Outgunned

A surfer rides the waves in the ocean along Huntington Beach, California.

I love photography,  I love to watch surfers catch a wave and I love photographing surfers catching a wave, so I was thrilled when I recently stumbled upon a surfing competition in Huntington Beach, California.  I’d been hoping to find surfers, so a tournament was a bonus. My ever-patient daughter waited as I shot photo after photo.

I wasn’t the only one there with a camera.  My little Nikon D40X was like a child’s toy next to the dozens of big guns stationed along the pier.  I slipped in among them, and we all watched as the surfers waited for a worthy wave.  When a surfer rose up, a chorus of clicks followed the surfer doing all sorts of fancy moves on the waves.

In a break in the action, one photographer pointed out a pod of dolphins to me, and I hurried after her to find a better vantage to photograph them.  My telephoto lens was outmatched there. The dolphins were too far away to get a good shot.  I had serious lens envy. I sell a few photos, but not enough to justify the expense of a bigger rig. Although if I did upgrade (and it would be a seriously expensive upgrade), would I be more aggressive both in photographing more subjects as well as peddling my wares? So far, I don’t have the nerve.

I want this camera and lens!

I have serious lens envy.

Here, a surfer catches a wave under a rainbow!

More surfer photographs on a calendar I designed.