Tag Archives: Imaging

on tv

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ac4bK7g4vw&hl=de&fs=1]
It was sure one of my highlights during the 33rd America’s Cup having a professional TV crew following me during 1 day shooting. The TSI is the Televisione Svizzera Italiana the Italian part of Switzerland where I grew up, unfortunately because of all this travelling for sailing I spend too little time at home.
The portrait went on TV the 13th of February during the news, it’s impressive to hear from the TV crew that at least 100’000 person saw it.
Grazie TSI
Jürg

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my first swiss sailing calendar

Click on the image to find out more of the calendar

When I came back from the Olympic games I found that it was quite a hard and intensive job to take images at the games but even harder is to choose 13 of the 9000 for a calendar. I don’t know how many times I did a new selection for this calendar but with some help from friends and also another sailing photographer Amory Ross now It’s done and I’m very happy with the outcome.

On the cover we find Nathalie Brugger, she fully deserves to be on the cover of the 2009 calendar.

For every calendar we sell we will pay 5 CHF to the youth development of Swiss Sailing, I like the idea to involve the youth in this project and with the calendars who are sold by the clubs even more money can be collected for our youth.

Like every project there are a few person who are key. Have to admit without the persistence of Daniel Wälti the chief redactor of Swiss Boat Yachting I would not have even started to seriously consider such a project. The calendar shows 13 images from all our Swiss sailors at the Olympic games, this is only possible thanks to Swiss Olympic who helped us with the authorization of IOC.

Enjoy it

Jürg

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Photoshooting out of the helicopter


Photo from Bruno Huber / Pilot Tiziano Ponti

This has always been a bit a dream to me as it represents a milestone in my learning curve. Not that I have hundreds of hours of experience but in the last two weeks I was up there twice. There are many big guys who know better than me , however I’m happy to share my expirience.

Besides being a great feeling sitting in a chopper with to open door, legs out, headset on and having a excellent position to take pictures I also feel a certain pressure and responsibility of what we are doing.

Time counts so there is no much time to touch setting on the camera and every image should be the one. Sure with the digital cameras you can soot as much as you like but the composition must be ok, the deep of field must fit your image and it have to be sharp.

Over the past I made a little checklist to make sure I don’t forget anything:
1: Expected images and flight plan agreed with the pilot and other photographers
2: Warm cloth, harness on, hooked in, position tested, headset on and working
3: One camera around the neck(70 -200mm lens), the other connected to the chopper (normally the body with the big lens 300mm as this is less used)
4: Settings: ISO value ~250, AF mode, VR on active, lens aperture 6, shutter single, focus priority (it’s a good starting point as the shutter speed should be high)
5: Ready to take off
6: Mental walk trough images composition (normally before shooting you have a few minutes and I use this time concentrate about my expected images)

A few months ago I bought my own climbing harness for top mast shootings and this turned out to be a good deal. I feel comfortable and I can get ready quickly. Sometimes jumping in the chopper and fixing everything has to be efficient.

The shooting itself is always a great experience, I think it’s one of the best photo shooting experience possible, you just go to the position where you need by talking with the pilot.

Vibration is one of the subject who I haven’t really solved, in every shooting I get great images with a outstanding composition but not sharp, specially when I start to work too much with the deep of field by going up with the aperture however I think that the VR functions on my Nikon lens is a big help.

If someone have some more good tipp’s let me know.

Take care and enjoy your airtime

Jürg

PS: Here are a few of my shots out of the chopper

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Xie Xie China

Xie Xie in mandarino significa grazie e si pronuncia “cie cie”, hanno dato tutto quello che potevano per trasformare queste Olimpiadi in una bella festa. Non per parlarne della cerimonia di chiusura che no ho vissuto in prima persona.

Sono sul viaggio di ritorno e mi sono fermato 2 giorni a Shanghai per vedere un po di China al di fuori dal villaggio Olimpico e di Qingdao. Sfortunatamente piove fortemente e cosi sono in albergo e scrivo un po.

Gli ultimi giorni a Qingdao erano particolarmente intensi, incominciando con la medal race di Flavio ed Enrico sulla Star: buona partenza, terzi alla boa di bolina, “ultimi” alla boa di poppa ed un recupero da eroi nella prossima bolina fino al secondo posto e poi finire sul scondo posto. La medaglia non ci e stata, gli punti persi nelle prime prove pesavano troppo pero bella prestazione. Bravi!!!

Il giorno della partenza da Qingdao era anche un po particolare. Dopo che gli Chinesi del centro stampa hanno scoperto che il mio volo era solo alle 23.00 non cera mezzo per evitare la cerminonia di chiusura di Qingdao, non so come mai ma dovevo scattare delle foto a tutti costi. Non mi dispiaceva perché gli unici fotografi rimasti era Carlo Borlenghi ed io cosi l’ho fatto assieme a Carlo.
Fino qui tutto bene, hanno organizzato tutta una serie di trasporti per fare in modo che la partenza dallo stadio, caricare le borse in albergo e poi portarmi in aeroporto doveva funzionare alla perfezione. Non fu cosi, l’ultimo trasporto era in ritardo e cosi ho perso la prima volta l’aereo. Per la manager (donna) del centro stampa era un disastro si e scusata in tutti modi possibili e quasi non osava più a guardarmi dalla vergogna. Pero quello che ne e uscito dopo era geniale.

Mi sono trovato in un vero KTV Chinese (Karaoke TV) con un gruppo di volontari del centro stampa e nel fra tempo mi hanno organizzato il nuovo volo, trasporto ed albergo per la notte.
Consequnza ho giocato una specie di indianata Chinese di birra con dei dadi tutta la notte con Chinesi nel KTV dove le ragezza del centro stampa continuavano a cantare in Chinese ed io bere Qingdao birra perche chairmente gli Chinesi erano piu bravi. Ogni tre po caraciavano la canzone “I am sailing I am sailing” per fare cantare pure me.
Per fortuna la nostra costituzione sopporta meglio l’ alcool dei Chinesi cosi ce l’ho fatta a sopravvivere più o meno bene la notte.

Il giorno dopo cioè un paio di ore dopo chiaramente mi hanno accompagnato in aereoporto. Stranamente mi hanno portato dritto all check in della first class, il resto si spiega da solo, peccato che il volo e durato poco meno di 2 ore.

Domani torno a casa per un fine settimana tranquillo perché il lunedì dopo si va a St. Moritz per il match race.

Saluti da Shangahi

Jürg

PS: Qui a Shanghai ho trovato un bar che si chiama “Locarno” ed ha il caffe “Chiocco d’oro” e gli spagetti carbonara sono mica male.

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Palma is over next step is China

The days here in Palma where special, Coppa el Rey is a amazing event with a high level competitors. Every time I’m sailing in this event I’m learning a lot this year was about Farr 40 sailing specially the mainsail trim on this boat.

On our race course we also had the two VOR 70 TELEFONICA racing and getting ready for the Volovo Ocean Race, amazin the speed of the canting keel yachts.

Another phenomena here in Palma is how late it get every evening, it almost seems a mission impossible to go for dinner before 9 and forget being out of the restaurant before 12. So it’s hard to be back home before 2 am but guess what I’m not half as tiered if I would do this at home.

Some say that the island Ibiza and Palma have a special energy…must be.

Yesterday when we left the harbor I finally managed to take a picture I was thinking of for quite some time. I like here lines if you look at it from the bow..

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Photoshooting with Pucci

Pucci I is a dream a class of its own, a mix between teak, class, engine and power.
As usual it was early in the morning and on top of it end of February so a bit cold when we left the harbor for the shooting of the so called “gentlemen racer”.
The magazine Swiss Boat Yachting published 5 pages plus the cover of this boat in the April edition.
But look at the images it was worth to get up early in the cold.
You want to see more about Pucci click here.

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