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Surfline's Creative Guidelines
Here are some suggestions for submitting images to Surfline and posting in the user gallery
Posted: 09/25/09 | Visits: 5,583
| Comments: 13 | View Comments
It's been a while since the first blog post. Things are busy here at Surfline and there are only so many hours in the day. That said, the next post will not take as long as this one did to share. Below are Surfline's creative guidelines to help inspire photographers who are thinking about submitting their finest images for editorial consideration.
General Creative guidelines: Surfline is the leader of online surf news and noteworthy surf stories. Unsolicited stories are always welcome. We are looking for quality images to be published in our online features. Please contact the editorial team for photo inquiries.
Equipment
- Canon and Nikon make very good digital SLR cameras. 6 megapixels and higher will do the trick for our needs at Surfline. If you shoot film submit scans and do not send us the originals. Only digital files are accepted. Remember, a camera is a tool and we care more about the final image than how it was captured. Quality and creativity are always the deciding factor.
- Stay away from high ISO settings that cause noise in the shadows. In low light a higher ISO setting may be needed. If noise is a problem try converting to black and white.
- Use good glass. Canon's L series lenses are all very sharp. The better the glass the better potential for quality images. Check out www.borrowlenses.com to rent a lens on the next swell.
- Generally speaking, fixed lens are sharper than zoom lenses.
- Make sure your lens and camera sensor are clean. Spots on submitted images are unacceptable.
- For optimum quality stay away from 2x extenders. We have seen favorable results with 1.4x extenders. If possible, it is better to use a bigger telephoto lens than using an extender.
- On camera flashes should only be used if there is no other way to capture an image. When shooting indoors, bounce the light of your on-camera strobe. This is a suggestion to get something different. For other creative lighting techniques we recommend using ETTL cords and pocket wizard transmitters. For bigger projects that need more power we suggest Quantum Q-Flash and Profoto strobes for off camera lighting. www.strobist.blogspot.com is a good resource for lighting.
- Water housings are a great tool. We recommend www.splwaterhousings.com and www.aquatech.com.au
 |
| Canon photo gear. |
Action
- Don't shoot the whole session from the same angle. Mix up lenses and angles to create different looks from the session.
- Shoot talented surfers. We are more likely to use images of known athletes.
- Only shoot highest surf action on good waves.
- Morning and evening are better times to shoot than mid-day.
- Use remote flashes in the water to create a different look.
- We like speed blur images when the athlete is sharp.
- If you fill the frame, make sure you can see the top and bottom of the wave.
- Use rule of thirds and interesting framing in composing your shot.
- Frame with things in foreground and background to establish a sense of place.
- Make sure the horizon line is straight when composing. If it is crooked, fix it in post before submitting.
 |
| Bede freesurf at Lowers. 40d, 600mm, 1/1250 f8.0, ISO 400. |
Portraits
- Athletes should not wear sunglasses for set up shots. We want to see the eyes.
- Come up with creative angles and use different lenses. We recommend fast prime lenses shot wide open to separate the athlete from the background. Bokeh is your friend.
- Think photojournalism, as candid natural lifestyles are preferred. Be patient and wait for the defining moment when the athlete doesn't feel observed and behaves naturally.
- Carefully compose your shots and look through the lens so there isn't anything distracting coming out of athlete's head.
- Be creative and conceptual. Do set-up shoots to control the light with modifiers such as a ring flash, beauty dish, grid spots, gels, soft boxes and other light modifiers. This website is a good resource for getting the most out of your flash, www.strobist.blogspot.com
 |
| San 20d, 16mm, 1/250 f11.0 ISO 200 with Norman 400b and soft box. |
Post processing of images
- For web use we'll need sRGB jpegs. You can choose this when exporting your RAW images or in camera if shooting in jpeg.
- Submit images as jpegs 1200 pixels wide at 10 compression.
- Images should have detail in the highlights and shadows.
- Feel free to add your flavor or special processing to your favorite images. Remember the more you mess with your photos the more potential for quality loss. Be aware of the image limits and don't sacrifice quality.
- Dust spots should be removed from all images.
- File name should include photographer's name, surf spot and athlete if known.
- Meta data or keyword your contact info and captions to each photo.
- Pick the best images from the session. We are looking for quality not quantity. Less is more and will increase your changes of getting a shot published.
 |
| Lightroom 2 processing the RAW file. |
Next post will be an interview with the talented Tyler Cuddy who shares his thoughts about post processing in this digital world.
Read more entries from this blog » Comments: (13) Add Your Comment
Alexis 03/24/2010 02:12 PM
How do you upload photos here dang it!!
editor reply:
go to photos.surfline.com and sign up for an account.
go to photos.surfline.com and sign up for an account.
Alan Reynolds 03/21/2010 10:20 PM
It took me 2 hours to find my pictures of me,went I sent it,it dissappered? That's twice!
ben 02/16/2010 10:17 PM
For the chance to win a GoPro HD HERO Camera package?what is the ANY ALBUM. or do you mean upload it to any album not the any album?
Sorry if this is super confusing but im confused.
editor reply:
you can upload to any album
you can upload to any album
Roger Byron 02/10/2010 07:51 AM * PREMIUM MEMBER - Real Name
First file size to large, now height & width. Can you post parameters for first time users. I've spent over an hour trying to post, still working it...
Matt Collins 01/13/2010 10:10 AM
I would like to find out who to send photos to for submission. I have read all your details and there is no contact to send to. I have done the surfline photos before and the contest. A few times my photos were picked for the top 20. I have some new ones from Santa Barbara that are good and I wanted to submit them for your slideshows. My email is [email protected] Thank you
m.cassidy 01/10/2010 07:00 PM
I'm an up and coming surf photographer that has a few deals with local magazines, newspapers, websites etc. and I would love to see some more posts from the F-Stop blog and photo editors of Surfline. A lot of good information is in these two previous posts and I am looking forward to seeing more posts guys.
Mike C.
Thomas 12/16/2009 05:43 PM
Can you tell me the brand of the flashes remote controle?thanks
tsebourn 10/24/2009 01:45 PM
Do I see a Holga in the bag?
editor reply:
Yes, the holga is a fun camera that gives you unexpected surprises. It's a good way to mix things up.
Yes, the holga is a fun camera that gives you unexpected surprises. It's a good way to mix things up.
enron3000 10/12/2009 08:17 AM
shoulda just skipped to tyler cuddy
nagrom 10/11/2009 11:08 PM
"Next post will be an interview with the talented Tyler Cuddy who shares his thoughts about his extreme post processing in this digital world."
fixed.
editor reply:
Check it out later this month, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Check it out later this month, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
redrails 10/11/2009 09:05 AM
"We are more likely to use images of known athletes."
that's a shame,cliques suck. there are plenty of unknown rippers worldwide. stop your star exclusive parameters.
editor reply:
A sick shot is a sick shot whether or not we know the guy or not. Great images are the goal. The point of shooting "known athletes" is an obvious suggestion but not the end all. Let's be honest, more surfers would rather see a quiver feature with Kelly Slater than Jimmy Pito.
A sick shot is a sick shot whether or not we know the guy or not. Great images are the goal. The point of shooting "known athletes" is an obvious suggestion but not the end all. Let's be honest, more surfers would rather see a quiver feature with Kelly Slater than Jimmy Pito.
[email protected] 10/11/2009 02:15 AM
Is there a way to hook up with different surfers who are looking to get photographed?
editor reply:
Look at who is ripping in the line up and talk to them when they get out of the water. Exchange numbers and befriend them. Most surfers want photos of themselves.
Look at who is ripping in the line up and talk to them when they get out of the water. Exchange numbers and befriend them. Most surfers want photos of themselves.
freedomriding.com 10/10/2009 11:03 PM
Great info for aspiring photogs. I won the August "photo of the month" shooting fron an old Nikon digital. I agree on mixing it up with changing angles and using different lenses. I stop counting the photogs on the beach at Ehukai shooting the same exact angle as 30 plus photogs. All of them with $25,000 cameras/lenses. I laugh at them for their lack of creativity. You don't need the most expensive gear to get epic photos. Freedom is your imagination's most precious possession.
Add Your Comment:
ABOUT SURFLINE'S COMMENTS: Surfline comments are intended to foster and continue a community discussion and/or debate on the topic brought up by the feature above. We encourage you to comment and express your opinion. Before commenting, you should know that Surfline Comments are moderated, which means that comments containing personal attacks, excessive profanity, or off-topic remarks may not be posted. Also, 'EDITOR'S PICKS' are comments that we feel capture points-of-view from all sides of the issue at hand, not necessarily the comments Surfline most agrees with. Thanks. --the editors
