Finding FOCUS
ANOTHER MAKE OR BREAK component to any action shot is sharp focus. Digital cameras focus best on areas with straight lines and
high contrast, not exactly the prime features of whitewater. Switch your auto-focus from the shutter release to the AF-ON or AE-L/
AF-L button. Also put your camera in continuous AF mode for greater accuracy. You can find out how to do this in the manual of any DSLR. I use the central AF point on my camera and focus using AF-ON to the
anticipated crux and paddler visibility. Then I re-frame my shot to the original composition and wait for the paddler to move through. If the camera struggles to lock focus where you want, look for an
outstanding object like a rock the same distance away and use that as your focus point. When following a paddler through a big water or up-close shot,
choose the furthest outside AF sensor that will put the paddler moving into the frame, and then hold down the AF-ON button and keep the sensor over the paddler as they move past. Use this same strategy for panning (see below). If your camera has focus tracking with lock-on, set the delay to nor-
mal or longer so waves or objects passing by in the foreground don’t distract the AF.
LOW LIGHT
To freeze action in low light situations, you need either a fast lens (F/2.8 or faster) or a high-end camera that allows high ISOs. If you don’t have either, try panning. Panning follows the motion of the paddler and freezes him in a blurred environment. The longer the lens, the more pronounced the blur.
Set your shutter to 1/60, choose your lowest ISO, adjust aperture as appropriate and make sure your camera is set to continuous shutter and AF. Follow the paddler as she goes by and fire away. Most of the shots won’t be sharp, but one just might be a gem.
IMAGE REQUIRES MINIMAL POST-PROCESSING.
A CORRECTLY EXPOSED
POST-PROCESSING
Always controversial is the subject of post-processing, also synonymous with Photoshopping. How much is too much?
My personal taste is to keep photographs looking real while capturing the feeling of the moment. The end result is only as good as the original shot—heavily processing a mundane photograph gives you a heavily processed mundane photograph.
If your original exposure was correct, not much post-processing will be needed. I generally increase the exposure a bit as I tend to be conservative on the initial exposure. A small boost in saturation makes the paddler show up better. If you resize an image to post online, it will appear soft and need a little sharpening. Don’t go overboard or you’ll end up with an image that looks like it came from an archaic digital camera.
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