Few sports lend themselves to travel and exploration quite like skateboarding. Skateboarders often travel the world in search of new skate spots or to visit iconic locations. Between landing difficult tricks and finding hidden street spots, capturing these moments on camera is a huge part of skate culture.
Hong Kong sports photographer and videographer Owen Yu has travelled across the globe to capture skaters in action for more than two decades. “Skateboard filming has gone through many eras,” he says, “from the early days of Super 8 and 16mm film cameras to the arguably the most influential camera of all, the Panasonic VX1000, to the step into HD with the HVX.”
He says the sport, and the way it’s being filmed, has evolved over the years. “The iPhone has changed the way skateboarders have approached filming. Now everybody has a high-quality camera in their pocket, making filming a quick clip and posting it to social media a breeze. And by far, the most popular amongst skateboarders is the iPhone, mainly because of the AirDrop function. It makes sharing clips you filmed of your friend a breeze.”
As smartphones become more powerful for shooting images, an increasing number of sports enthusiasts are trying their hand at shooting reels and short clips to up their social media game. These bite-size videos can be quickly shot on smartphones and edited on tablets, making them the perfect medium for travelling content creators.
Yu creates an exclusive video for The Sporting News using his Apple devices, paying homage to his home town with a skate video featuring Hong Kong skater Luk Chun Yin.
The videographer shares tips on producing sports videos on the road and reveals why the Apple iPhone 14 Pro and iPad have become his gear of choice when filming for social media.
Choose the right format
Editing can make or break a video, but to get there, you need footage conducive to cropping and allows for more dynamic manipulation of the action in post-production.
“Use 4k 60 when filming action. The high frame rate allows you to have smooth slow motion in post-production,” Yu recommends.
Hone in on the subject
Unlike when capturing stills, the action on a soccer pitch or on the streets waits for no one. If you miss that perfect kickflip or goal, you won’t be able to ask the athlete to repeat the move. That’s why Yu says it’s essential to make use of the autofocus function to ensure the moments captured are clear, sharp and usable.
“Although the iPhone 14 Pro’s autofocus is very good and can pick up subjects quickly, sometimes it helps to lock down focus when there are foreground subjects. Do this by long pressing the point you want in focus.”
Play with the depth of field for more dynamic storytelling
Depending on the mood and vibe you’re trying to convey, playing with focus transitions and depths of field can enhance the overall aesthetics of the clip. “You can use Cinematic mode for extra depth of field,” he says. This can be especially useful when meshing elements of action with travel-vlog-style footage– Yu says it’s an easy way to produce cinema-grade footage on the go.
Move with the action
If you’re shooting from the stands, you might not be able to follow where the action goes. But Yu says filming sports like skateboarding or rowing; it’s well worth the effort to get up close and personal with the action by literally moving alongside the athlete.
“iPhones have built-in stabilisation that is perfect for filming on the go. To enhance the smoothness, always walk with your knees bent slightly to lessen the up and down movement of walking.”
It helps, too, if you know the sport yourself. “ With skateboarding, we usually skate alongside or behind the skater for a more dynamic look.”
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