Ellen Atkin Photography

Looking Good in Sports Action Photos

I recently discovered the joys of shooting kiters and windsurfers from a panga (fishing boat). Shooting with a wide angle (17mm) to medium (85mm) telephoto zoom, rather than the clumsy 300mm telephoto offers a lot more flexibilty. 

Snappier colours, 360 degree view options, sharper foreground and background detail, greater depth of field and way more range options make shooting from a panga a lot more fun than shooting from the beach.

If you are have booked or are thinking of booking a session, here are a few tips.

How to look your best:

• Wear bright clothes if you have them

The black wetsuits, however common, are the worst for absorbing light. This effect is exascerbated when the subject is backlit or sidelit. Throw a coloured shirt or shorts over your suit if you can.

• Keep your position in the side or front of the boat

The best shots are front lit. That means that I will be positioned in the boat between you and the sun. Side lighting is good too and can get some great shots. Backlighting (sun directly behind you) is the hardest to work with and will often result in muddy colours and unsharp focus. Once in a blue moon a dramatic shot can emerge out of a back lit situation. Try to avoid doing all your posing behind the boat where the boat operator will get into the shot.

• Look at the camera - pose

Just like you, the camera likes to be focused on. The more you focus on the camera, the more it will respond to you with balanced colours and composition. And if you have the personality for it, pose. You won’t regret it.

• Not too close, not too far away

The 17mm wide angle lens will put you in the whole frame if you are from 10ft (3 meters) to 20ft (6meters) from the lens. Any closer and you will not fit into the frame.

The 85mm medium telephoto will work on most occassions but it still means that you need to be closer than you may think. You don’t ever need to be further than 80ft away from me. The wide angle will take care of getting the reference points (water, land) in the shot.

Don’t jump over the boat. There is too much spray and the same thing can be accomplished on either side.

• Variety and timing

Try different angles and different tricks. Don’t do the same thing every pass. Try to keep your passes short. Play for 10 to 20 minutes.

I am shooting high speed continuous frames, so I can come out with 200 or more shots in under 10 minutes.

Your Session Package

Depending on you, your shoot can result in anywhere from 20 to 200 images. I always try to get sequences, from take off to landing. Within these sequences I will pull out a few prizes and fine tune them.

Most of your shots will be edited to some degree, however editing to perfection 200 shots, is more than most people need or are willing to pay for. 

Each image is a high quality 1 to 4 mg jpeg. You can make good prints from them. If you are interested in display production, let me know. My lab ships directly to the US and Canada. I produce over 100 finished art pieces every year in all manner of styles. All work is archival quality and guarenteed.

Pricing varies.

CARNIVAL SLIDER JAM

Feb. 17th & 18th, 2012 saw Mexico’s first slider competition in La Ventana, Baja Sur in front of Playa Central.

Owen, Kiteboarding instructor with New Wind from Hood River, OR, organized the event. Adam and Jessica from Playa Central got on board and the event was born.

The slider was built earlier in the season by Lorenzo and his visual arts buddies, Hektor and John. Hektor McElliot made this high production value video of events around the slider…. The Slider Project Logic. A must watch.

A mini film festival was held inside Playa Central on Saturday evening featuring Hektor’s brilliant videography skills.

Not without its obstacles, some people were not happy about a new event in La Ventana. Posters were taken down and someone even tried to steal the slider! Ah, the high stakes intrigue in a small kiteboaring town. Never a dull moment.

Enjoy the highlights above and get free downloads from my website in the gallery: Carnival Slider Jam

A big Thank You to everyone involved!

(Source: ellenatkin.photoshelter.com)

Every Monday Evening at 6pm, I host a casual dinner party that is prepared by my Mexican family, the Leons. I organize it, publicize it and host it. The gringos come and have an authentically prepared Mexican meal in the humble outdoor area in front of our beach casitas and donate 50 pesos or more. I emphasize CASUAL outdoor dining because it is and I don’t want to stress over it.

In a sense, we are providing a job for my Mexican family. After food and related costs come out, we can gather anywhere from 500 to 1500 pesos depending on the turn out and the food quantity. This is a nice supplement to their household that has been crippled by the illness of the mom, Lupe Sanchez. She used to work in the kitchen at El Rincon restaurant until her diabetes got so bad, she needed to go to La Paz every few days for dialysis treatment.

Lupe’s dialysis treatments are covered by insurance. However, the loss of her income, the gas to and from La Paz and the loss of income of her husband Javier when he has to drive her have made it harder for them than it already was. I read recently that minimum wage just went up to $4.xx a DAY here in Mexico. When you are encountering a Mexican worker in a hotel, a taco stand, or a restaurant, they are making about 200 pesos a day (18 dollars) including tips. So this little social function is very helpful to them and they appreciate it a lot.

One of Lupe’s daughters, Cynthia, does most of the cooking/preparing, but more often than not, you will find the whole family including the neighbours pitching in to help. Especially if it is an intensive meal like Tomales. Last week I took the shot of Iris and her gal pals helping out. Tomales take 2 days to make.

This idea actually started out 2 years ago with Tom Sullivan and Bernardo deciding to move our regular Thursday night BBQ’s to my place and ask Lupe to make Birria de Chivo (goat stew). Bernardo salivated over this meal, so it was our first entree.

This year, we have refined the idea into meals that are economical to prepare (50 pesos doesn’t actually go that far in terms of food cost) and can feed a lot of people. We are averaging about 40 dinners every Monday now. So far chicken Tomales are my favorite.

So please know that your presence is very well appreciated. I want to make sure that everyone knows how grateful we are. We will continue to host these parties until I leave. Thanks again.

Tarina on Vacation in La Ventana out at the Bouf on day in late Jan. 2012

Jess Clemons at Banditos in El Sargento, Jan. 2012

First road trip of 2012 -  Jan. 2nd to Jan. 9th. First stop, El Triumfo, Baja Mexico.

Anatomy of a Downwinder: Part 2