Posts Tagged Sailing
Photos of Annapolis to Newport Race finally in Gallery
Posted by Mark Duehmig in Everything on June 14th, 2009
Well that took a while. But all 430 (or so) images are up in the Galley section of my website.
Bright spinnakers on a rainy day as the fleet departs for Newport.
Go to www.MarkDuehmig.com, click on Galleries and you’ll see one listed as Annapolis to Newport Race 2009.
A boat races down the Bay, stowing sails that won't be used until they hit the Atlantic. The foul weather gear hid faces in so many shots, removing the all-important human element.
There are a lot more photos than I’d normally put in any gallery. You’ll see three or four (sometimes more) of nearly the same shot and I HATE doing that. But I’m going to let the race organizers know they are there so maybe people will pick and choose the ones they like. I’m not going to charge for this shoot since I didn’t make a real effort to get every boat.
The Cal 36 Diamond in the Rough prepares to start for Newport.
Here are a few of the photos I thought were a representative mix of photos. If you like these, paw through the whole set on my portfolio page and I’d love to know what you think.
Thanks,
Mark
Dawn Treader jockeys for position at the start.
The maxi racer Rambler spreads her huge wings as she heads down the Bay. Rambler was the first to cross the finish line but did not set a course record. Notice the vignetting on the photo. My 70-200 2.8 sometimes does this when the light is right and I usually correct for it. This time I thought it added concentration to the image so I left it.
My gear packed in a Pelican waterproof case, we race out to the starting line. It was really hard to keep gear dry, so you did what you could.
Another photo from the race
Posted by Mark Duehmig in Everything on June 9th, 2009
I didn’t plan to piece-meal out the photos from the race. Just a busier conference than I expected.
Two boats race to catch the class that started before them on the Annapolis to Newport Race.
Here is another quick grab from the photos. Two bright colorful spinnakers on a sea of gray, rainy weather. I’m glad there were more boats on the horizon to give the photo depth, but the fog keeps attention on the boats in the foreground. As always, feedback and critiques of the images are appreciated.
One other tool I forgot to mention. I grabbed a cotton t-shirt before I ran out the door to shoot the race. Every time I raised my camera to get a shot, the lens got spots. Water was dripping off the small cabin top, blowing in the wind and generally everywhere. A big soft piece of cotton allowed me to do a quick wipe between the shots. Much better than a non absorbent lens cloth. (And never use paper products like kleenex or paper towels.)
Ok, back to work.
Mark
www.MarkDuehmig.com
First photo from Annapolis to Newport 09
Posted by Mark Duehmig in Everything on June 8th, 2009
Well this has taken a while. When we returned from shooting the race start last Friday, I opened the door to a ringing phone. I transfered my images while I put out fires and ended up packing for a trip instead of culling through them.
The bowman checks the spinnaker at the start of the race from Annapolis to Newport.
I did manage to copy a set onto a small hard drive before I headed out the door for a few days. So as I get a few minutes I’ll dig through them and post them up here. Eventually I’ll create a gallery on www.markduehmig.com but I’ll wait until I get back to my office and my color-corrected monitors. 
The weather that day could result in really powerful images or rather dull colors with poor contrast. And I got both. I chose to shoot slightly underexposed (.7 f/stop under) so that the bright grey skies wouldn’t fool my light meter. I don’t think that was necessary not that I’ve glanced at some of my images, but better to be under exposed than over exposed.
My hopes of getting some good crew shots were frustrated by everyone wearing hoods, hiding their faces and thus their expressions. Rotten.
I shot about 450 images and I think around 40 are worth something. Maybe two or three will make it into my portfolio. When I was shooting film, if i got one really good picture out of a roll, I was thrilled. I guess that is about the same, just the rolls are bigger.
So here is my first shot posted. More to follow.
Mark
www.MarkDuehmig.com
Got it covered…
Posted by Mark Duehmig in Everything on May 31st, 2009
I am honored to announce that one of my photos is gracing the cover of one of my favorite magazines, Spinsheet.
I’ve written in this space before that I am a real fan of this magazine. It maintains a true Corinthian spirit to taking to the water. Everyone belongs on the Chesapeake Bay and this magazine celebrates that. And I’m proud to be part of it.
Cover of Spinsheet Magazine
I did some traveling this month so I didn’t get to haunt the boat yards and docks like I wanted, looking for photos of opportunity. But one Sunday morning my daughter and I had gone out for a drive and she fell asleep in the back. As we crossed the Eastport drawbridge I saw a line of boats tied up and a sole figure working on them in the rain. I circled back and had a look.
The boats are part of the CRAB fleet. That’s Chesapeake Regional Accessible Boating. This wonderful organization has boats equipped to make sailing possible or easier for people with disabilities. Again, helping get everyone out on the water.
I had my cameras with me* and I stepped out into the rain and shot off a handful of photos. My gear was getting wet, but then again, taking pictures is why I have it. And both the gear and me would dry.
There are a handful of elements that make this photo work. I wanted a short focus so I dialed the aperture to the max opening of 2.8 on my Nikon 70-200 lens. There was too much busyness on the other side of the creek that would distract from the foreground subjects. There is also an interesting reflection on the wet docks. But I think the boat’s name, Steamed, next to the CRAB logo was also an important draw.
So, I’ll thumbtack this up on my wall of my studio and smile when I look at it. It means a lot more than some anonymous magazine I don’t care about. I’m still waiting for that National Geographic assignment, but until then, I’ll try for next month’s Spinsheet cover…
Mark
www.MarkDuehmig.com
*You should always have a camera with you. (http://blog.markduehmig.com/index.php/archives/55)
Shooting with a splash
Posted by Mark Duehmig in Everything on May 21st, 2009
A friend of mine from New Zealand sent me a note saying he is working on a website dedicated to Stand Up Paddle Surfing. How cool is that? My first guess was that paddle surfing was similar to cross-country skiing; still skiing even when there aren’t hills nearby. Nope, when I saw the website, I saw it is big Pacific Ocean waves and serious surfing. Have a look. If you’re an adventurer, it might be for you.
http://www.standuppaddlekiwi.com
But he wants to be able to take pictures in a really wet environment and he asked if I had any suggestions. Indeed I do.
There are several options to dealing with this wonderful liquid. To determine which path we’ll take, we need to know the whole range of photographic needs and decide if they extend beyond water photography. Some questions we might ask are; Are water photographs all we really need to take pictures of or are these a small percentage of the overall use of the camera? Is it a one-time shoot or will we be frequently updating our wet-shots? Is the camera likely to get damp, wet, dunked or submerged? Any actual under-water photography in the plans?
Lets go the easier route; if using the camera for these water photographs is an infrequent or one-time use, consider renting your equipment. There are lots of places that will rent waterproof gear to you, even if they have to ship it to you. It won’t be cheap, but it will be much less than if you bought equipment that will sit on a shelf.
On the other extreme, if you want to do some diving with your equipment and water photography is in your indefinite future, then you’ll need some specialized gear. For example Nikonos is the Nikon line of submersible camera equipment. Any of it will be suitable for getting in waves and getting water all over everything. (But keep in mind that if you envision diving to photograph colorful reefs, the name of the game is light. You’ll need to be able to use a big external flash, or flashes, to get your photos.)
Most people, and I think my friend Paul is in this group, need something in the middle.
Fortunately, there are several cameras that are designed for the task, mostly in point-and-shoots, but there is an option in D-SLRs too.
For point and shoot cameras, Olympus has a waterproof and shockproof Stylus 720SW. There is also the Pentax Optio W10 and the Vivitar VIVICAM-6200W. (Since you have a choice of several waterproof cameras to choose from, make sure you compare features like what depth it is waterproof to, and how long it can stay there. Is it meant to just survive a dunking or really go swimming?)
The only choice in the D-SLR line that comes close to wetness protection is the Pentax K10D. And this is weatherproof. Not waterproof. So why do I mention it here? Well if rain is what you’re fighting, or if you’re following a surfer in a boat or jet ski with spray and splash, it might be a good choice for you. Especially if you want to work with long lenses and work with manual functions.
There is another choice for people working with sports in a very wet environment, (like surfing); the Sanyo Xacti video camera. I own one of these and when I raced my Tartan 34 sailboat to Bermuda last year, I left it in the cockpit through waves and rain so I capture whatever happened without trashing my best gear. AND it takes 8 megapixel still images. And it can take those still images while recording video.
It really is an amazing camera, but there are two big downsides to it; first, it records video in standard definition (640 x 480) not high definition. (I think there is a PAL version available.) Standard Def is no problem for the web, but if you put the video up on your new 72 inch plasma HDTV, it won’t look as good as you might imagine. (Sanyo makes an HD version of this camera that is not waterproof at the time of this writing, so don’t get confused and buy the wrong one.) Second down side; the still photos are ok, but not great; middle-range point and shoot quality. But if you want waterproof (up to 6′ I think) video and still images at a reasonable price (about $220 US) there really isn’t anything else that I’ve seen.
A good balance to really protect your stuff, especially if you already own some camera gear is to go with a protective housing. There are quite a few to choose from, depending on how much protection you need and features like connecting external flashes. Some are just sealed bags that are custom fit to certain cameras and others are small submarines. The prices vary widely so take an antacid before you go shopping. Ewa-Marine is a well known name in camera housings.
So what do I think? If there is any need for video, that Sanyo is hard to beat.
Really want to use your expensive D-SLR camera but don’t like the prices of the waterproof housing? Save your money and buy a really long, really fast lens and shoot from shore.
If still images are all you need, a waterproof and shockproof point-and-shoot camera is probably your best bet. Very good quality and usable with one hand. (Very important when shooting a guy paddle surfing 20 feet away from you, and you’re both about to get crushed by a cresting monster wave.)
So don’t forget to put the wrist strap on, and keep shooting!
Mark
www.MarkDuehmig.com
The benefits of keeping your camera with you
Posted by Mark Duehmig in Everything, Focus on May 18th, 2009
I’ve mentioned before that a camera doesn’t do any good sitting in the camera bag, sitting at home. I try to carry my camera all the time, and when that isn’t possible, I’ve got a small Sony point-and-shoot that I’ll stick in my pocket.
Last week I was able to pull over to the side of the road, on a bridge, and get a few shots of a schooner sailing by.
The schooner Woodwind sails by under the Severn River bridge last week.
The bow of the schooner Woodwind cleanly cuts the water of the Severn River.
But I wouldn’t have anything but regrets if I’d seen the boat and I just had to watch it go by.
Mark
www.MarkDuehmig.com
New photos in Spinsheet Magazine
Posted by Mark Duehmig in Everything, Focus on April 30th, 2009
Just a note that a few photos of the schooner Marilyn appeared in Spinsheet Magazine. www.Spinsheet.com. This is an outstanding sailing magazine that is available all over the Chesapeake and the Mid-Atlantic.
If you can’t pick up a free copy at one of a thousand places on the Bay, you can see it on-line. Pages 58-59 I think.
I am very fond of this magazine at its high quality coverage of sailing on the Chesapeake Bay. If I have the opportunity to throw them some photos, I’m happy to do it.
Mark
www.MarkDuehmig.com