Time for something a bit different

While other music photographers have been busy over the summer with festivals, I have been taking a bit of a break and trying something new. Music and sailing are my two enduring passions. Outside of the day job, these are the two things I like doing best (when I’m not taking photos). So I decided to try my hand at taking a few action shots of yachts and dinghies racing in Abersoch, North Wales. I’m fortunate enough to know some people at the local sailing club and they were able to find a place on a sponsor boat for the day.

Taking photos of sailing yachts requires almost the exact opposite set of skills to music photography. Instead of low light, red/green/blue/magenta artificial lighting and fast moving individuals, there is ample light and daylight to work with on the ocean. But you also have to contend with a constantly moving platform, salt water spray, rain and subtly changing light conditions. Both situations are a test of composition and understanding of how the subjects move though, so there are some similarities.

I loved this opportunity and learned a huge amount about myself and my equipment. I would love to do more of this and maybe use the experience to look at covering other sporting events when the time is right. It’s a really nice alternative (or addition) to the summer music festival season and I will definitely try to cover more sailing regattas, windsurfing events and surfing competitions next year if the timing is right. If you are interested in seeing the results, take a look at my gallery at this link.