America’s Cup with a Big-Lens Perspective from Photog J Pierson

Editor’s note: Our offices are not too far north of the San Francisco Bay. That makes it easy to get inspiration on photography and photography bags – especially during this year’s America’s Cup.

Luis and Ryan from our product design team took a trip to check out the sights and the photographers and ran into J Pierson and his classic Lowepro Lens Trekker 600 AW.

J was kind enough to share his inspiration for shooting the event, his workflow and some beautiful images of the scene.

 

“America’s Cup is happening in the San Francisco Bay and it is the first, and probably the last time the AC72, will be sailed in the event. Combine these unique firsts with the fact that this year’s races will be closer to shore than any previous America’s Cup, and I knew it was surely going to be one of the most photographed events, ever. Having grown up in and around the bay, this was an opportunity to try to create some unique shots.”

“For these races, I only used my 600mm and a single body. The entire rig –a doubler, extra cards and batteries fit easily into the Lens Trekker 600 bag. The best vantage points for the event were not behind a fence or the easiest places to get to, and with the crowds that formed along the waterfront during the races, it was best to keep everything as near and compact as possible, which the Trekker was perfect for. The waist clip and tripod ties made for a quick and reliable way to secure things to the pier’s guard rail while my attention was focused on the task at hand.”

“Having already seen some really incredible America’s Cup shots from pros like Jens Hoyer, I knew interested publications were already well served with some seriously top-notch work, so I wanted to see if I could do something different. My favorite kind of shot is the slow-shutter pan, which captures motion and intensity in a way no other shot really can.”

“For boats, the potential range of motion is more spherical than linear, which makes for a substantially more challenging shot, since the configuration needed to capture the motion (low ISO, slow shutter speed and smaller apertures) is pretty much the opposite of what is necessary to get a predictably good shot in these conditions. That said, I think I got a few keepers!”

We think so too!  For more information on our big-lens bag, visit our Lens Trekker 600 AW II page.

Please check out J’s site for more imagery and how to contact him.