Before I get into the details, I just want to say that these types of shots are extremely dangerous. If the skier loses the handle or I'm not able to get deep enough in the water to get under the rope, it could not only cause me to lose my camera, but potentially my life. I'm a professional and I only shoot this angle with highly trained athletes.
Jumping right in, this shot came during a pre-shoot with Paige Rini. I wanted to get the correct settings on my speed light from this angle and Paige wanted to give it a rip before I shot Whitney McClintock, so we went ahead and went for it.

The sun wasn't yet high enough to get my favorite type of lighting, so I had my flash on a pretty "high power". I can't remember the exact number but it was in the range of 1/4 or 1/2 power. Enough to get rid of the shadows.

As you can tell from the photo, I was on the left hand side of the buoy, but was sure to keep it in my field of view as I feel like it is super important to show where exactly the skier is turning. Are they late or are they turning right on the money? Getting the buoy in the shot helps tell the story.
The location of this particular shoot was on John's Lake in Clermont, Florida. It's a large public lake that is surrounded by homes. I wanted to shoot Paige (and Whitney) from this particular angle to keep as many houses out of the background as possible.

In order to get a close range shot, but still get the buoy, spray, and sky, I used a Sigma 24-70mm 2.8f lens. This lens is an absolute beast. It gives me the option of getting a super tight close-up or a wider view of the scene. I absolutely love the product even though it's the only Sigma product in my gear bag. It's a cheaper wide angle lens, but it gets the job done right even though it doesn't feel like a Nikon 24-70mm piece of glass when I hold it in my hand.

With Paige being perfectly lit, the blue sky looking great and a nice reflection showing up in the water, this is one of my favorite images.

My favorite image from this shoot is appearing on the cover of my 2018 Summer at the Lake waterski calendar that is available under the "products" tab.

If you like this shot, leave a "like" and comment in the section below! I love hearing from you.

Spencer Shultz • 2screative.com