Before Digital, before SD cards, and before the Internet…my brother Hopper and I used to plug in a 300- to 400-foot extension cord and run it across the street on South Atlantic Avenue in Bethune Beach to shoot footage of ourselves with an old VHS camcorder. Those were the good old days, when points, sponsors and who’s who didn’t matter.
Nowadays every top pro and their video guy are traveling the world to get the best clips to showcase on any and every website available. Most pros have a three- to four-move trick basket, your basic 360 air, a few tail whafs, getting tubed, and a tail blow. I remember the mid-nineties when I first started doing video work seriously, Cory Lopez was my first Pro subject. Hopper had been traveling over to Kauai to surf with Andy Irons, and Bruce and would always come home with some incredible clips of them.
Reviewing the footage, I was amazed, because no one was doing what they were doing at that age. Hopper also knew how to film at an early age from our practice as super groms. When I began shooting Cory it was tough to keep him on the screen, he was flying and sliding all over the place. I was told earlier that season about the two thirds method. For those of you not privy to this method, it is when you shoot your subject either to the right or left of the screen depending on the direction they are surfing; when they do a move they should be centered after coming from either the left or right. Cory and his diverse style and approach of surfing makes this method absolutely necessary.
As time went on and I grew more accustomed to shooting Cory, I felt as if I was surfing vicariously through him, so my work became more simple. I could predict what he was going do when he would drop in. As he would drive down the line, I would brainsurf and most of the time I would know what to expect. Shooting surfing can be easy – but sometimes a tough task depending on your angle and distance from the subject; keeping your lens and camera steady is also a must. Nowadays with SLR technology and detachable lenses, getting your settings all dialed on manual is the way to go. The old days of auto focus to infinity are all done. If you’re not shooting film, SLR or red cam, then most your footage most likely will not be seen. For all you up and comers, stay true to yourself, and keep the dream alive.
