packed separately from things you don't want to disturb. Although it seems unlikely you'd need different lenses, filters, etc. I would suggest a small separate seaworthy container for an extra battery or two or memory card or two. Then should you need them, they are more readily accessible and you don't have to get into the main bags and expose them to spray, the odd wave or other catastrophes.

Craig,

I think I'll carry the camera with the 28-300 lens only, plus a filter.

As you say, I'll use individual bags, one for each battery (x2) / memory card (x3). I think I'll use my baby's little plastic bags (nappy bags). Maybe one of those bags in each pocket will do it.

 

But, I don't see myself doing much single handed. I need one hand for the lens and the other to hold the camera. Unless I was using a tripod, not in a boat, I wouldn't be able to do it :-(

 

Thanks for the comments!

Keep low in the boat, keep your shutter speed way up, and don?t lean against the boat (motor vibration) stash something to wipe the water off the camera and keep it close.

 

If it gets rough out be careful of your cheek/face, some of dinghies can be moving at 15kts and I have taken some real bashings from the camera.

 

Some of the sails will meter lot lighter than the boats and crews, also a lot of light reflected off of the water; it can make for interesting shots.

 

 

 

Sean

 

www.pacificfog.net

"and don't lean against the boat (motor vibration)"

 

maybe I could just get on an anchored yacht and try to shoot from there (vibration free?)

 

"Some of the sails will meter lot lighter than the boats and crews"

 

I'll keep an eye on that.

 

I'm really looking forward to this week. I'll be happy if I get just 10 - 15 pictures worth showing to anyone :-)

 

 

 

Sean, that's a great portfolio you've got in your website!

Tell whoever is driving the powerboat to get closer. You should get yelled at a couple of times by the sailors or else you are too far away.

 

Also, try and keep the the horizon line straight in your pictures.

 

If there's bright sun, white sails etc. you will need to add +1-2 stops exposure compensation. That's a digital body right, so you'll be able to tell.

 

With the smaller boats like that the sailors faces will be important to capture.

 

Hope for wind and waves!

In sail boat racing; some boats carry ammo to warn "power boats" that like to ruin the sailboat racing. Creating waves; ruining a tack; getting in the way of a marker; ie getting to close are no-no's. A giant 2 man sling shot that fires water balloons at power boats is abit fun. First we fire a few warning shots; then we go straight for the photographers; and folks with expensive gear. When one spends weeks tweaking the sails; weeks of training; weeks of finishing the hull; one gorows tired of having a race spoiled by a few idiots. The water balloon sling shot has a range of 50 to 100 yards! Having had several sail races ruined by idiot power boat users; the racing committee have given us the sole pleasure or shooting back.

of shooting back.

Get a layout of the course to be raced; find out where the sailboats are going. If the wind changes; the boats maybe tacking way differently; and go abit differently to the windward mark. DONT assume just because one power boat is there; others are welcomed there. Some can be officals at a mark; which seem to attract other power boats; like a grouper effect. Some maybe other photographers; wrongly in the way of the sailboats. Watch the wind and waves. You dont want to steal the wind from a sailboat; or cause waves to ruin the sailboats forward motion. Sailboaters are reasonable folks; but ruining their racing is a serious matter. They may have spent more on the sailboats hull paint; then your DSLR.

If there is very little wind; the added waves from power boats is a HUGE deal to a sailboat racer. Just a few waves can slow one boat down; and cause another to gain an advantage. This can goof up a race; or cause a serious race to be restarted; or voided. Here the offending powerboat and photographer maybe banned from the area; and the race restarted. Sometimes the race just goes on; and a protest is filed. his can be a mess. The sailboat racers often would love to have a cool racing photo of their boat in action. Just learn their real concerns; and learn what a save distance and position is to photograph them.

Well there you go...that counts as one, for even thinking about getting close enough for a decent picture.

 

Ignore that gibberish and get in there and take your pictures, especially for a sailing school session.

 

It sounds like you have some idea of what your're looking at (planning sailboats) so it's not like you're blasting in there with no clue. Who knows, maybe you are though. All you need is a little common sense and courtesy with the wake and things like that. You should be able to fill the frame with the 300 end no problem.

Well, so far I've learned one lesson:

 

- no matter how many good advices you get from people at PN, and how prepare you think you are, it's down to the weather!!!

 

What a horrible week!

I couldn't go out there a single time! The only time when the wheather was good enough, I only had a 17-38 mm with me, so I would've had to "swim" very close to any boat to get something. So I decided it to leave it for the next trip (I'm planning about 5 trips this year to Mallorca).

 

It's funny though, I come from Scotland all the way to Mallorca, and it feels even colder in here.

 

Anyway, thanks a lot guys for all the advices, and I promise that my next trip will be productive (maybe only bad pictures, but I'll take them).

 

PS: FYI, the boats are Hobby Cat 16, about 8 of them. And next time I'll be in the power boat with the instructor, so I shouldn't get into anyone's way, but pretty close :-)