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Field guide to Bay Photographers
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Erik Simonson photographing Maltese Falcon
Sailors are vain. There is no other reason to wear the bright colorful outfits we do; no other reason to have snazzy graphics on our spinnakers (the maritime equivalent to vanity plates); and no other reason to constantly preen and pose for photos of our boats.
But most people never have pictures of their boats. Why? Because the camera is usually on the boat with you. Lots of pictures of people in the cockpit but very few "money" shots of your boat on a glorious run with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background and your brand new spinnaker shining in the sunlight.
Luckily for those of us in the Bay Area, there is a whole crop of photographers that help us out. But you have to know what to look for. During a crowded race you don't have time to get a business card or ask for a URL. You need a handy reference to spotting your marine photographer in his natural environment; basically, a Field Guide to Bay Photographers.
On the receiving end of h2oshots lens!
Erik Simonson of h2oshots makes up for his lack of height with girth; he argues that pound for pound he is one of the best photographers in the Bay, possibly top 3. Obviously funny, he is also an excellent photographer, getting shots from unique angles from land and sea. You can spot Erik darting about in his Red 20' Zodiac, The Red Snapper. He notes that it "resembles a USCG RIB but lacks the authority for boarding or confiscating your contraband."
Erik is very involved in the San Francisco sailing scene, helping coordinate the Sailing Renaissance effort, a founder of the Marine Media Alliance and can be counted on to know someone who can help you with most things maritime. You can't see it in this shot but his URL http:www.h2oshots.com is on a banner on his RIB. If you are going to be out on a busy day or a race, contact him beforehand to let him know your boat name and he'll be sure to get extra shots of you.
Erik's occasional driver "Dave" is unfortunately a Dodgers fan (so talk slowly around him) but still helps him get in close without leaving a mark. Usually. If you wave and smile, there is a good chance you can get into a "fancy 'lectronic web thing" or even a magazine.
Grey RIB and less yellow foulies...must be Lyons Imaging.
Peter Lyons is the other half of the Marine Media Alliance. He is easily spotted "buzzing around in his little gray Zodiac Rib painted with his website LYONSIMAGING.COM. He is often spotted in his spanking yellow foulies which are rapidly fading to "less yellow"; this is one of the dangers of spending hour upon hour on the water. Peter gives some tips on how to look great in pictures:
- Have cute kids on board. Wearing PFDs...no magazine will accept a picture of kids not wearing PFDs.
- Take in your fenders. Please.
- Trim your sails properly and keep them full. None of this downwind stuff with the jib flopping around every which way.
- Don't put in a double reef when the wind hits 15 knots. Boats look great with plenty of heel and lots of spray over the bow.
Latitude 38 Photo Boat
Latitude 38 is the Grand Daddy of San Francisco Bay Area Sailing Publications. We *all* want to have pictures of our boats in Latitude 38. Luckily, that can be accomplished by being photographed by Erik or Peter or the Latitude 38 photo boat. The mysteriousness of what this boat looks like is what prompted me to write this article; I was crewing on a boat when the owner said that he'd had a picture taken by Latitude 38 the day before and wanted to get a copy. I volunteered to find it for him and spent hours confusing the staff by insisting that they had photographed this boat. It turns out that it was Erik and we ended up with some excellent photos. You can see from the picture, if the boat looks like the one from Gilligan's Island, it's Latitude 38.
There are some more great photographers on the Bay, Mariah's Eyes gets great shots but isn't out with the frequency of these others. NorCal Sailing will often have someone at the start and finish lines of races. A lot of the national photographers come in for the Big Boat Series, getting good shots but not capturing the local flavor that the guys listed above provide.
Sailors spend a lot of time caring for their boats, tweaking their sail trim, and enjoying the natural beauty of San Francisco Bay. If you want a great picture of you and your boat, know your local photographers, be able to spot them in their natural habitat and be sure to keep this handy field printed out and on your boat.
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