Keeping Your Gear Dry

Photographing watersports can mean sitting on a beach photographing sea kayakers paddling past, or it can involve shooting in the middle of a rapid with water splashing everywhere. And while most prolevel cameras and lenses can take a lot of rain, one dip into the river can spell disaster. If you want to get into watersports photography, it’s time to waterproof your shooting system.

Waterproof cases and packs

In a perfect world, an adventure sports photographer can quickly bust out his camera, take a few shots, and “waterproof it” in an instant before a big wave hits. The worst thing that can happen is you don’t take your camera out for a shot because you’re worried about getting it wet. These moments probably make the best shots! To help you get those shots without ruining your equipment in the process, there are a number good options for keeping your gear dry and allowing quick shooting in wet environments (FIGURE 5.1).