WE ARE f-stop: Sizing DOWN FOR ACTION with agustin munoz

f-stop Ambassador Agustin Munoz has been friends with pro BMX rider Kenneth Tencio since he was young. As an action sports and adventure photographer, it helps when your childhood friends become world-class BMX atheletes, but this doesn't usually happen when you are growing up in Costa Rica. In this We Are f-stop story, Agustin takes us behind the scenes of shooting BMX in the jungle, and how he sized down to a more compact mirrorless set up for shooting the action...

Words: Agustin Munoz

The project

This is a video about Kenneth Tencio, who has been growing as a bmx pro rider and is now a Red Bull athlete. Here in Costa Rica, there are no BMX parks like this, so Kenneth decide to build his own, welding and building it with his own hands. Kenneth trains at his self-built "10-cio park" and that dedication has brought results. Last year he podiumed four times, including 2nd place at the biggest BMX event in the world in China. I have personally known Kenneth since a very young age, and we have shared a lot of very good times creating projects and photoshoots together, and i feel very proud of him and what he has achieved.

Agustin Munoz BMX project from f-stop || Gear on Vimeo.

My gear

For this video I was using Fuji X-T3 and X-H1. Those cameras have the ability to record at 120fps, which allows me to play with speed reamp effects. Also I am able to record on F-LOG, a format that makes the image flat with a lot of information on shadows and highlights, so later on in editing i can use different type of 'LUTS' for more options with color grading. These cameras also have a very accurate and fast focus tracking on video, something that lets me work with wide-open apertures without having focus issues. The lenses I have been using are; Fujinon 8-16mm f2.8, 18-55mm, 56mm f1.2 and for the very close up a 200mm f2.0. Most of the clips where shot with the DJI ronin S stabilizer. For the drone shots, I have been loving using the DJI Mavic pro 2.

Packing

I used to use the Tilopa when i using my Canon set up, but since i move to the the Fuji system, the Lotus is more than enough to carry all I need for all kind of photoshoots.
I like to put my 2 camera bodies and all my lenses in the main compartments of the ICU, then carry the drone sitting on top of the large ICU, in the space between the ICU and the top lid. In carry an f-stop Accessory Pouch filled with extra batteries, camera charger and sensor cleaner tools - all the small things you can't forget - which fits just right in in the side pockets.