The 2019 Malibu Open was spectacular at Trophy Lakes, just outside of Charleston S.C.. Another year of incredible skiing, professionalism and beautiful weather. I bought a new lens this year, mostly for the water skiing photography, and the first time I used it was at the 2019 Malibu Open. The 400 mm f/2.8 and it weighs over 12 pounds. But I think once I get the hang of it… I hope I will be able to capture some cool images.
It is a workout to haul around, but the glass is awesome! I set it up on my tripod with a Gimbal Head in the water and was able to grab some really cool shots. As with any new lens, it usually takes a few months to get really comfortable with them, know their strengths and weaknesses, but was having a great time with it. The light was a harsh, and not as cool as I had hoped, but I had a lot of fun anyway. With skiing photos, I always prefer cloudy days. As usual I shot everyday at the Open, until I was tired and went home.
I was using two cameras. On my full frame camera I was using my Canon 300 mm F/2.8 handheld, and because the 400 mm was set up to grab the standard shots, I could use the 300 to be more creative and capture some shots with slower shutter speeds. Playing with them to get panning images with different background effects. I enjoyed that flexibility the most in having the additional lens.
Below are some of the professional skiers you can find images of on my website.
Name Country
Women of the Malibu Open
| Regina Jaquess | USA |
| Manon Costard | FRA |
| Whitney Mcclintock Rini | CAN |
| Jaimee Bull | CAN |
| Samantha Dumala | USA |
| Hanna Edeback | SWE |
| Paige Rini | CAN |
| Brooke Baldwin | USA |
| Taryn Grant | CAN |
| Allie Nicholson | USA |
| Kassidy Hawkins | USA |
| Karen Truelove | USA |
| Alexandra (Ali) Garcia | USA |
| Bailey Austin | USA |
| Elizabeth Montavon | USA |
| Chelsea Mills | USA |
Cary McDonald - Photo Blog 