Yann's jumping tips

Yann Ropars is a photographic star when it comes to taking pictures of people jumping. You too can take great jumping photos. Just follow Yann's advice:

Content of the image: Scenery is very important. Look for an area that has nice or unsual scenery to take the photo. 50% of the picture is about the background and context ... 50% is about the subject (jumping people).

How to take the picture: Ask other people to jump and take the picture yourself, or put the camera in self-timer mode so you can jump, too. (Since most cameras don't support multi-image burst mode with the self-timer, it can take several attempts to get a good shot.)

Placing the camera: This is the tricky part. Find a good spot to put the camera. A knee-height rock, a fence post, a branch, whatever you can find as low as possible without being too low and missing the background. The ground sometimes can be perfect and will give the maximum "height" effect on a jump.

(A good option is to use Joby's Gorillapod flexible tripods, which you can wrap around a branch, prop on an uneven rock, etc.)

When to jump: When using the self-timer method, the other tricky part is knowing when to jump. It usually takes a few jumps to get it right. Try, and try again. You'll get it.

The secret: Bend your knees! There's no need for people to jump very high, or jump from a high point. Just jump up and bend your knees -- which gives the illusion that you're jumping high in the air.

Have fun! This is fun -- so make sure you're jumpers look like they're having fun, not concentrating on jumping and grimacing.

Be safe: You're not jumping high, so there's not too much that can go wrong. But be careful about jumping in a rocky area where you could land and twist a foot. And obviously, don't go jumping too close to a cliff -- even if the view is spectacular.