# How to:  Shoot skateboarding



## maxbennett

_this is my first tutorial, i hope it may inspire people to get involved in the skate scene, or help someone who's having troubles with their skate photography.  feel free to add on or ask questions.

-max_

*how to take better skateboarding photos:*

i've been shooting skate photos for a few years now, but not very often.  here's *5* tips that might help out if you want to get into it, or all your photos turn out bad when you shoot:

*1.  shutter speed**
	make sure the shutter speed is very fast (1/200 or faster), especially if the skater is going very fast.  if it's too dark to have a small shutter speed, use a flash (it may seem too bright to have a flash, but it's vital to have a small shutter speed).

*2.  angle*
	make sure ahead of time where and what the skater is doing.  plan out what the angle is, and don't move the camera*.  make sure that the angle includes both the start, and the landing of the trick.  don't be afraid to be in the way (not completely, but photos will often turn out better if the shot is low, and close to the landing), as long as you're standing up, and you have more then enough time to get out of the way.  also:  no butt-shots, and no heads cut off.  it never hurts to ask the skater to pose where they're going to be to make sure your angle won't cut off their head.

note:  a fisheye lens will help you out a LOT with your angle.  it's almost a must in skate photography

*3.  timing*
	sometimes people spend all their time thinking about the angle and exposure and end up shooting the skater rolling up about to do their trick, or just about to land.  if it's a trick in the air, make sure you shoot either 
	a) at their highest point
	b) at the time they look the most "into their trick" (legs looking stretched/lanky, skateboard 3/4 finished the trick, etc.  it may vary due to the trick).  remember:  skaters are very repetitive, so figure out where they look the best after a few photos, then just remember how much time after they pop that they look the best, so you can shoot by listening to them.

i find that if they're doing a grind, most of the time they look the best at  the last second before they pop out.  if they're doing a flip-to-grind, they often look the best just before they're going into it.

*4.  keep shooting*
	just because you got a good photo, don't give up, there's always a chance they'll pop it higher or whatnot, and it's always nice to have the photo where they actually land.  this is where it's nice to have a digital.  a whole roll of film for a single trick can start to put a dent in your wallet if you're shooting for a bunch of people.

*5.  be creative*
	don't be afraid to do something new.  try experimenting with sequences, small depth-of-field's, b&amp;w, different flashes/lights, shots of skate crews chilling while you're shooting the hot-shot, long lens shots of someone filming someone, etc.  skateboarding is a whole different culture, and can make some amazing photographs.

_*note:  if you want to try something different, try setting the shutter speed higher (1/2 is usually the best), and move the camera along with them.  this can be very hard to do, and will look bad most of the time.  it has to be absolutely perfect.  usually a slow-sync flash will do a better job._


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## hobbes28

These are some good tips.  Thanks for sharing them.


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## mal

That's good advice. Although I actually shoot rollerblading, most of the rules of thumb that I go by seem to apply in skateboarding as well. Out of interest, what make and model of fisheye lense do you use?


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## Ghoste

Thanks alot, that's good stuff. Maybe you can tell me why this photo took on a blurry look in the arms. If I remember correctly the shutter speed was 250. So is that not fast enough? 








This shot would've come out better if I had the whole body in shot.


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## eggy900

i notice that a lot of skate videos use fish eye lenses, is that the same for still photography. I'm guessing it is as i lets you get a lot closer, whilst still showing a wide area


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## mal

Yeah, fisheye lenses are almost always used although there's starting to be a bit of a backlash against them, as a lot of people think the 'low down, up close, distorted corners' fisheye angle is overused.






Not one of mine, sadly.


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## siv

i done a lot of skate photography and videography. and yeah, photowise, those are good tips. 
and ghoste, i think it looks better a little blurred, after all, they are action shots...


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## mal

Slight head cut offage, but otherwise I'm pretty pleased with this, considering the conditions.


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## captain-spanky

i think it looks good with the head cut off... it emphsises the height.. 

Thanx Max! I'll try and keep all those points in mind this time round..


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## Ghoste

Yeah, I'd love to shoot Fisheye if I had the extra $2K for one =p


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## nomav6

that is an awesome pic, but you might want to put it in PS and get rid of that glare on the seat of the bike, but thats just being really picky and I still feel its better then I can do so Im not trying to hate. 
A little off subject, but I haven't skated in awhile but it looks like we're past the freestyle stage, or is he just being old school with the grab? btw I think both ways are great.


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## just_because

Have any tips for someone who is just now starting to shoot still pictures of skaters without the fisheye lense and more of a lower class camera ? Just to get me started and what not ?


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## Kegger

Here's one I'm rather proud of. And as you said, a flash is almost mandatory. No matter when you're shooting.


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## bigtwinky

just_because said:


> Have any tips for someone who is just now starting to shoot still pictures of skaters without the fisheye lense and more of a lower class camera ? Just to get me started and what not ?


 
I would think same rules apply: shutter speed, angles, timing, keep shooting and creativity.

A fish eye isn't a must, neither is a 5k camera.  If you are shooting an outdoor skatepark, you can take some great shots with a point and shoot (that can have a fast shutter speed).  So even with an amature / entry level DSLR with a 18-55 kit lens, you can take some great shots.

Practice, practice, practice is key


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## just_because

bigtwinky said:


> I would think same rules apply: shutter speed, angles, timing, keep shooting and creativity.
> 
> A fish eye isn't a must, neither is a 5k camera. If you are shooting an outdoor skatepark, you can take some great shots with a point and shoot (that can have a fast shutter speed). So even with an amature / entry level DSLR with a 18-55 kit lens, you can take some great shots.
> 
> Practice, practice, practice is key


 
Alright just checking, thanks for the advice !


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## jerseyfresh

ok guys ...im new to this board and dont want to be a dick but there is some stuff you guys are not even thinking of when shooting skateboarding or anything like it...

A flash is recomended . You can get some GREAT NATTY light shots but you have to have the right lighting to acheve that .
You dont want to shoot with too fast of a shutter speed ...when using flashes set your shutter from 200 to 250 and play with the app. The reason why you get the motion blurr is because there is not enough light to "freeze" the action...

If you need help email me ..I will go into detail about flash photog...its too much to get into on a board like this ...

You guys have to think about your photo b4 you shoot though ..You need to show the viewer the whole scene NOT just the skater on the rail...Think about skate photography like you would any other photography ...know your subject and use the surroundings to lead you to him ..show where he is coming from and where he will be landing ...MOTION BLURR IS NOT OK ! Ghoste ...with your two if you backed away and shot those they would be loads better ...work on your timing and THINK about the photo b4 you just go shoot it ...Here is a recent flick..try to do what i did here and let me know how it works out for you

here are two...fisheye and long lens


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## Sachphotography

good info. 

Your pictures are good. It is so wierd. The way your pictures are lit, it looks like you cut them out of a different picture and pasted them into those ones. Interesting lighting.


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## ocular

> when using flashes set your shutter from 200 to 250 and play with the app. The reason why you get the motion blurr is because there is not enough light to "freeze" the action...


 Unless  you have a speed light compatible with nikons creative lighting system a.k.a you need a nikon camera. For nikon users enable auto fp(high speed sync), with this enabled you can shoot at any shutter you choose, and no blur.


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## KmH

ocular said:


> when using flashes set your shutter from 200 to 250 and play with the app. The reason why you get the motion blurr is because there is not enough light to "freeze" the action...
> 
> 
> 
> Unless you have a speed light compatible with nikons creative lighting system a.k.a you need a nikon camera. For nikon users enable auto fp(high speed sync), with this enabled you can shoot at any shutter you choose, and no blur.
Click to expand...

The duration of the flash of light from a speedlight set to full power is about 1/1000 of a sec.

The flash duration gets shorter as power output goes down. At 1/128 power, flash duration is about 1/40000 of a sec.

When you slow your shutter speed below the flash sync speed, it allows more ambient light to effect the exposure increasing the chance of recording motion blur.

That can be a powerful way to convey speed and movement. It can look odd though if your camera is left in it's default setting of front/first curtain sync. In that mode the blurred bits preceed the direction of movement.

Set the sync mode to rear/second curtain to have the blurr trail the direction of motion.

The flash duation at full power (1/1000) is usually more than plenty to stop motion.

So, you don't have to go to FP sync mode, unless you are shooting in daylight. FP sync mode eats up batteries very quickly because the speedlight is firing many times during a single exposure (though at reduced power levels)


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## jibbinglibbing

so here are just some photos ive taken and i was wondering are these good?

Flickr: jibbinglibbing's Photostream

flickr.com/jibbinglibbing


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## KyleWillis

Good advice. I film skateboarding, almost always with a fisheye and I love the look of it but it doesn't work for all shots. Just starting to take pictures of skating.


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## KmH

Wow! A thread started in _*2005*_!


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## snapcult

Used to shoot a lot of skateboarding. For the most part everything posted is true. Try to keep your shutter speed at 250th or faster, use fill flash, keep the flash at half power to get a faster flash duration. The more flashes the better, I used three for most shots. Fisheye is played out unless you're doing sequences of big gaps and really need to show the space. Toward the end I mostly used my Blad and shot everything at 500th of a second. Now I shoot a lot of BMX racing which is very similar, fast motion, multiple fill flashes, ect...


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