Human Kite

Took this one while parasailing in Cancun. It was a rather difficult

composition. Does it work? All comments welcome

Dennis it's a good shot. Kudos for having the minerals to not only parasail but to take your Nikon up there with you. It's a great perspective shot.

It is a very nice perspective and shot... Well done.

You've successfully captured the moment of... 'oh God, why did I do this?" At least that would be my thoughts at this time, while staring at those knots in the rope looking for unusual movement.

Ooh!! Very cool. I love the color, the perspective, and the composition. It definately takes you there.

This photograph's amazing. DO you remember the settings you used for it? I'm asking you this because I'm starting now and would like to know what kind of aperture/shutter speed I'd have to use in such a 'high speed' situation...

 

Also... where did you put the camera when landing? I mean... I assume you landed in the water, didn't you ;)

 

Really good photograph!!!

Very nice, Dennis. This photo help us to feel like you in the glider.

 

I think you could rotate and crop on Photoshop to get a straight horizon.

 

Tell more about the sunny 16 techinic. How do you find the time of exposure?

You know what?... I usually like straight horizons also, but I think this may be one of those cases where "rules" may be disregarded. Given the task at hand (paragliding - or is that parasailing?), a disorienting horizon may be appropriate. However, it would be interesting to see it with a straight horizon just to compare the two to see which may be preferable.

Well Done, Dennis. All those who think you need image motion composition auto focus super high speed film medium format motor drive to take excellent aerial shots should see this picture. Color is excellent, perspective is excellent, and you had the audacity to do it. Reminds me of doing the same thing with a Piper Cub and an Olympus Pen.

How did you keep your camera dry? By the way thanks for the story about your landing, I was wondering about that too. I can see from the responses that this photo generated that you have created a powerful image here - which is the point of the whole thing sometimes isn't it.

Masatomo, I'm sure the settings were 1/125 @ f16. The action is not that fast from up there. The rope was not moving (thankfully) from my perspective. I had a neck strap for the camera and here is the landing area. A small dock about 30 feet square. I had done this the day before and had no problem. The next day I brought the camera. I debated over the Minolta or the Nikonos since it was a piece of cake the day before. It's a good thing I chose the Nikonos because I did land in and out of the water like a tea bag. It wasn't my fault, the guy driving the boat was drunk I think. Response to Gustavo: The Sunny 16 rule has been around for a long time. It is used for determining exposure under "normal" conditions. In bright sunlight, with 100 iso film, 1/100th - 1/125 of a second at f16. Many older cameras had fixed shutter speeds of 1/100th. For newer cameras 1/125th seems to be close enough. Response to Ken. My camera DID get wet. Fortunately it is an underwater camera. Thank you all for your comments.

 

 

I really like the lines here. Also, I recognize some of the technical difficulties you must have been having.

Punchy! v. original - I guess you took this after the earlier one of your face? Its a first for me - very original, and great colours. Love the yellow/blue contrast.

That is a great shot! The lines coming from the angles are great. The color is awesome!

I don't think you anticipated how well the seen will come.This pictures would be hanging on my wall. So long Gejza

Way cool! I did the parasailing thing once and can't imagine taking a camera up there! Really neat shot!

You got some real guts doing something like that without a pocket knife to chicken out. Excellant photograph, good exposure and certainly a good 'birds eys' view of the reef. Is that really the color of the water there?

Congrats on POW, Dennis!!!

Technically, I wish it were a bit sharper. (I don't know anything about underwater cameras; Is focus optimized for underwater use in some way, such as being shifted towards the blue end of the spectrum?) Still, it's sharp enough to not be distracting and the softness may even add a bit to the dizzying feeling of the photo. As for the horizon: I agree with the comment that it works in this case and I think it contributes to the emotional impact of the image (fear or exhiliration, depending on your point of view).

 

This is defintely a great shot though! I honestly don't remember ever seeing anything quite like it. Kudos for originality.

7/9

 

Very nice perspective with the rope. The 9 is because you dared taking your equipment up there AND were able to produce a good picture.

Excellent shot like something out of a James Bond movie,well done.

Congratuation on the POW Dennis. Keep up the adventure spirits!

Although this is a great shot, it was definately photoshopped. In photoshop, if you do, Filter, Noise, Despeckle; you'll get this same effect. Sunny 16 is a simple way to get the right exposure on a completely sunny day. It is used by a lot of people who wants to test out their new camera's shutter accuracy, or simply if someone's built in meter is damaged. On a completely sunny day, point your camera at the northern sky (away from the sun of course), and your correct exposure should be f/16 @ 1/iso (ISO 100 = 1/125, ISO 400 = 1/500, etc). I'd like to see the original for a rating. Congrats on POW.

Everything comes together here -- the color of the water, the beach and hotels in the background, the leading lines of the rope and wake. Not just a great perspective, but the right composition and moment.

 

Folks, here is a POW made with a camera that has scale focus and no light meter. Who says modern photographers don't need to know Sunny Sixteen and Hyperfocal Focusing? Great work.

 

 

That is a great shot! How did you capture it?

Just great.