Since a while Daniel Forster and me we started to work together on projects, this give us the chance to cover more complex shootings easier such as for example the 33rd Americas cup.

The distances are so big it’s impossible to shoot at the start and then being on time also at the weather mark. So during the 33rd America’s cup we will share the positions on the race course with the goal to give a better coverage to our customers.

The size and speed of the boats is also a bit of a challenge. For those who shoot in their free time try to go on the street and take a picture of a car moving towards you with 50 – 60 km/h maybe even more, you have to be quite fast with framing and the focus to get a sharp picture. Another point are the distances that’s why we will be using the big long lenses. For the cup Nikon Switzerland give me the chance to use their 500mm lens with VRII function. I really curious too see the difference. by the way the lenses it selves is 3.5 Kg plus 1.2 Kg the camera this means holding up almost 5 Kg.

Sometimes I think back at the Olympic Games where we got  Chinese agency photographers used to work in the football stadiums with tripods, coming on board with tripods and monopods. Very quickly they realized that this is of no use as the boats are moving too much. Some even got seasick but that’s another story.

Please come and visit our new website www.go4image.com especially for the 33rd Americas cup we made a gallery with Daniels images of the last 10 America’s cup going back more than 30 years to Newport 1977 until the images we will start to publish next week.

Jürg

After 2 weeks shooting the classic yachts on the cote azur…here is my best image, enjoy….
See the book online

Order the book online

PARTNERS IN TRADITON – CLASSIC and MODERN YACHTS in SAINT-TROPEZ

Saint-Tropez, France (September 26, 2009) –Yachting photographers, Juerg Kaufmann and Daniel Forster, and sailing writer, Lynn Fitzpatrick, have teamed up to produce a coffee table book of Les de Saint-Tropez entitled PARTNERS IN TRADITON – CLASSIC and MODERN YACHTS in SAINT-TROPEZ. The book will be packed will stunning images and highlights of the yachts, people and atmosphere of the event.

The regattabook’s development can be followed online at regattabook.com. Each day we will reveal the images that the team will publish.

The 10th anniversary of the event will be exceptional. This year, Les Voiles celebrates the 100th year anniversary of Tuiga and her sistership, Mariska. Many of the world’s most beautiful traditional yachts such as Elenora, Cambria, Shamrock and Moonbeam will ply the same waters as the stylish Wallys. Additionally, all five of Eric Tabarly’s Pen Duick yachts will be assembled in the marina and raced during the day.

The regattabook will capture the essence of the event – the excitement, the venue, the yachts, the organizers, the partners, the characters and personalities that sail these boats. From the quiet of first light to the cacophony of 300 boats leaving port and the Mistral whistling through the rigging, the regattabook will enable you to live vicariously and remember a decade of regattas marking the close of the summer sailing season in the Mediterranean.

Together with Lynn Fitzpatrick we managed to publish the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series Book within hours of the prize giving for the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, a coffee table book with a foreword by regatta organizer, Bruno Troublé, will be available for distribution.

With just the right balance of prose from sailing journalist, Lynn Fitzpatrick, and some of my best images. The book is the perfect keepsake for everyone attending this historic match racing event in Auckland, NZ. For those who were not present for five days of practice and 16 days of exciting match racing between world renown skippers, helmsmen, tacticians and crew from 10 teams representing 9 countries, this photo journal allows you to live vicariously.

Order the book online here

See more about the book

With support from Nikon Switzerland I have had a chance to test a brand new D3X from Nikon Singapore during Volvo Ocean Race Singapore stopover.

I felt honored to have this opportunity especially when I have learnt from Max Sim (Nikon Singapore) that there where only 2 cameras available for tests and I got one of them…that’s a good start.

Since the last Olympic Games I have been using Nikon D3 almost on a daily basis, so I was very curious to see what I can do with the new D3X. The look and feel are the same as those of D3; so are the buttons. In a nutshell, besides the logo there are no external differences.

The menu is identical, so there is no big need to study the manual. It didn’t take me long to spot out the differences. However, ‘24 mega pixel resolution of D3X generates massive files. Max advised me at the very beginning not to expect the same ISO range as the one in D3. In fact, the range in D3X is only from 100 to 1600. Another difference between the two cameras is speed. The high continuous settings from the D3 give me up to 11 images per second and the D3X gives me only 7 images. Though, such difference makes sense as all the data has to be processed and it does take sometime. With D3X we are getting closer to the typical Hasselblad’s resolution and they don’t do 7 images per second.

If all other features remain at the level as this of D3, in addition to the amount of pixels that D3X gives, then D3X is a great tool.

I think we can achieve a good quality at ISO 1000 just like we can with the same setting of D3 for sport and action photography. Those that work in the studio, with plenty of light, will get even more out of the camera as those that normally work with daylight.

Since forever I’ve been missing the flexibility of 200 – 400mm. When shooting racing yachts, there are moments when you can’t get close enough to the object and then you dream about 100mm or more and greater cropping flexibility. The best solution, in my eyes, would be 200 – 400mm lens with 1.4 converter and the new D3X.

On the way to the media center of the Volvo Ocean Race, I had to make a decision regarding lenses. The question remained: “Should I go with 300 mm F2.8 and 1.4 converter on the D3X or maybe its better using the 70 – 200mm F2.8?” Considering the limited ISO range, I opted for 70 – 200mm. So, the long lens (300mm plus converter) was mounted on D3.

I picked up Nikon D3X in the morning and at 11am on that day I did my first shots during the practice race. Through the day, I have had the impression that the quality of images, taken at high ISO setting up to 800, is good. In fact, it’s a real pleasure to look at the screen that’s the same as the one of D3 and being able to zoom and zoom to check the focus of the shot. Here, I  realized for the first time, the difference that higher resolution makes.

What I have felt during the shooting was the matter of speed. Before the boats come around the windward mark, I switch on continuous high. I have kept having the speed of the D3 in mind, but the camera in my hands was D3X with capability of 7 images per second. Slightly more images would not harm as all goes so fast, you just shoot and choose your image later. I was thinking “com’on baby, a bit faster”. On the other hand, considering a greater cropping flexibility, D3X is a much better camera.

When I returned to the media center, it was the moment of truth, but all turned out to be as expected. Though, I have to admit that it was the first day I used the JPEG files. Lightroom 2.2 is not reading RAW file of Nikon D3X and Nikon’s software, Capture NX 2 needed an upgrade right away on its latest version.

The next day I tested the camera at the Singapore Botanic Gardens with all the special orchids. My equipment included Nikon 105mm VR macro lens and SB 800. I encourage you to look at the images so you can notice  the amount of details that is just impressive.

During the evening I went for a night skyline shooting, just to see how the camera performs at night. Believe or not, you can zoom so much that you really see what’s behind windows of those skyscrapers. It sure will be a great tool for secret services and detectives.

In the meantime, I got hold of the capture NX update and I could finally work on the raw file and ‘yes, you can watch right into the offices of the buildings’. With Nikon D3X, you can start to do landscape panorama shots and still have a good amount of pixel/data in your image after the crop.

Being a spoiled Nikon D3 user, my expectations for D3X were high and I have to say I am more than happy with this camera despite it’s high price. However, I’m not sure how many agencies will switch on to D3X at this time. Studio photographers working in different segments have a better chance to amortize such an investment and I believe this is the place where the cameras will be sold the most. My question would be ‘invest in camera or lenses?’ I would love to go for the camera, but an old rule says ‘invest in lenses first’, then in the camera.

The rate at which the amount of pixel increases is 20-40% and the size of the file doubles almost every year. Although this is in line with the principles of technological advancement, the question ‘what are we heading towards remains’? An even higher resolution? More colors, therefore more data? Speed or price reduction ? One thing is certain, once I return home I need to double my hard disk storage space in the archive , if I am to use Nikon D3X.

Now I’m jumping on the plane to Auckland, New Zealand to the next shooting, Louis Vuitton Pacific Series regatta. Who knows, it might be that by the end of this event I will start to miss higher resolution so much that I will consider buying D3X.

Jürg Kaufmann

Nikon D3x Digital SLR Review go4image go4image.com yachting photography marine photography aerial photography sailing

I know today is the 1st of April and it’s my birthday. Allmost 40 years of jokes I have been told in this day every year.

Now there is a story to tell, End of May from Friday 30.5 until Sunday 1^st of June the world best extreme 40 sailing teams will sail against Alinghi and Team Origin is part of the event to.

To get a feeling of what will happen in Lugano in these days look at the video