See it bigger on SmugMug!
(UPDATE - The video is now up at 1080p - see “Full HD” link on top of the window.)
Creativity in surfing is the opportunity to express oneself on a wave. Surfing is nothing but the physical extension of one’s ability to explore that realm between land and sea. Being free to do it without the constraints of commercial endeavor or competitive goals creates true freedom of expression. Somewhere between the land and the sea Jamie tries the other side, switching his feet around on take off, choosing the opposite stance, then midway, switches back… as if to say I can do “whatever I like.” Jamie embodies the term “free surfer.”
We had a long behind the scenes clip queued up for you today (including the ND filter piece that I promised) but the newsman in me forces me to put this clip out now - for the non-surfing crowd out there: this footswitch by Jamie is something unique to his skill set, and something seldom captured.
The best thing about watching, let alone filming, Jamie - is the privilege of seeing someone do something so beautiful, so difficult, so effortlessly. The last time I saw something like this on such a regular basis was when I photographed Michael Jordan at the United Center in Chicago for his last 3 years on the court.
The best part is that I’ve actually had a chance to eat some poke with Jamie - a local delicacy. Whereas social time with Michael was nothing but a distant dream. After a very trying week - I can’t wait to sit back and spend the next week watching Jamie surf. Hope you all feel the same - this is but a small sampling.
This shot was made with a Canon 500mm f4 - on a RED One at 100 frames per second at 2K using the Wicked Circuits EF Lens Adapter. That’s the equivalent of a 1600mm on a 35mm camera. Big thanks to Mike Isler for the focus pull and spotting.
40 Comments so far
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Here’s the link, for those who can’t wait until Vincent fixes the original post:
http://vincentlaforet.smugmug.com/gallery/6921158_nXTn5#447078321_eHmWo-XL-LB
That is some awesome footage! I can only imagine what it would look like uncompressed.
Vincent Laforet Reply:
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:28 pm
@Beau Mitchell, Trust me it’s impressive - every frame looks like a still…
thats what i was waiting for! great work! thanks for sharing.
Comment by mike kobal 01.02.09 @ 9:04 am“the privilege of seeing someone do something so beautiful, so difficult, so effortlessly.”
Would you say you reached a point where you feel like that in what you do ? Or maybe people come to you and say it ?
I would be curious to know if you have moments when you feel your body doesn’t respond to your concious thoughts, but to something much more universal. The moment where you forget the technique.
It would be awesome to see what you can express about what I do. It’s very visual, yet hasn’t been filmed at the level you create. (sorry for my english)
Your post makes me realise how important people like you are to us artists/performers.
Thank you.
Seb Zar
Seb Zar Bourcheix Reply:
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:45 am
I post your video on my blog http://sebzar.com/
Let me know if you’re not ok with it. Regards
Ahhhh poke is amazing. And so is this footage you’ve been getting for this project
I do not think people can understand how hard it is to surf on both sides until they try to do it. I am a goofy and I tried to switch sides for a while. It was so difficult. To be able to switch in a tube. Awesome
Thanks for the continued effort to share footage and how you are shooting.
Comment by Stoney Vintson 01.02.09 @ 1:50 pmtoo funny, I went to school with Isler… sounds like a fun time!!
Comment by Tim Halberg 01.02.09 @ 2:02 pmThis is simply amazing!!! I want to watch that on HD sometime. I’ve been seeing a lot of amazing video work. With quality like that you can almost experience it. Looking forward to see more.
Comment by Gene Smirnov 01.02.09 @ 2:59 pmThis might sounds kinda dumb, but i am only photographer, and I know nothing about video (yet) - so please bare with me.
One the Red or the 5D, focusing is done manually right ?
If this is the case, that was some amazing camera work as that clip was tack sharp. great work!
Vincent Laforet Reply:
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:29 pm
@Chris Fowler, Yes - focusing is done manually. You can AF w/ the 5D - but it is much slower than the standard AF and would likely not work with this subject matter.
Chris Fowler Reply:
January 3rd, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Holy stink, are you one a actually doing the focusing, or is someone else doing this, and if so how many years experience.
How fast is jamie coming towards the camera ???
Chris Fowler Reply:
January 3rd, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Just watched your newest post, and i got my answer. Thanks, and WOW
VINCENT !
whoa, that is just an incredible shot.
YOU, sir, are in the tube yourself with that amazing footage. You must be thrilled to see that, and proud. Inspiring. Congratulations.
TR
Comment by Tim 01.02.09 @ 3:42 pmI was wondering about the use of music in the clips you have been posting. Obviously it’s copyrighted, but do you have permission from the artist like you did with Moby or does the copyright for the coldplay and other songs allow you to use it. I love the music and am always wondering about music copyrights. Great work, it looks awesome!!!
Comment by Daniel Houghton 01.02.09 @ 3:59 pmThat is one awesome video. Photography keeps getting better and better. The cameras are now so good they allow us to capture so much detail. Being a creative photographer has become easier with all the great technology.
I just wish that I could go surfing right here in Portland, Oregon and get some photography of it at the same time.
[...] BackDoor SwitchFoot [...]
Pingback by Vincent Laforet at Pipeline | Quality Peoples 01.02.09 @ 9:11 pmGreat footage. But one of the things I’m looking forward to hearing about from Vincent is what it’s like running a shoot like that, with all the different crew skills. As a stills shooter moving into video, I’m aware that I’m going from a small shoot with just myself and a couple of others to a larger crew where I need to think of many other things including sound and direction. Indeed I may not even be behind the camera at times.
Looking forward to your thoughts.
Vincent Laforet Reply:
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:32 pm
@Neill W, It can be a steep learning curve. The crew here has been wonderful - and understanding. They haven’t thrown me over the boat me yet… for editorial photographers it can be a bit daunting as you’re used to working alone or at most one assistant. Commercial photographers used to working on larger productions will have an easier time at it - but multiply your crew/staff/pre and post production time by a factor of 2-5 times… if you set your mind to it, work with an experienced crew and ask a lot of questions - you CAN make the transition. I would just recommend you do it one step at a time.
Neill Watson Reply:
January 4th, 2009 at 3:38 am
@Vincent Laforet, That describes me exactly. Other issues I’m working out are the copyright and business ones - film crews are traditionally ‘work for hire’ whereas freelance stills photographers retain copyright and award rights for publication, of course. But I guess that’s for another post.
Well done for staying in the boat so far…
What kind of compression was done to get it up on Smugmug? I’ve never played with any RED products, although my university has one, but it seemed like there was a lot of artifacting in the dark water, and it almost seems like when I compress my 5D Mark II stuff, there’s less of that. Just curious. Most of what I shoot with my 5D Mark II is skiing and snowboarding, so it’s daylight, with very bright highlights, and I rarely have issues with ISO noise or anything, but deep deep blue skies will get just slightly pixellated with a lot of movement from the camera, but nothing like that dark water seemed. Obviously I understand that it’s compressed for web, just interested in hearing what you’ve done to combat this issue with your projects. Thanks again!
Vincent Laforet Reply:
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:36 pm
@Parker, The biggest issue is the water: water and waves are by far the single most complex thing to compress in video / stills - any engineer will tell you that it’s their number one nightmare.
For that reason - I can tell you that the quality that you’re seeing here is definitely inferior to the original - more so than I’m used to seeing when I use the SmugMug video player (It’s never been a noticeable issue before to be honest.) I’m working with SmugMug directly to see what we can do to improve the quality together as the 1080p video is in it’s very early stages. The real issues is the size of the file at 1080p - it’s BIG when uncompressed and would not be easy to share at full rez.
[...] you to check his interview on Stevey’s blog (which, by the way, is on my TOP 10 of blogs) _ RED | CANON | SURF Vincent Laforet is a photographer who just went nuts mixing a Red camera, huge lenses and surf. [...]
Pingback by OUT THERE ON THE WEB | blog.pauloribeiro.net 01.06.09 @ 7:52 amthanks for the new link Uli!
I would love to be a intern Vincent, just got a couple more years of school xD
Comment by JFR 01.06.09 @ 9:15 amAHHHHH Yes…..AHI POKE…..da best is at the Kahuku Market..makes da mouth water…and don’t forget the garlic shrimp bra!
Don
Vincent,
Absolutely brilliant. “Whatever You Like” works like an absolute charm on this. Well done!
Eric
Comment by Eric Christian Smith 01.06.09 @ 4:16 pmVincent — great posts and very, very generous, both in posting and replying to posts. You’re definitely cutting a new trail! And we get to watch in real time. Bravo.
I’m interested in knowing how you plan to intercut the Red and the 5D material, or even if you plan on doing so. The clips you’ve posted so far have been either 24p and 29.97(?!). So, there’s a technical challenge to overcome there that I’m sure others are curious about.
Thanks.
Comment by Brian MacDougall 01.07.09 @ 11:52 am@Vincent: Could you just give us an update on how you are doing in the post production ? How long we will have to wait …. ???
[...] Check out the HD full screen version here. [...]
Pingback by What I Think » Vincent Laforet 02.06.09 @ 12:49 pmis the clip no longer available? 
it’s my favourite of all time
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kmtianxu Reply:
May 12th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Same here.
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