Foiling Week 24: To capture an emotion
Although I already knew my way around a racecourse - I sailed for many years - with foils I had to 'relearn' how to move around the course. The manoeuvres and trajectories are different from those of classic boats. Safety becomes an even greater priority in order not to damage anything or anyone. The photography itself remains fairly unchanged: interpreting the light, locating the most attractive position, looking out for that 'out-of-the-ordinary' shot. There is, however, something that has been added over time, taken straight from the world of car racing: panning. These boats are fast, and you need to convey that sense of speed. Knowing how to do a good panning helps to understand the difference between the classic sailing and foiling.
Precisely because of that speed of theirs, the difficulty in capturing the moment lies in being able to think just as fast. I have to think about where to position myself without getting in the way and without risking being 'sliced up' in the event of a collision. Having a good driver on the dinghy who also knows the movements of the boats is behind 50% of the success of my work. Something that it isn’t always easy to find!
