Bracklesham Bay

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Mike Farley
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Joined: Tue 11 Sep 2012, 16:38
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Bracklesham Bay

Postby Mike Farley » Tue 18 Sep 2018, 14:15

The remnants of Hurricane Helene blew into the UK overnight and come this morning the strong winds brought out some intrepid kite and wind surfers in Bracklesham Bay. I spoke to one of the wind surfers after he had made it back onto the shore and he said that it had been exhilarating, if tiring. He said that he had only come back onto dry land for a rest and was planning tp go out again later on.

Bracklesham Bay (2 of 2).jpg
Wind surfer
Bracklesham Bay (2 of 2).jpg (89.69 KiB) Viewed 1393 times


Bracklesham Bay (1 of 2).jpg
Kite surfer
Bracklesham Bay (1 of 2).jpg (83.26 KiB) Viewed 1393 times


I knew that there would be a lot of spray, so I chose my camera with some care although it turned out that my preparations were insufficient. I took a Sony A7 Mk II with a Canon EF 24-105 lens attached. Both have some weather sealing and the lens had the benefit of a filter for some added protection. A Sigma MC-11 adapter did the duties for the translation between the Canon and Sony systems. As soon as I got onto the beach, I knew that I had selected the wrong setup.

The Sony gets through batteries almost like no other camera I know*. There is also significant battery drain when it is not being used. I had shot it a couple of days previously at which point it still had quite a lot of juice left. I turned it on and found that it was down to 19%, which ended up being 9% even with sparing use. I knew that the AF also had some shortcomings, but this would not have been an issue with the static subjects I had been anticipating . A couple of times I missed some action simply because the camera did not focus quickly enough. The other issue was that having not foreseen that there would be sporting activity taking so place so close to shore, my chosen lens was on the short side. Both these images have had some significant cropping and even starting off at 24 MP, I would probably struggle to make anything larger than an A4 print.

* Nothing like a Sigma DP Merrill camera, though; 50 shots from a single charge is good going.
Regards

Mike Farley
(Visit my website and blog - www.mikefarley.net)
Mike Farley
Posts: 7316
Joined: Tue 11 Sep 2012, 16:38
Contact:

Re: Bracklesham Bay

Postby Mike Farley » Wed 19 Sep 2018, 21:57

Another day, another big gust of wind. This time courtesy of Storm Ali, the first storm of the season to be named by the Met Office. It certainly looked choppy out there. Expecting more activity on the sea, I went better prepared. A 300 mm lens on the "right' camera, a Canon 7D which gave me a 480 mm full frame equivalent. I found that touting a white lens attracts attention and I ended up chatting to a couple of the sail boarders, including the subject of this shot. He is certainly keen on his water sports and has a house right on the beach.

Hugh.jpg
Sail boarder
Hugh.jpg (83.67 KiB) Viewed 1375 times
Regards

Mike Farley
(Visit my website and blog - www.mikefarley.net)
Mike Farley
Posts: 7316
Joined: Tue 11 Sep 2012, 16:38
Contact:

Re: Bracklesham Bay

Postby Mike Farley » Thu 20 Sep 2018, 08:56

I sent the kitesurfer featured in the previous shot a copy of the photo. His reaction? It was OK, but what he really wanted was one of him doing a leap, preferably showing him as high in the air as possible. That, as it turned out, was a tall* order. I had a few of him leaping, but not many had turned out well. I had set the camera to continuous autofocus, but not every shot had turned out sharp. For those which were OK sharpness wise, often the kite's harness or his arms obscured his face.

The shot below illustrates all of the problems** I encountered and, for good measure, adds another. Yes, he is flying over the sea but it does does not give much of an impression of height.

Too Low.jpg
Too low
Too Low.jpg (80.13 KiB) Viewed 1368 times


Here is another which has not quite worked, taken towards the ens of the shoot when conditions turned dull.

Too Dull.jpg
Too dull
Too Dull.jpg (93.8 KiB) Viewed 1368 times


* Yes, I know. ;)

** For those who eschew Henri Cartier-Bresson's views on sharpness, I am aware it is not quite in focus. Exactly the point I am making.
Regards

Mike Farley
(Visit my website and blog - www.mikefarley.net)
Mike Farley
Posts: 7316
Joined: Tue 11 Sep 2012, 16:38
Contact:

Re: Bracklesham Bay

Postby Mike Farley » Fri 21 Sep 2018, 08:13

The two images which I sent to the kitesurfer. Even with a powerful telephoto lens, these are still massively cropped from the central portion of a shot taken in landscape format. I did venture out with a 1.4 extender added to the 300 mm lens but there was no one around on that occasion to see how well that would work.

Leaping Hugh (2 of 3).jpg
Kitesurfer
Leaping Hugh (2 of 3).jpg (74.53 KiB) Viewed 1356 times


Leaping Hugh (1 of 3).jpg
Kitesurfer
Leaping Hugh (1 of 3).jpg (89.13 KiB) Viewed 1356 times
Regards

Mike Farley
(Visit my website and blog - www.mikefarley.net)
Mike Farley
Posts: 7316
Joined: Tue 11 Sep 2012, 16:38
Contact:

Re: Bracklesham Bay

Postby Mike Farley » Fri 21 Sep 2018, 17:44

Yet another day at Bracklesham Bay, this time between tempests, Storm Bronagh having blown through overnight and the Met Office reportedly considering whether the weekend gusts are worthy of being given a name. And to think that the long range "forecast" for this week was initially promising a balmy few days. There was still plenty of wind, though. After yesterday's quiet spell when nothing was happening, the sea was a hive of activity this afternoon, kite surfers and sail boarders galore. A 300 mm lens + 1.4 extender mounted on an APS-C camera, giving a full frame equivalent of around 670 mm proved its worth. Occasionally the subject was a bit too close, but in the main I was able to fill the frame.

Sail boarder (1 of 1).jpg
Sail boarder
Sail boarder (1 of 1).jpg (87.09 KiB) Viewed 1348 times


BTW, I caught up with the kite surfer who had requested the shots of him leaping. He had seen what I sent him but had not thought it worthwhile to acknowledge them.
Regards

Mike Farley
(Visit my website and blog - www.mikefarley.net)

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