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Yachting and Cameras

Justin Batchelor

Justin Batchelor

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So going aboard a yacht for about 10 days in the North Sea. Going with two cams just in case one goes into the drink. Power is sorted and not filming all day, so just using power for backups and charges where necesaary.

Wet weather sorted. Not going to be stupid.

One big query is any tips for filming on a sailing vessel. Would appreciate the real, the weird and the random.

Thanks
 
I shot a piece for Carnival cruise line, and I was doing fine until we shot a running scene on the track on the top deck. Running backwards with a Movi staring at the monitor as the boat pitched got me seasick for the better part of a few days. Do whatever you can to find a comfortable monitoring solution. Different things works for different people, i.e. EVF, monitor, and positioning.

Also if you're having problems with moving horizons think about splitting the boat in half along both axis', the most stable part is the direct center of each axis. If you're rocking port to starboard, shoot toward the stern. It's way less off-putting for the audience at home.
 
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Thanks for the reply Chris and yes, should have mentioned the size. It’s much smaller than a cruise boat, about 80ft. Houses 6 people, sailboat, generator on board for extra power. I fear the weather most of all. All handheld too. Small amount of room but the trip has lots of possibilities. No drone which is a shame, but the story is more about the people than the landscape.
 
80' Is a huge sailboat. Remember, one hand for yourself, one hand for the boat. If you don't have one, invest in a safety harness and a good tether. Obviously you are going to need a low profile PFD. I am partial to SOSpenders and SwitLock. But an automatic inflatable will give you the most freedom. Actually, get one with a built in safety harnes, and you kill two birds with one stone.

A boat that size, it would be fun to get some shots from the top of the mast. Also, a boat that size they will have some sort of tender, so when you are someplace where it makes sense, you can get some boat to boat shots to give you some scale. Also, an 80' boat is just the right size to go as far forward as you can and lock the camera down on a long lens on the helmsman. You get that whole mountain of water rising up behind the boat and then retreating again thing. looks great. Especially in following seas.

Be safe, stay well the fuck away from running rigging, be aware of whats going on, and have fun ;-)

Nick

Oh, one other note people sometimes don't think about. It can be just as dangerous below deck when it gets bumpy out. Unexpectedly getting tossed from one side of the cabin to the other, into corners especially, is a great way to break ribs. Hang on when you are below as well ;-)
 
Be prepeard to puke alot... Northsea is no joke. My dad took us sailing all summer every summer when I was a kid. Been on the northsea alot... puked alot. :)

Splash housing.

Good mounting gear. To me hand held on a sailboat is usually not as good as if camera is stable / locked to the boat. So preferably a low tripod ball head with rubber feat and somthing to tie it down with. Very nice to be able to to do nice slow pans over the deck when everything else goes Dantes inferno.

Dry bag. Something like big plastic ziplock bag with slica pelets to put camera in between sesions. Nothing is dry on the Northsea, everything gets salty, grow fungus and rust in no time, especially camera gear.
 
I just got back from 10 days on a catamaran in the Caribbean doing the same thing. Fortunately I didn’t get seasick, unfortunately I did have a splash bag leak and damage the camera (You can see my post about this on Reduser). I used a drone a lot for shots of the boat it’s self, that’s a whole other topic. It’s true that lots can go wrong but it’s doable if you’re smarter than I am. I kept the camera very compact and handheld it most of the time. Shots on the boat can be steady but the horizon will be bouncing all over the place. I used ND pola filters from Breakthrough Photograpy, they are really neutral and have polarized filters with extra ND built in, kinda like drone filters. Very useful for compact cameras with no Matt boxes. Good luck, I’ll be anxious to hear how it all goes.
 
Thankyou so much. So many variables on this journey.

Cams are both semi-waterproofed. Lots of caribeena's and ropes being attached. Everything is very compact, all handheld, shoulder rigged or whatever comes close to the body.

I am actually nervous, but my captains are well experienced, and that means I will soak up anything that comes my way.

One week to go so any other tips more than welcome. And of course, frame grabs to come!
 
I would just worry about exposure to Salt Walter for too long..besides the obvious and what's already mentioned then I don't see any issues... Just make sure when not shooting the camera is in a secured place away from exposure., A cheap way I was able to keep my camera away once on a boat was I used one of those clear-Zipped bag that an All-In-One bedding set comes in... I put my camera in it, without dismantling it, zip it up to keep it away from sea air... Good luck bud.
 
Nick Gardner said:
80' Is a huge sailboat. Remember, one hand for yourself, one hand for the boat. If you don't have one, invest in a safety harness and a good tether. Obviously you are going to need a low profile PFD. I am partial to SOSpenders and SwitLock. But an automatic inflatable will give you the most freedom. Actually, get one with a built in safety harnes, and you kill two birds with one stone.

A boat that size, it would be fun to get some shots from the top of the mast. Also, a boat that size they will have some sort of tender, so when you are someplace where it makes sense, you can get some boat to boat shots to give you some scale. Also, an 80' boat is just the right size to go as far forward as you can and lock the camera down on a long lens on the helmsman. You get that whole mountain of water rising up behind the boat and then retreating again thing. looks great. Especially in following seas.

Be safe, stay well the fuck away from running rigging, be aware of whats going on, and have fun ;-)

Nick

Oh, one other note people sometimes don't think about. It can be just as dangerous below deck when it gets bumpy out. Unexpectedly getting tossed from one side of the cabin to the other, into corners especially, is a great way to break ribs. Hang on when you are below as well ;-)
Click to expand...

Everything Nick said...and Björn says too. 80 feet is huge...My boat is just 9.2 meters...I will not be shooting on it!
 
Thanks all for the input, especially the salty air comments from Kerson and the big bag purchase.

Having never been on a sailboat for this long, I am a little nervous but feel thankful that there are 2 experienced captains on board. I look forward to sharing something in the coming month.

And as a correction, my understanding was off regards the length of the boat. It's 45 feet, not 80! A little less space for roaming, but probably more manageable.

bon voyage!
 
Well, just to say I survived 7 days on the North Atlantic with a fine small crew, no injuries and no equipment damage.

Everything was tethered at all times to myself or a safe space within the boat. The occasional waterspray onto the lens was nothing to worry about. The weather was generally okay (as in not much rain but plenty of big waves) and all in all, a complete learning experience. Some stills below as proof it happened, because sometimes I don't even think it did!

Cheers for all the tips all.



[url=https://flic.kr/p/2goRsv8]

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2goRtNZ]

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2goR7W2]

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2goR9cZ]

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2goRvcL]https://flic.kr/p/2goRvcL
 
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