Nyfiken på… David Branigan, seglingsfotograf

David Branigan (Oceansport, Irland) har följt de fyra senaste Whitbread/Volvo Ocean Race och levererar alltid bra bilder. Kul att få åka samma fotobåt som David vid målgången i Göteborg 2006.

How did you start with sailing photography?
I started sailing on Dublin Bay age 11 around the same time I joined the camera club in school. Twin passions joined when I was 19 and started to consider a professional career.

Which picture are you most satisfied with?
There is no single favourite. Every image evokes a personal memory of a place, time and moment when it was made and why. All favourites!

Best regatta to shoot?
Easy! The Volvo Ocean Race which has so many stories in pictures of sailing, racing, people and emotions.

Worst regatta to shoot?
Any regatta with no wind and flat/grey light. In general, regattas that use windward/leeward courses are relatively dull for photography because it misses the fastest and most visual point of sail (reaching). It may be technically pure but its boring!

Who inspires you (other photographers)?
Martin Parr helped me to start understanding ‘sight’ very early on and Ansel Adams landscapes are constantly appealing. In sailing, I’ve always admired Franco Pace’s work for composition and also Richard Langdon of Ocean Images for his images that connect water to the subject.

What gear do you usually use/favor (camera/lenses)?
The Canon EOS pro digital system is pretty much standard gear along with Mac and Adobe CS on the post-production end.

Any advise for those who want to become a better sailing photograph?
Master technical controls so that it becomes automatic and you can concentrate on viewing and composing your image. Don’t specialise too early – keep a broad skills and subject base. Gear is secondary to all of this unless you have plenty of money and can afford it.

How do you see sailing photography develop in the future?
Use of underwater and waterproof housings has really taken off in the last year or two and we have seen some very creative work. For me, the real challenge is getting images of deep ocean action of boats like the Volvo 70’s in true extreme conditions.