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Cowabunga!

Feel the rush of wakeboarding in full flow from this set of stunning photographs – and marvel at the wonderful effects created by this ingenious use of LED lights.

Photographer and light painter Patrick Rochon stunned visitors of the Snap! Orlando photography event in Orlando, Florida, by using LED lights, a long exposure camera, and the talents of 3 professional wakeboarders for a project known as ‘Motion to Light Wakeboarding’.

Over the course of 3 consecutive nights, Adam Errington, Dallas Friday and Mike Dowdy did their thing, and performed tricks and jumps at Florida’s OWC Cable Park, with special boards fitted with LEDs.

The light combined with the athlete’s movements resulted in spectacular streaks of light, all captured on camera to be entered into Red Bull’s triennial photography competition, Illume, where Rochon will hope to do battle with 50 other finalists.

“The boundaries dividing sport and art are blurred in this collaboration in an effort to capture the inherent emotion and creativity of athleticism” said Rochon.

The wakeboarders themselves were equally enthusiastic. “It really is my movements painting this picture and helping this photo come to life!” said Errington.

The amazing thing is that the very best images are being held back to be submitted to the Illume competition.

Over 50 photography experts will be on the judging panel, with a Leica S camera, broncolour Move Outdoor kit, and Sun-Sniper gear worth over €2,000 up for grabs.

To find out more about how this incredible set of photos were brought to life, have a look at the video below.