Getting the Right EXPOSURE
EVERY DIGITAL CAMERA HAS A HISTOGRAM. TO SEE IF YOU NAILED YOUR EXPOSURE, SET IT SO THAT IT POPS UP WHENEVER YOU REVIEW AN IMAGE.
ANY BRIGHT DAY on the river has a large dynamic range. This means that there is a
vast difference from light to dark. Our eyes are amazing at taking in large dynamic ranges, while cameras are quite limited. Left to their own de- vices, cameras overexpose whitewater making it pure white and losing texture. Welcome to the world of the histogram. I shoot with my camera set to manual mode
and adjust the exposure myself, using the his- togram to achieve the right exposure. The his- togram is a graph of the light captured by the camera sensor. It is the perfect tool for getting the correct exposure. The most natural look for a scene where the
dynamic range is too great is to adjust the expo- sure so detail is lost in the shadows (the left side of the histogram) but not the highlights—other- wise the image will appear washed out. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the correct
exposure for whitewater should look like the im- ages at left. The graph needs to drop down be- fore the right edge of the histogram to preserve highlight (whitewater) detail.
SHOOT THE ULTIMATE WHITEWATER FILM
You just watched the Reel Paddling Film Festival and you’re inspired. It’s time to share with the world your passion for paddling. You have a camera, eager paddling buddies and a river—now what? Focus your efforts with these pro pointers.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO Just like you’d scout a rapid before running it, storyboard your film before shooting it. That way you know who, what, when, where, why and how to shoot.
IF YOU BRING IT, USE IT It’s easy to get lazy and leave the camera in your boat—that’s when you miss the best shots.
TELL A STORY Filming your buddy surfing a wave is lame. Filming your buddy—who escaped from a life of crime through kayaking—surfing a wave is better.
MIX IT UP Wide angle, close up, static shots, dynamic shots, shoot up, shoot down...If there is a spot that will take lots of time and effort to reach and looks like a perch where no human would ever want to be, odds are it’s the money shot.
THINK OUTSIDE THE HELMET POV (point of view) cameras like the GoPro are great, but don’t overdo it. Use them for interesting angles and slow motion footage, not primary shots.
From the Sierra Nevada to Pakistan’s Himalaya, whitewater photographer DARIN MCQUOID shoots some of the wildest rivers on earth. This is what he brings.
1. Watershed Ocoee $84.95 //
www.drybags.com
2. Nikon D700 $2,999 //
www.nikonusa.com
3. 52mm Color Graduated Neutral Density 0.6 $69.99 //
www.tiffen.com
4. 52mm Nikon Circular Polarizer II $100 //
www.nikonusa.com
5. Microfiber Goggle Bag with Divider $5
6. SanDisk 16GB ULTRA CF Memory Card 30MB/s $51.95 //
www.sandisk.com
7. 18% Gray Lens Cloth $8
8. Nikon ENEL-3e Spare Battery $39.95 //
www.nikonusa.com
9. In my experience, mid- range zoom lenses generally give you the most boring angle for kayaking shots. A fixed lens like the Nikkor 50mm f/2 AI makes me work harder to get
creative angles. $100 // buy used
10. Nikkor 28mm f/2 AI-S $450 // buy used
11. Nikon 75-150mm f/3.5 Series E AI-S: All metal construction makes this a nice, tough lens. MF is an acquired skill, but for the price and weight you get pro-quality optics. $100 // buy used
12. $20 local currency, just in case
CLEAN YOUR LENS Water droplets on your filter (which I know you bought for a few extra bucks to protect your several-hundred- dollar investment) can ruin a shot. Keep an old t-shirt in your camera bag to wipe them off.
KEEP IT STEADY Use a tripod, monopod, tree, PFD or alpaca…whatever it takes to keep the camera steady.
AUDIO PLEASE People will forgive bad video but not bad sound. Spend the money on a good mic setup for interviews and lifestyle shots.
DON’T ENCOURAGE STUPIDITY Kodak courage is a real danger. If you think someone is running a rapid because a camera is pointed at him, turn it off and see if he changes his mind. —Dan Caldwell, Rapid Media TV
www.rapidmag.com 27
PHOTO: DAN CALDWELL
MY KIT
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