2014 will bring us Kelly Slater & Alana Blanchard in 4K thanks to the new Sony 4K Handycam FDR-AX100 just announced at the 2014 CES! The 4K Sony FDR-AX100 will be replacing the camcorder here, providing stabilized 4K video alongside epic RAW stills from a Nikon D4 or D800E (or Canon 1DX!):
Pro surfer & Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Alana Blanchard
The 4K Sony FDR-AX100 will also be replacing the video cameras in these run’n’gun monopod-based configurations for simultaneous stills and video: 
These rigs are smaller, nimbler, and ideal for navigating to the optimum part of the beach. Whereas one must generally set up a giant tripod mount and leave it there for the day so as to claim a spot, these smaller rigs are akin to those lane-splitting motorcycles that zoom on buy the stopped traffic during rush hour! Suppose you want to shoot a certain surfer warming up way on down the beach before their heat, and then return to the main beach to shoot them–this is the ideal rig for it. And with the new Tamron 600mm zoom. . .
As I’m headed down to Australia to shoot the men’s and women’s Pro Surfing Quicksilver Pro, Roxy Pro, and Ripcurl Pro, I’m psyched that Sony will be releasing their new 4K camera–the Sony 4K Handycam FDR-AX100! The Sony 4K FDR-AX100 will be replacing the 1080p camcorders and NEX cameras in the below configurations, shooting 4K vidoe alongside my Sony A7r and Nikon D800E’s which I use for stills:
Setting up the gallery show!
LEARN TO VIEW YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY AS AN EPIC HERO’S JOURNEY–AS AN EXALTED FILM OF AN EPIC ADVENTURE–THEN YOU TOO WILL WISH TO CAPTURE STILLS & MOTION OF ITALL .
Modeling the Sony A7R ! Swimsuit Bikini Model Goddess Shooting Stills (Sony A7R with 35mm F/2.8 Carl Zeiss) & Video (Sony NEX6)
“In buying equipment we often make a major mistake in calculating prices. When you buy a camera, you are purchasing it not primarily for yourself, but for everyone who sees your photos. Thus the more you invest, the greater the gift you are giving others.” –Dr. E
2014 is going to be an awesome year! I closed out last year with my first gallery show in Los Angeles (which was an epic success) just as my Hero’s Journey Mythology Photography collection started averaging 1,000,000+ views/day across my various hosting properties.
Some photos from Dr. Elliot McGucken’s Los Angeles Gallery Show .
And today they just announced the new Sony 4K HD Video Camera, which I have been waiting for, so that I could start shooting 4K video MOTION + 36mp stills PHOTOGRAPHY at the same time with my 45surfer bracket https://45surfer.wordpress.com:
http://store.sony.com/4k-camcorder-with-1-sensor-zid27-FDRAX100/B/cat-27-catid-All-Handycam-Camcorders
Yes! Soon I will be be mounting this epic Sony 4K Handycam FDR-AX100 under the Sony A7r . . .
. . .utilizing the 45SURFER bracket:
Imagine the above Sony A7r with the epic Sony 4K Handycam FDR-AX100 replacing the bottom NEX-6! We’ll be shooting 4K video + 36mp RAW Stills! And soon we’ll be shootng 4K RAW video too! Surfing Moore’s Law with the 45SURFER Bracket rocks!
Also imagine the epic epic Sony 4K Handycam FDR-AX100 under the Sony A7r mounted in these configurations for shooting surfers:
Whenever I go surfing, or dirt-biking, or mountain biking, or skiing, or snowboarding, or skateboarding, I always see fellow athletes strapping HD GoPros, Contour cameras, and Sony Action Cams onto their bodies, skis, surfboards, bikes, and helmets. Whenever I’m riding my Harley on down Mulholland Drive, every other biker is wearing a camera. And yet, when I’m shooting beautiful models at Malibu’s scenic El Matador Beach or surfers at Pro Surfing Events, I’m the only photographer who is also videoing the endeavor via a camcorder or SONY NEX attached to my camera via a bracket. Why is this? By and by I grew to realize that all too many photographers lacked the adventurous spirit, and tended to view their photographic pursuits not as art nor adrenaline-inducing adventures akin to accelerating a Harley on down Mulholland Drive on towards the PCH, nor catching big air while surfing, but as drudgery.
Well, I’d like to invite you to view your photography as an Epic Hero’s Journey. Seek out subjects that you can fall in love with–follow that deeper Call to Adventure and let inspiration lead you where it may–select something beautiful that you have always wanted to shoot, and naturally, you will find yourself called to shoot motion alongside stills so as to capture and preserve the ephemeral beauty, and share it with others. The action happens but once, and the spectacular sunset blossoms and fades in moments. Once gone, the magic hour is gone forever, and you are going to wish you had both stills and video of the soft light illuminating a model like the light of Rembrandt.
2014 will bring us Kelly Slater & Alana Blanchard in 4K thanks to the new Sony 4K Handycam FDR-AX100 just announced at the 2014 CES! The 4K FDR-AX100 will be replacing the camcorder here, providing stabilized 4K video alongside epic RAW stills from a Nikon D4 or D800E:
Over the past three years, our 45surfer rigs have beat out all the competition in our annual “Simultaneous Stills & Video” Contests (The Second Annual “Stills & Video Pro Surfing Showdown!” 9SHOOTER Canon / Nikon / Sony vs RED EPIC / RED SCARLET photographic stills & video showdown challenge!) ) And now, with the Sony 4K Handycam FDR-AX100 replacing the standard HD camcroders in our setup, we’ll be that much further ahead! Another great advantage of the Sony 4K Handycam FDR-AX100 over the RED EPIC and SCARLET is that the 4K Sony has video stabilization!
The 4K Sony FDR-AX100 camcorder will be replacing the standard HD video cameras in these run’n’gun monopod-based configurations for shooting stills and video at the same time: 
These 4K run’n’gun rigs are far smaller than their tripod-mounted counterparts–they are far more nimble and thus ideal for navigating to the optimum parts of the beach (or any sports arena) throughout the day. If one employs a large 600mm prime lens and tripod to shoot a major surfing event, one must generally awake well before dawn and get on down to the beach to set the giant tripod mount up to claim a prime spot, and then leave it there for the day so as to retain the location. The above smaller rigs are akin to those lane-splitting motorcycles that zoom on buy the stopped traffic during rush hour, as you can navigate in-between the larger lenses on tripods and even get your feet wet at the water’s edge without annoying nor blocking other photographers! Suppose you want to shoot a certain surfer like Alana Blanchard warming up way on down the beach in her black wetsuit before their heat, and then return to the main beach to shoot them–this is the ideal rig for it. And with the new Tamron 600mm zoom. . .
Pro Surfer and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Model Alana Blanchard warming up before her heat, shot these with the run’n’gun 45SURFER monopod configuration. I was able to run down the beach away from the competition area on out to where the surfers were warming up, shoot Alana Blanchard and Laura Enever, and then head back on up the beach to the main contest area to shoot more of the heats. Doing this would have been impossible with the large tripod mount. And now with the Sony 4K Handycam FDR-AX100 replacing the standard HD camcorder in the setup, and the 600mm Tamron zoom (Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD Lens for Nikon) replacing the 500mm Sigma zoom, this smaller, nimbler combo will be the choice of 2014!
I was strolling down the beach when I spotted pretty surf girl goddess (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model & Rip Curl Bikini Model) Alana Blanchard freesurfing in a sexy black wetsuit, warming up for her heat!
And here’re some epic video of pretty goddess Alanna Blanchard I shot at the same time with the Panasonic X900MK 3MOS 3D Full HD SD Camcorder with 32GB Internal Memory mounted on my Nikon D800E via the 45surfer configuration.
Last year I was shooting with a Nikon D4 with a 600mm F4 Prime monster Nikkor lens mounted on the tripod:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/herosjourneymythology45surf/8555104297/
This year I wanted to be more nimble and work the whole area (shoot surfers warming up down the beach, coming and goring, running, hanging out/watching/etc.), so I opted to shoot with a Nikon D800E with the Sigma 150-500m lens mounted on a monopod. It can be tough to move tripod around with a 600mm F4 Prime monster Nikkor lens on a crowded beach, and it would be easy to upset folks each time you tried to set it up! There’s a good chance they would say “enough” and throw you and all your equipment in the water! There’s a common etiquette that one ought arrive early to claim a good spot, set up there, and keep it for the day. Latecomers are not welcome to set up on the main beach once it has filled up. But it’s OK to walk around with a smaller setup as long as you stay out of everyone’s way. Generally you can hug the water/shoreline with your feet and monopod in the water, as you’re down low enough so that you don’t block anyone’s view from higher up on the beach, where all the tripods are mounted. The Sigma 150-500mm lens also allowed me to zoom out when surfers ran down the beach or got in and out of the water, and I also had a Nikon D800E with the 28-300 mm lens strapped around my neck. And both cameras had video cameras mounted to them in my famous 45surfer configuration! Needless to say, it can be a bit scary standing knee-deep in water with all that equipment, with large waves breaking. You wouldn’t want to fall in!
Well, hope you enjoy the surf goddess photography!
All the best on your epic hero’s journey from Johnny Ranger McCoy! 🙂
P.S. There’s nothing like shooting the nikon D4 with the 600mm prime for quality, but I felt it was cool to give up a tiny, tiny bit of quality for far more variety this year! Plus I do not want to become a pixel-peeper! 🙂
And now with the just-announced Sony 4K Handycam FDR-AX100 replacing the standard HD camcorder in the 45SURFER monopod setup, and the 600mm Tamron zoom (Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD Lens for Nikon) replacing the 500mm Sigma zoom, this smaller, nimbler combo will rock 2014!
45surfer: Shooting Simultaneous Stills & Video 