About the Image(s)

Title: Upside Down Surfer

Last month I showed a photo of a surfer at the bottom of a big wave at Pipeline on the Oahu North Shore, and Andre commented that the action looked like it was “past peak.” So I thought I would show another surfer literally at the peak. After the surfer finished his run, he hit the top of wave and went flying on purpose, and I was able to catch him at the peak of his flight.

When there are lots of surfers, I look for those surfers whose photograph might have impact, eg. a colorful board or suit, long hair or distinctive hair, or surfers who like to fly at the end of their run. The “Upside Down Surfer” always seemed to go airborne at the end of his run, so when he caught a wave, I always made sure I followed him. I photographed this surfer on three separate runs, and he always went flying.

“Upside Down Surfer” is a close crop of Original 1.

Camera: Canon 7D Mark 2
Lens: Canon 100-400 at 400mm
Settings: f/8 ISO 320 1/5000 sec