Life changes

Canon EOS 7D

f5.6

1/1600 sec.

ISO 320

Sigma AF 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG OS @ 200mm

Well it’s been a seriously busy couple of weeks for me and things have finally calmed down. I had my first 5 minute film to shoot at AFDA which went pretty well. We shot for over 20 hours which was pretty intense but a good test of endurance. I was quite happy with what I shot and hopefully things can only get better from here on upwards!! I also did an edit which went okay but caused me to spend some very long days sitting in front of a computer, an activity I’m not particularly fond of.

Other than that I was part of a team shooting a wakeboarding expose revealing the river lifestyle and showcasing some of South Africa’s most talented riders. There have not been any high quality videos from South Africa about wakeboarding so this is what we were tasked to do.

We were shooting on the Misverstand River which is about 120 kms from Cape Town on the N7. By the time I arrived with a friend of mine it was already night time and pitch black out in the country side. Navigation isn’t the easiest task in the dark when you are driving along dirt tracks not knowing which on earth you are and only being able to see what is visible in your headlights. My tiny car managed to overcome the bumpy tracks and needless to say we eventually made it to the house in which we would be staying and unloaded all our stuff. We had apparently passed part of the river on our way but I didn’t see a thing… driving the same road in the daytime I saw that it was right next to the road at some points!

We were two of the first to arrive and whilst we chilled by the fire people started to slowly turn up. Meeting everyone was really cool and everyone was super friendly and amped to be there which is always a good vibe in the beginning of a shoot. After a good chat and some food we all went to grab some sleep. Every morning would be an early start as we wanted to be on the water filming during sunrise and whilst the sun was still quite low in the sky.

The mornings on the river were pretty cold and flying along at 60 kmph in a boat didn’t help. For the first day and morning of the second day we filmed from the shore capturing some awesome footage from a lot of different angles. One of the main factors of the video was footage from the RED shot at 120 frames per second so turning 1 second into 5. We shot in the mornings and in the later parts of the afternoon until the sun went down.

Watching the guys out there riding and pushing each other to improve was really cool to see. The enthusiasm to create this video was awesome and was clearly shown by the level of riding and the drive the riders had to land seriously difficult tricks.

The nights were spent chilling and laughing as people recalled funny stories and chatted about the days events. We also reviewed some of the footage that had been shot on the day and everyone was pretty stoked with what was going to create an awesome final product. Look out for it - Tropical Roast!!

I left a day before the end of the shoot because I had to get back to Cape Town to do some more editing but was pretty bleak to have to go. I had such an awesome time over the couple of days and will hang on to it for a while to come. Really was amazing and was super stoked to meet everyone who was there!! Cant wait to see the final cut!!

The shot above is one I took on the last day that I was on the river. I got a chance to take some pictures and was lent a longer telephoto lens by one of the photographers there which allowed for some awesome pics. I filled a 16 gig card in less than an hour! I was only shooting from one angle and whilst on a boat moving pretty quickly so it was quite a challenge especially with such a big lens. In this shot Nick lays down a solid grab with a smoke canister taped to the tip of his board.

The holidays have begun and I have little to do now which is a really blessing as it gives me time to focus on myself and do the things that I enjoy the most. As winter draws steadily nearer I look forward to the change of season and what it may bring. I’m usually bleak when I think about winter but for some reason this year I am looking forward to it and the changes that it will bring. In terms of photography the seasons are extremely interesting to capture and allow for different feelings to be captured in places that they normally wouldn’t be. It is the feeling the photograph creates that is the most important thing about it. I say all this now but in a month’s time when the rain is pouring I will probably feel very differently! Haha.

Anyways I have a couple of cool things lined up… Will share them soon!!

P.S.

Posting more often from now!