In Italië ontmoette ik de officiele fotograaf van het PKRA Roberto Foresti. Hij heeft het eerste internatinaal gedistribueerde fotoboek gemaakt over Kitesurfen. Binnenkort verkrijgbaar met o.a. foto's van Kevin Langeree & Aaron Hadlow. Hij stuurde mij alvast de cover een beschrijving van het boek.
Kite Surf Planet
There are some sports, more than others, in which a strong bond exists between the athlete and its surrounding nature:
Kitesurf is one of them. Kite has always been synonymous with nature and its surrounding environment, it has a good understanding of the sea, where the athlete can ride the waves and go with the wind.
From November on, a photograph album will be available containing on its pages the capability of all the magic and charm of this sport, the appreciation of the style, the admiration of the manuvers during their development and for the first time to maybe come close to this extreme sport.
Having followed Kitesurf from its beginning, as official photographer of P.K.R.A. (Professional Kiteboard Riders Association) which organizes the world championship of every continent, allows Roberto Foresti to have on hand a vast photo gallery which proves the development of this sport, its style, its peculiarity and its unquestionable charm.
The idea of this photo book, edited by Gangemi Editors, originated from the desire to recount pictures of this sport: a 100 shots capable of describing its style and at the same time being able to transmit the passion that drives every athlete, so as to enthuse the new generations the beauty of this discipline.
Simple and essential photos that capture those moments which contain the very concept of freedom and seeking the linearity of the elements of freedom, aggression, cleanliness and harmony with nature.
The book aims to fill a gap, given that worldwide there is still no bibliography, which responds to a request shared by schools, by sport, producers and fans, and at the same time a preface to a more articulate visual project , which tells the story.
Colorful and entertaining, which expresses lightheartedness, easy to handle as a form, but "precious" in materials, and techniques of printing, the books will be distributed throughout Europe and translated into three languages (Italian, English and Spanish).It will have an initial print run of 5000 copies.
Every photo is accompanied with practical information (inserting all information pertaining to the type of depiction of the photo and the geographic coordinates of the location in which it was shot, the name of the athlete, etc).
The volume has a preface by Cesare Cantagalli, an icon in the world of windsurf on a international level with more than 20 years of working in this field and one by Mauritio Toscano, PKRA President.
Divided in 3 parts, each part decribes a different style of Kite; given credit to the introduction of Sami Gali, PKRA head judge.
-Group competition in “races†and “long distance†(told through panoramic images of great color effect and of “atmosphereâ€.)
-“Free style†or “wave†(which allows the champion to express his talent by undertaking a true competition using originality and passion. This typology can be represented through images that understand the tension, the manuver and the particulars.)
-“Kickers†and “sliders†(in which are the types to be carried out and in order to overcome these obstacles, the athletes need to do so in more or less spectacular means.)
And lastly, there will be some photos of Snow-Kite, which is the latest movement phase of this sport.
This could be a gift item for Christmas but also to those who are fond of sports photography and to come closer to the extreme sport of kite , on water (recently, on snow) in flight; to keep on their bookshelves to browse and to continue to experience those emotions.