Water, Wind, and Waves

Here is a slice of midwest surfing to showcase summer's energy. The water featured in last week's blog portrayed a soothing view of summer but this week the water portrays a source of summer excitement challenging the body and energizing the spirit.

This week's photo was taken at a local ski event one evening this past week. My challenge in shooting that evening was that the sun was fully setting directly in front of me prompting me to be cautious of blowing up highlights which isn't my preferred style. The sun's position limited the variety of shots I could take. The water's blue tones transformed slowly into golden tones as the sun continued to sink into the horizon. Actually, I was suprised to note how quickly our summer days are growing shorter. Summertime is flying by and the kids will be returning to their schools next week. By 8:00 PM. this evening, daylight was nearly gone signaling that summer's exit is drawing nearer. 

For me, photographing water skiing is all about the splash and motion. To avoid background issues and to minimize highlight blow outs from the intense setting sun, I needed to hold a tight crop on the subject and only photograph the subject using certain camera angles. Because I like to get the athlete's facial expression in any sporting event, the tight cropped shooting fit my style.  Her shades added style.

What scene could better express the essence of summer than jumping across the waves while being chilled by their spray?

Here Comes Summer Series #3