Shooting action in low level autumn light

Mid day at Langland when the tide is out ,vantages are limited and the problems of low colour saturation make correct settings of an even greater concern.

More light is reflected from the waves than the surfer /subject and this must be taken into account with your choice of aperture and shutter speed. A light meter that reads incident light is often the best option .Failing that a spot- metered reading off the subject is probably best.

Automatic metering that takes into account the overall picture may well need compensation by 1 or even 2 stops especially if there is plenty of white water and the rider is not filling the frame. Manual settings are often best.

The photos below were taken on 25th October 2004.Equipment -600 mm F4 Nikon with Digital Fujii S2 Pro and tripod to reduce camera shake.

SETTINGS

ASA	200
Aperture	F5.6/F8
Shutter speed	1000
File sizes (web)	25K Jpegs(originally 3mb)