Stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) is now one of the most popular ways of exhausting yourself on the water, and the leading player in the SUP market (and windsurfing) is Starboard which just happens to be based in Thailand; specifically, next to Lake Taco in Bangkok.
Which is why I found myself sat on a very large SUP with my camera gear in the middle of Lake Taco yesterday afternoon, to take some shots of the latest variation on the SUP theme: SUP Polo.
The competitors stand on large inflatable SUP boards inside an enclosure with goals at both ends. There is a ball, and the SUP paddles have ball-catching size holes in them so you can, theoretically, scoop the ball and chuck to another player or into the goal (you can also use the paddles for their more traditional purpose, but the large holes in them reduces their efficiency considerably). In reality, there is much splashing, crashing and general hilarity, with only the occasional goal.
I had my 12-40mm and 40-150mm lenses, both of which are waterproof but neither of which I fancied dunking in the lake. Luckily my board was large and stable so my gear was never in danger. No, the only problem was getting decent shots. There were people wearing white and people wearing all black. There were dark faces, light faces, messy backgrounds, highly reflective boards and the midday sun. All of these conspired to make photo taking difficult and I was not pleased with the results. But I am going to share some of them anyway.
Ninja SUP stance:
No chance of goal:
Paddle clash:
Small defender:
Distract the opposition by falling off:
The scoop:
If I shout loud enough, can I play too?
A valiant attempt to reach the ball:
Who put it up there?
Fight near the goal line:
Young concentration:
