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Beauty by Necessity: Jeffreys Bay Speed Blurs

I live in Jeffreys Bay and take my dogs (and camera) for walks every dawn and dusk in the low light before and after work.

BY Deon Lategan |

I live in Jeffreys Bay and take my dogs (and camera) for walks every dawn and dusk in the low light before and after work. I end up shooting a lot of these speed blurs primarily out of necessity more than choice.

The pot of gold at the end of the road trip. Photo: Deon Lategan

  • 1/5 second: Sometimes the colours produced at dawn just don't seem real

    1/5 second: Sometimes the colors produced at dawn just don't seem real. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 1/5 second: Green glass. I like the diagonal lines on the wave here as water gets sucked off the reef

    1/5 second: Green glass. I like the diagonal lines on the wave here as water gets sucked off the reef. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 1/15 second: As the sun comes out it becomes more and more difficult to shoot things slowly. This was just before I had too much light.

    1/15 second: As the sun comes out it becomes more and more difficult to shoot things slowly. This was just before I had too much light. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 3/10 second: A perfect Supertubes barrel under a stormy sky

    3/10 second: A perfect Supertubes barrel under a stormy sky. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 4/10 second: some of the best colours emerge just before the sun comes out

    4/10 second: some of the best colors emerge just before the sun comes out. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 4/10 second: I love how you can have oranges and purples and blues all naturally in one fram e thanks to early light.

    4/10 second: I love how you can have oranges and purples and blues all naturally in one fram e thanks to early light. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 1/2 second: Perfect subdued peeler running along the high tide ledge

    1/2 second: Perfect subdued peeler running along the high tide ledge. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 1/5 second: when you slow things down a bit they can get really smooth

    1/5 second: when you slow things down a bit they can get really smooth. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 1/2 second: With the sun just about to peek out you can capture all sorts of colours and effects

    1/2 second: With the sun just about to peek out you can capture all sorts of colors and effects. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 1/20 second: Kelvin Zehmke's backdoors an early bird special

    1/20 second: Kelvin Zehmke backdoors an early bird special. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 1/8 second: A bit of light and a barrel just before the rain hits

    1/8 second: A bit of light and a barrel just before the rain hits. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 1/6 second: Derek Hynd in the late evening...I was sceptical about the no fin thing, but he's got it pretty down by now

    1/6 second: Derek Hynd in the late evening. I was skeptical about the no fin thing, but he's got it pretty down by now. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 3/10 second: no whistles and bells - just a simple wave at sunrise.

    3/10 second: no whistles and bells - just a simple wave at sunrise. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 1/2 second: The strike rate isn't great and I probably keep 1 out of every 100 shots I take at low light. Occasionaly there are decent accidents though like rubber man pulling off the back of a wave here.

    1/2 second: The strike rate isn't great and I probably keep 1 out of every 100 shots I take at low light. Occasionaly there are decent accidents though, like rubber man pulling off the back of a wave here. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 1/20 second: This is actually at the local beach break which gave me a different POV from Supertubes

    1/20 second: This is actually at the local beach break which gave me a different POV from Supertubes. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 1/2 second: A purple special. The colours change so quickly around dawn and within minutes the results change significantly.

    1/2 second: A purple special. The colors change so quickly around dawn and within minutes the results change significantly. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 1/4 second: Pure glass

    1/4 second: Pure glass. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 1/20 second: Derek Hynd catching the very last rays of the sun

    1/20 second: Derek Hynd catching the very last rays of the sun. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 1/20 second: Shooting blind straight into the rising sun is also completely hit and miss.

    1/20 second: Shooting blind straight into the rising sun is also completely hit and miss. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 1/4 second: I call this section mini Tahiti...small high tide and the wave is as wide as it is high, super shallow too....have lost some skin right there

    1/4 second: I call this section mini Tahiti...small high tide and the wave is as wide as it is high, super shallow too....have lost some skin right there. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 1/40 second: local Remi Peterson can surf just about anything. Here he is on one of Derek Hynd's finless modifications

    1/40 second: local Remi Peterson can surf just about anything. Here he is on one of Derek Hynd's finless modifications. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 3/10 second: A typical

    3/10 second: A typical "baseball bat" wave at Supertubes that has gotten bigger as it has gone down the line. See the kink in the white water? They're the best. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 1/50 second: Derek Hynd flow and glow at dawn. Because he's finless, his lateral lines are perfect for shooting at slow shutter speeds whilst panning.

    1/50 second: Derek Hynd flow and glow at dawn. Because he's finless, his lateral lines are perfect for shooting at slow shutter speeds whilst panning. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 1/6 second: Small perfection captured just before dark

    1/6 second: Small perfection captured just before dark. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 1/8 second: About as hollow as Supertubes gets. With sand build up the whole nature of the wave changes.

    1/8 second: About as hollow as Supertubes gets. With sand build up the whole nature of the wave changes. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 1/13 second: Big wave class act Mickey Duffus on a pastel evening

    1/13 second: Big wave class act Mickey Duffus on a pastel evening. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 1/15 second: local Mikey Meyer draws minimalistic lines which are also perfect for slow shutter capture

    1/15 second: local Mikey Meyer draws minimalistic lines which are also perfect for slow shutter capture. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 4/10 second: Generally you pan your camera at the same pace as the surfer or wave...but sometimes you can get fun results by going faster...this is one such example

    4/10 second: Generally you pan your camera at the same pace as the surfer or wave...but sometimes you can get fun results by going faster...this is one such example. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 3/10 second: A fast panned sunrise wave captures much more than the naked eye can see

    3/10 second: A fast panned sunrise wave captures much more than the naked eye can see. Photo: DeonLategan

  • 4/10 second: Silky lines. I enjoy the minimalism of shooting a wave without the lip

    4/10 second: Silky lines. I enjoy the minimalism of shooting a wave without the lip. Photo: DeonLategan

I live in Jeffreys Bay and take my dogs (and camera) for walks every dawn and dusk in the low light before and after work. I end up shooting a lot of these speed blurs primarily out of necessity more than choice, but to be honest, taking front-lit surf action shots doesn’t get me overly excited. I’d rather be surfing. It can be quite challenging both with the actual photo taking and post processing to try and produce the photo that you want, but I like how you can create images that the naked eye can’t see. I hope you enjoy them.

See more of Deon’s incredible work on Flickr.com, Facebook, and Vimeo

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