Mavericks Wipeout

Gallery: Man & NaturePosted March 9, 2010789 views22 comments

Ion Banner loses control on a huge wave during the first heat of the Mavericks surfing contest, Feb. 13, 2010 - Half Moon Bay, California

More photos from the Mavericks surf contest can be found on my blog.

Canon 7D, 70-200mm f/2.8 IS at 135mm, 1/2000 sec at f/8

Comments

22 comments

Comment posted by Phil Pogledich on March 9, 2010 at 11:35 AM

Pretty cool! Was this taken from shore or out on a boat? I'm sure that's a totally ignorant question but, having never been to Mavericks, I've always assumed you need something much more powerful than a 200mm lens to get a good shot like this from shore.

Registered on August 24, 2009, 123 Posts, 3099 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Goldstein on March 9, 2010 at 11:58 AM

Phil this was taken from a boat. From the shore you'd need a much longer lens and at the time this photo was taken visibility was not ideal from shore. More on the equipment used at the event can be found here.

Registered on March 18, 2006, 119 Posts, 878 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Bunch on March 9, 2010 at 12:18 PM

Pretty spectacular! I love the curl of the wave and the shift in the water color from blue to green. IMO the comp is perfect.

Registered on May 18, 2004, 124 Posts, 2503 Comments

Comment posted by Daniel & Loana on March 9, 2010 at 3:30 PM

Incredible shot! And incredible position of the surfer!
D&L

Registered on October 7, 2008, 166 Posts, 3044 Comments

Comment posted by Becky Hermanson on March 9, 2010 at 5:25 PM

This is fantastic!!! The composition makes it a very dynamic image. The blue water in lower left corner adds such depth. Love it

Registered on January 16, 2006, 10 Posts, 30 Comments

Comment posted by Verena & Georg Pop on March 10, 2010 at 5:29 AM

Ha, I'd much rather sit in a boat taking sweet pictures like this, then trading with this guy!

Verena

Registered on July 5, 2006, 272 Posts, 2823 Comments

Comment posted by R.Bill Moser on March 10, 2010 at 10:47 AM

What a wave! A very spectacular moment well captured.

Registered on January 29, 2010, 285 Posts, 4281 Comments

Comment posted by Larry Gloth on March 10, 2010 at 5:25 PM

Great capture. Conveys a sense of tension and anticipation of what comes next. Awesome wave.

Registered on August 29, 2007, 96 Posts, 1003 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Goldstein on March 11, 2010 at 4:59 PM

Thanks for the comments everyone! Yes it was indeed better to be in the boat than in the persons place. It's amazing that they get pummeled by the massive surf and then go back out. Also keep in mind the water is cold! Northern California waters are not as easy to surf as more tropical locations. Always a fun event to witness and photograph.

Registered on March 18, 2006, 119 Posts, 878 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Haskell on March 12, 2010 at 9:18 AM

Nice Capture Jim.

Ian

Registered on October 30, 2008, 24 Posts, 673 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Roane on March 16, 2010 at 12:03 AM

great moment well captured

Registered on December 12, 2008, 213 Posts, 2226 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on March 16, 2010 at 9:13 AM

Jim,

Congrats on the weekly pick! I was just going to show this to my co-workers who are surfers when one said "hey, that picture is in the article I showed you the other day!"

Sure enough there's an article in New York Newsday with this photo. So congrats!

- Luke

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Bernabe on March 16, 2010 at 9:33 AM

Awesome, Jim! Congrats on the EP! WoW!

Registered on November 24, 2004, 180 Posts, 1545 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Goldstein on March 16, 2010 at 11:35 AM

Thanks Luke and Richard.

Luke for the record I was shoulder to shoulder with a dozen photographers on the media boat. The Newsday photo is one of my peers likely at AP.

Registered on March 18, 2006, 119 Posts, 878 Comments

Comment posted by Tom Guffey on March 16, 2010 at 12:21 PM

Holy cow................what a great shot!!!!!!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 553 Posts, 1954 Comments

Comment posted by Zack Schnepf on March 16, 2010 at 12:24 PM

Killer shot Jim, I would love to photograph an event like this someday.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 403 Posts, 2528 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on March 16, 2010 at 1:27 PM

Congrats on a nice EP~

Sandy r

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on March 16, 2010 at 4:44 PM

Now THAT is a man at the mercy of Nature and really testing the edge of life and death. Wow. congrats on the EP!

Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments

Comment posted by Kah Kit Yoong on March 16, 2010 at 7:24 PM

Spectacular action emphasised by those triangles and diagonals. Great!

Registered on September 27, 2006, 636 Posts, 10682 Comments

Comment posted by David Cobb on March 17, 2010 at 12:59 AM

Just a great action shot Jim - love it!

Registered on December 14, 2007, 312 Posts, 3243 Comments

Comment posted by David Edwards on March 21, 2010 at 6:15 AM

Top shot, Jim. I can just imagine what the surfer is thinking at that point..."FFFFUUUUUUdge!!!". The color is interesting how it's blue in the fg then green in the wave. Totally great capture!!

Registered on December 6, 2008, 142 Posts, 2623 Comments

Comment posted by Michael J Greene, on April 13, 2010 at 12:42 AM

amazing shot Jim!

Registered on June 18, 2009, 86 Posts, 2317 Comments