Shooting things like Wakeboarding can fast become a frustrating experience. If you think about a hollywood film where there is a script, a whole production crew, a planned schedule etc, SO the action is pretty predictable. Action sports have a little mystery to them, and the action can not really be repeated if it all goes wrong (or if it goes right). Imagine you have a rider who is about to hit a trick for the first time, if they land it then the chances of them landing it twice are about 1 in 50 i’d say. So you have to be able to capture the trick as best you can when it happens.
Now this is where companies like Zacuto come into play. Zacuto make a full line of accessories for pretty much any camera system out there. I am DSLR based, so i run a full Z rig of the Zfinder, Zfocus, Rods, Mini Baseplate – the works. It really allows you to make sure you have the best chances of capturing what you need to capture when it comes along. In the industries i work in, this is very important.
I am always looking for new ways to shoot video, and all these toys on the camera really open up the flood gates to pretty much let your imagination run wild. Below are some images of the Zacuto rig in action over Keith Lymans head. You can see the video of how this came out HERE. The crane set up is nothing new, but with all the Zacuto gear, i can now get in closer than before because i know i can get the shot pretty much first time. This reduces the risk to the rider and myself having to have him do the trick over and over. I like getting in close, its always been a characteristic of mine and has even cost me a full Canon 7D rig to the lake before! Not a fun day!
So maybe have a think about the shots you are getting and think about what you need to do to get the shots you want. Most of the time it comes down to control over you camera, control over its variables. So the more control you have, the easier your life is going to be. Thats why companies like Zacuto exist…..
