Here's a select bunch of images from the snap-happy crowd at Flikr.com, featuring beach kites clouds and general kite-surfing action! Most of these photos feature Leading Edge Inflatable kites (LEIs), favored by kite surfers for their heavy pulling power and their ability to easily re-launch from water. As far as kites go, I'm more of a single-liner man, so I'll stick to commenting on the photography here!
A bit further down, the emphasis shifts to finely detailed close-up shots of these large and spectacular kites.
Finally, I picked a shot which manages to cram into frame a surprising number of these surfing kites in action! A real eye-catcher.
But first, here are 8 action shots of this popular water sport...
An amazing study in shades of blue, with hardly any trace of other colors. Interesting textures in the water, too. Taken with an iPhone apparently.
Photo courtesy of Ines Hegedus-Garcia, of miamism.com.
Try thisif you're not living in the U.S.
A very confident kite surfer, restraining a large kite with one arm, while dragging the other in the water...
Down at the beach kites high up where it's a bit more manageable. Interesting photo, with the sun below the back-lit, bird-like purple kite. Everything's happening down the right-hand third of the image! Unusual composition, but it works for me.
The 300 pixel width doesn't really do this photo justice, due to the texture effect which is more apparent at larger sizes. However, the hand-painted, stormy feel does come across well. Marvelous image!
Photo courtesy of Ingrid Taylar. Here's the original photo.
Down at the beach kites are in the air and a lone figure strolls in the foreground... You can just about feel the breeze and the warmth of the sun emanating from this great pic!
Fine action shot of the kite straining against a stiff breeze, with the surfer almost obscured by spray. Some still shots still manage to convey a sense of movement, without any speed-blur, don't they...
Talk about a high-visibility color combination against the blue sky! A jolt of yellow, with some jet black areas and searing red spars. Some rather cool artistic motifs as well.
An awesome photo, no doubt helped by the kite being in the right spot at the right time! The sun shining through the translucent sail layers shows up the art work on both sides. It's another study in shades of blue like the very first image on this page. If you count black as being a very dark shade of blue, I suppose!
A remarkable photo, particularly with the positions of the kites almost matching the profile of the hills in the background. I don't think I've ever seen so many kites over the water and in the same frame like this, so just had to include it here...
