Action photography presents a unique challenge – the most exciting shot is usually very wide and very close. But because an athlete is usually in motion, the opportunity to get the right shot goes by pretty quickly. And then you have to line things up and go for it again. And again…
This is why you always want a “safe” shot. Because at the end of the day, the most creative shot might be risky and might even fail to present any usable footage at all. We always made sure someone was on the “safe shot”… and then James would go get the “unsafe shot”.
“You can usually rely on getting one – just one – really great shot in the water per hour, if the conditions are favourable.” ~ Steve Fitzpatrick (planning the Between Worlds project with AOS in 2010).
The footage above was taken by Anthony Fung for The Art of Storytelling while filming the documentary Between Worlds – our first commitment to support Waves for Hope. The location is Shark River on Trinidad’s north coast. James was trying to exit the sea after filming with a water housing for hours. The housing is usually indestructible in the water but on the rocks it’s very fragile so he had to move slowly and let the waves subside.
You can own the waterproof rig in James’ hands as part of an auction to support Waves for Hope – Surf Therapy Trinidad.