How my Zigzag cover came about: Deon Lategan
Fujifilm shooter Deon Lategan’s image is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Zigzag, South Africa’s premier surfing magazine. We chatted to him about how this amazing shot came about, grabbing some surfing photography tips in the process.
What a beautiful cover photo. Can you tell us how you managed to shoot this?
This was taken in Jeffreys Bay at Supertubes where I walk every morning. I usually have my camera with me, particularly if there is good surf. I had taken a few pics already, but the light was just perfect when Mikey February caught this wave. He’s so stylish that the combination of him, the wave and the light really made a great image.
Did you know when you took it that it would be a winner?
I always liked the shot – I feel curating your own work is important, knowing what is good and what you’re happy with. It is a few years old but I’m glad it finally found a home.
How did Zigzag come across your shot?
I have contributed over the years for Zigzag and they did a profile/portfolio piece in this issue. I gave them a bunch of options, and this was one of the pics they asked for in high-res. They didn’t actually tell me it was on the cover – that was a surprise.
How did you feel when seeing your shot on the cover of such a prestigious and long running magazine?
I am so proud of it! I can’t explain it in any other way.
What was your setup?
I shot this with the 55-200mm which is a great lens for the price; I have subsequently bought the 100-400 which is really excellent. This was taken with my Fujifilm X-T20, @200mm, f6.4, 1/2900sec, and ISO 400.
How much time did you spend on post-editing?
I’m fussy with my editing. I always shoot in RAW so you need to edit the images to get the most out of the files. Fujifilm files are awesome like that, you really can extract so much out of them.
Do you have tips for those looking to up their surf photography game?
Good light, good waves, good surfers and good timing all help. Understanding what is considered good surf photography also helps, so I would recommend browsing surf media and seeing what is of interest to surfers.
Find more of Deon’s work here:
https://www.instagram.com/deonlateganphotographics/
