How to Photograph SurfingKevin Gilligan uses the new Tamron SP 150-600mm VC lens to capture kick outs and cutbacks along the California coastline. |
Article by Jenn Gidman Images by Kevin Gilligan |
Los Angeles photographer Kevin Gilligan loves the beach-so much so that he'll often start or end his day down at the shore, with either a camera or a surfboard in hand to capture the setting sun or the next big wave. It was at El Porto in Manhattan Beach where the Tamron Image Master first met Silicon Beach Surfers founder Robert Lambert. A friendship was born, and Kevin became the resident photographer for Silicon Beach Surfers, a private organization of LA surfers working in influential roles in entertainment, media, tech, and investing. |
Kevin's favorite new lens to capture the surfers' pics with their sticks: the Tamron SP 150-600mm VC lens. With its versatile focal-length range, USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive), moisture-resistant construction, and advanced optics, this high-performance long-range zoom is the perfect companion for a day in the surf and sand. "The 150-600's range is great for a sport like surfing," he explains. "I can shoot at 600mm when the surfers are 'outside' (farther from the shoreline, past the breaking surf) and shorten it up to 300mm or 150mm when they're on the inside (closer to shore). I highlighted the zoom range of the lens with the set of images below of a lifeguard tower that was a half-mile away from where I was standing: I took the first shot at 150mm, then zoomed in to 600mm to get an up-close picture of the tower."
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To achieve maximum crispness in his images with the 150-600, Kevin typically shoots with a tripod or monopod and shoots in manual mode at F/8 and between 1/800th to 1/1000th of a second. The sharp, vibrant images he's able to capture of his fast-moving, distant subjects speaks to the 150-600mm's best-in-class image quality, afforded by a trio of LD (Low Dispersion) elements and eBAND antireflective coating to reduce ghosting and flare. |
"My prior lenses were just too short when the surfers are waiting for a wave 100 yards offshore," he says. "Look at this one shot I took of a surfer paddling into a wave at 600mm from more than 100 yards away. You can see the detail in the surfer's hair and in the wave. It's really incredible when you consider how far away this was taken." |
The 150-600 enables Kevin to more fully illustrate the skills of these wave warriors in wetsuits. "There are some really talented surfers in the Silicon Beach group," he says. "They're a blast to photograph. Check out the balance displayed in this image below, for instance. The crispness of the images I get with the 150-600 allows me to capture the details in the surfer's footwork and, again, in the water itself." |
To meet the challenge of following surfers as they move fast and furious down the face of a wave, Kevin uses a tripod and secures his camera to a ball head to allow for greater freedom of motion. "I use the camera's center focus point and shoot in continuous burst mode, which runs about 8.9 frames per second in RAW on my camera," he says. "This is another example of how the 150-600 works better for me for my surfing photography than a fixed focal-length lens. I'm often taking pictures of multiple surfers at one time and may be switching back and forth very quickly among the surfers. The 150-600 makes it really easy to adjust the focusing distance, and the focusing is always really fast."
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Kevin also put the 150-600's Vibration Compensation (VC) feature through its paces during a recent surfing session. "Sometimes I like to move around while I'm capturing these images," he says. "I like to stand in the water and have a little more freedom when shooting. On those days, the VC comes in really handy. The shot below was taken from 75 yards away at 1/1000th of a second, F/8 at ISO 1600. You can't even see the toes on the nose of the board because the water falling off is so supersharp with this lens." |
To see more of Kevin Gilligan's work, go to www.photosbykag.com. |