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Every surfer knows how this sport is both elegant and frustrating! Frustrating as a beginner to paddle as if your life depended on it to get to the line-up, to spend 30min repositioning yourself to be in the right place at the right time, only to be brought back to the beach by the first big wave that breaks on you...
And yet, it's for the beauty and pride of achieving even one take-off and unwinding your wave during the session that it's worth persevering! So if you're lucky enough to have a friend film you at that very moment, it's a dream come true 📸
Whether you're a beginner, intermediate or advanced surfer, filming yourself surfing is ideal:
- Identify your mistakes and make progress
- And of course to share your best sessions 🤙
And there again, it's quite a story. So I'm going to try and share a few facts with you to help you make sense of it.
If you're planning to share your sessions, think right away about the platforms you'll be using to optimize your settings. Of course, choose a good resolution (if you can shoot in 4k, that's most!) and the frame rate (nb of images per second) of your camera.
If you want quality rendering, the minimum is to start with HD 720p resolution, which adapts very well to different shots.
In general, the default configuration of your GoPro is designed to provide you with a good rendering. But it's always worth checking before you start your session.
Don't forget to check your camera's brightness and contrast, and do a few tests when you get to the spot. You'll get very different results depending on the location, the amount of sunlight and the time of day. A word of advice: you'll get the best colors at dusk, so opt for a sunset session ;)
And don't hesitate to use your camera's angle of view to ensure a sufficiently wide field of view.
Second element: framing.
If you've never heard of the rule of thirds, I suggest you take a look at this wikipedia article.
The principle is simple, and applies to both video and still photography. It involves dividing your frame into 9 equal parts, and positioning the important elements of the scene on the frame lines or at the intersection rather than in the center.
This is a technique you can apply to add depth to your shot.
The onboard camera: the essential tool for filming your sessions in first person.
I'm not going to teach you anything if I tell you about GoPro at this point. But there are also a number of brands, even French brands, that offer quality cameras. So the most important thing when choosing a camera is to consider certain features that will change your life once you're in the water:
Here are a few interesting models:
GoPro HERO 9, €480
5k, 4k, 2.7K, 1440p and 1080p formats. Integrated stabilizer (HyperSmooth 3.0), up to 240 frames/second for x8 slow motion, supplied with a waterproof strcture up to 10m.
TecTec XPRO 5, €280
Good first-price brand. 4K video at up to 60 fps, waterproof up to 30m.
Garmin VIRB® Elite, €350
HD 1080p video recording with 16-megapixel CMOS image processor and image stabilizer. Integrated GPS and barometric altimeter. 3 hours of HD recording.
Sony, Action Cam 4K FDR-X3000 with Wi-Fi® and GPS, €400
SteadyShot optical stabilizer (B.O.SS), high-resolution 4K. 2h30 battery life.
There are, of course, many other models, and I invite you to consult this very interesting article for details if you're planning to buy a sports action camera.
Now let's talk about the accessories that will enable you to film yourself in the water. What solutions are available today?
The first option is to attach your camera directly to the front of your board. GoPro, for example, offers its SURF EXPANSION KIT 2 for €30 on its website. There are other, lesser-known models that are well worth a try.
This solution offers a fun, 3rd-person view, and gives a good impression of the surfer's attitude on the board. It's a great tool for perfecting your take-off and stance.
For third-person shooting, you can also use a floating handle or selfie pole. There are many models available, and prices vary according to whether or not they have a stabilizer. They also allow you to film from a first-person perspective, in a wide variety of formats.
They'll give you a great view of your surfing, and breathtaking images of your sessions, whether you're alone or accompanied.
There are also wrist-mounted camera mounts (€10). Like floating grips, these require good control over the wave to keep your hand steady enough while shooting.
It's a practical solution for filming your buddies during a session.
You can also take your first-person camera on board hands-free with a solution like the one offered by SP Gadget (€35). Although this solution doesn't offer the greatest comfort for the surfer, it does allow you to get unprecedented shots of the wave as it rolls by.
The camera is designed to let you breathe through your mouth, thanks to side vents.
Among the gadgets not to be underestimated, don't forget to equip your camera with a float, a wrist strap and a hydrophobic protective film, or even a protective housing to guarantee a long life and waterproofing ;)
You'll undoubtedly get the best shots if you enlist the help of a professional, or a friend who's an expert photographer, if he or she has the right equipment and sufficient experience.
It's the ideal solution for analyzing your position on the spot, your posture...
Amateur equipment with tripods and automatic framing can help you achieve very interesting results.
But it's certainly the most expensive option, as you'll need to equip yourself with a quality camera and be familiar with its settings.
The easiest way is to trust a good photographer!
A fairly recent but increasingly popular technique, aerial photography is making its appearance in surfing, and the results are stunning!
For me, it's the solution I prefer today, because I find it particularly well suited to surfing. The drone enables unique shots to be taken, both close up to the surfer in motion, and in wide shots. It can also be used to follow a group or a competition.
However, you'll need to be accompanied when piloting the drone, and take into account the regulations governing flying (for example, it's forbidden to fly over the beach at Biarritz, as it's close to an airfield). In addition, a maximum altitude of 150m must be respected (unless special conditions apply).
I've done a lot of research into buying my first drone, and for my part I've decided on the DJI brand: the DJI MINI 2 (460€).
This is a very good model, offering 4k video capture, so you can get started with drone video. Its price is downright affordable for a first drone purchase.
I was blown away by the device's performance (capable of flying kilometers and several hundred meters in altitude!) and super-stability in spite of the wind. The best thing about this model is that it folds up for easy transport.
Then you can move on to higher-performance, even professional models (Mavic Air, Phantom and FPV, again from DJI).
If I can share my experience on this subject, here are a few things I'd recommend to get some interesting shots:
Even if the drone is set up to stabilize the camera as well as possible, you'll soon realize that, at first, piloting it causes jerks in the shot (when you change direction, for example). This doesn't look good on video.
So the first exercise will be to practice flying the drone at low speed, while slowly playing with the camera to take moving shots.
Once you've mastered camera control and movement, you'll be able to take some interesting shots. You have in your possession a camera that's totally free to move in 3 dimensions, so give preference to moving shots, you'll see that it adds dynamism to your video (even on a static shot, adding a slow sweep adds depth to the landscape).
At the beginning of the video, I like to present the spot with several wide fields. It's on these types of shots specifically that you'll notice that adding movement by moving the drone (horizontally forward, backward / sweeping or vertically up and down) will bring all the dynamism to your sequence. And you don't have to be too high up to get a nice, clear view - I'll let you judge for yourself (without exceeding the 150m altitude limit).
If you're used to working at home on video-editing software such as Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro, you can speed up part of the sequence, and the result is often top-notch.
I use several methods to film a surfer waiting for a wave or busy with a duck dive, i.e. moving slowly.
The first is to shoot perfectly vertically (90°), with the drone positioned just above it, and in this case, the static shot is interesting because it's all the surrounding environment that moves (the time it takes for the wave to cross the field). I use this kind of shot for intros or transitions.
A second method, still using a static subject, is to move the camera in orbit around the subject. This method offers a view of the subject from all angles, but requires greater control of the camera. DJI drones feature automatic modes (Circle, Helix, Boomerang).
The last one, my favorite, which you can also apply to a moving surfer, is to add a zoom or unzoom movement, framing the surfer in the center. I don't recommend using the zoom offered by the camera (you'll lose pixels), but work on the drone's movement by bringing it closer, while playing with the camera's framing to keep the subject in the center, and of course, without jerking.
The rendering is always great.
Then, of course, there's the most interesting and technical part: following a surfer in action on the wave.
The challenge here is to get close enough to get a stunning rendering, but not too close either, so as not to disturb the surfer or get your drone wet. At the same time, your camera movements and manoeuvres must remain fluid.
You can choose to follow the surfer from behind or from the side (chase), or on the contrary, unwind the wave with him from the front, as if it were the surfer chasing the drone.
To begin with, I'd advise you to familiarize yourself with these 2 exercises from a sufficient altitude to enable you to adjust your maneuvers as you go along. You can also practice with a static shot at first, positioning the drone at the peak of the wave for example, and trying to keep the surfer in the field without moving the drone.
But once you've mastered it, I can assure you that you'll never get bored of it, and that your mates will be more than happy to ask you to film their sessions!
Have fun!
I hope these tips have inspired you to start filming your next session, or given you some ideas for perfecting your shots.
And don't be afraid to experiment with new shots and new methods. It's always been an elegant sport, opening up many possibilities in terms of photography and shooting. So enjoy yourself.
If you'd like to share your best sessions with our community, we've created a Sealocker Community facebook group so that everyone can have fun sharing tips, waves, boards...
see you soon 🤙
- Nicolas Farolfi - CEO, Sealocker