Producing the Battle of the Paddle

Gear

In terms of keeping my equipment clean and in shooting-shape, I couldn't have picked a worse sport to focus on. Salt and sand get into everything, and extensive clean up every event is an essential part of my routine. At the Battle I am typically standing knee-deep in water with my Sony HVR-V1U as paddlers are jumping off their boards and running up the beach. I feel every splash and every drop of water that gets on the camera.

Chris Aguilar with V1U, Glidecam, and Pelican case, ready to shoot the Battle of the Paddle

For water shooting, I use a Sony SR11. Right now, it's housed in a variety of different housings—it really depends on what I am doing. I have an EWA "bag" that I use for light surface shooting and a heavier duty generic housing for more "immersed" shooting. If you're considering surf shooting or other surface types of shooting, don't do what I have done. I have spent thousands of dollars trying every contraption available to avoid having to spend the money on a custom housing. (I'm sure anyone who's bootstrapped their own small business can relate.) I'm now saving to go directly to SPL or Del Mar (two of the best surf-housing makers out there) to put in an order. I have used every type of housing you can think of for surf applications, and by far these two are the best.

One major problem with water shooting is fog. Most "how to's" about avoiding fog come from the diving world. Surface shooting is really different from dive shooting. On the surface of the water, the fog issue is compounded as you have the sun heating the housing and creating a greenhouse effect inside. One tool I just got turned onto is the Scott Anti Fog Cloth. It's made for ski goggles, but it's like magic for your water housing.

I've recently begun shooting surf events with the Canon EOS 7D. I really love using it. I've been taking it out on photo and video "safaris," and being able to get true depth of field (instead of mimicking it on the V1U) has proven a really great addition to my shooting style.

By far, though, the most important thing I carry is my Pelican cases. Some races and events, such as the Molokai Challenge, have a water start. This means you're swimming all of your gear from shore to the boat-sometimes through pounding shore break. In the case of Molokai, the nearest harbor is an hour's boat trip from the race start and accommodations. Not sure about you, but I would trust my gear to a Pelican case over a trash bag any day.

Stabilization

As with any type of ocean shooting, for Battle of the Paddle, stabilization is vital. At the Battle, I jump on and off my tripod as well as a handheld stabilizer to get the best possible motion shots. A lot of the Battle is shot handheld for efficiency's sake because taking the tripod or stabilizer through the thick crowd can be a challenge.

For boats I use a Glidecam HD 4000, which does a good job of handling the boat rocking during channel-crossing shoots. The conditions in a channel can be less then ideal: 10-foot seas and 15-knot winds with a small fishing boat as your shooting platform. The isolation the Glidecam provides helps keep things steady enough that the viewers won't get seasick watching the footage.