Surfing the Margaret River, Australia

Photograph by Kirstin Scholtz, ASP/Getty Images

Getting the Shot
Photographing in the late afternoon during Drug Aware Pro on Australia’s Margaret River, seven-year ASP World Tour vet Kristin Scholtz created this layered image of South African surfer Bianca Buitendag while battling
the sun’s glare.
“While it yields great results with the backlight creating that beautiful green glow in the waves, it can pose challenges as the camera struggles to hold its focus,” says Scholtz, who shot from Surfer's Point. “Shooting from below the wave, rather than from above on the cliff, emphasizes the size of the wave and allows you to capture that beautiful backlight.”
One of the biggest challenges to shooting surfing on the Margaret River is the distance from the beach to the break—almost half a kilometer out to sea. To make up for the distance, Scholtz works with a long lens, including an extender for her 500mm lens.
Scholtz photographed with a Canon 1D Mark IV and a Canon f/2.8, 500mm lens with a f/1.4 extender.