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A couple weeks back, St. Augustine based photographer, Cody Coleman, lined up a shoot with local waterman Jeff Greene and a few other kiteboarders. With a perfect tide at Matanzas Inlet and ideal wind conditions, Cody jumped in to get some water shots. For some time, he’s had a vision of how he wanted to photograph the kiters in their element and it seemed like everything came together this evening for some unreal moments and images. Even though they’re in the same place, as a photographer, Cody’s experiences were completely different than that of the kiters. You have to be in the right spot at the right time and trust that the kiters around you know of your presence, are in control and are ready to take direction. Check out Cody’s gallery as he talks about the process and comments on some of his images below.

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In between guys flying by me, I had to think about what was swimming below me…

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I’m always chasing light, but when a sunset like this takes place it pays to be in the right place. Pictured is Jeff Greene flying through the sky just before dark.

This image of Brian Sullivan was from the very beginning of the session I was still getting into the spot I wanted and he goes drifting by for about 200 yards.

At the very beginning of the session, I was still getting into the spot I wanted when Brian Sullivan went drifting by for about 200 yards.

Jeff Greene Lit up & upside down...

Jeff Greene lit up and upside down.

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Blasting off only inches away from me.

As you can see from the first set of images here, the conditions were constantly changing & never the same. With a dropping sun and a sky filled with ominous clouds I was constantly chasing the ever changing light. With that came new ideas and inspiration.

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How about them sun rays?

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This image really stands out to me from the shoot. The focus on him but knowing he is out there with others brings so much more energy to the image.

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Is there really a better time to kiteboard?

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Jeff Greene on his first pass by when I asked him to get closer. See later in the post for a sequence of him getting about as close as you can.

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Flying through the clouds and right over my head.

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With a few moment of the sun being hidden by clouds, I took the opportunity to switch focus a bit. Jeff Green in a mess of water.

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Stoked he has good control of his board and knows how to dig a rail.

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Somewhere in the clouds I seemed to always find him. Especially when the light was right. Jeff Green upside down and looking for direction…

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The stoke was high out there. Brian Sullivan casually cruising by during a brief moment of cloudiness.

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Such a beautiful canvas for a kiteboarding portrait.

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Wide open & lit up…

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Brian Sullivan cruising off into the sunset.

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Barely fitting in frame.

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Here is the sequence of Jeff Greene that I spoke about earlier in the post. This was shot with a 50mm 1.4 lens & is seen with no cropping, straight out of camera.  This is the definition of close. Just as I took the last image in the sequence, I dipped underwater as he went right over me.

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After shooting this session, I think I will be learning this rad sport very soon.

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Chasing the sun.

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Just as I began to swim in I turned around and shot this view, the last image of the night.

What’s it like for a photographer in the water? Watch some behind the scenes drone footage Cody shooting below.

See more of Cody’s imagery at https://www.cody-coleman.com.