harness and foot straps

[joe_windsurfer]

hey...

i am trying to harness properly and get in footstraps
photographer friend o mine took some shots of us amateurs on the water
asked my supplier what i was doing wrong - i wanted more planing action
he said harness lines were too long and not sheeted in enuff

to go to shorter harness lines (mine are like 40 cm :-) should i lower the boom until comfortable and then slowly move boom up and start moving back towards straps OR do i just force myself to not learn any bad habits? ie put boom at shoulder height, harness about 1/3 down the boom and short lines and learn to deal with it OR boom about 4-6 inches lower, harness lines elbow length down the boom and shorter harness lines {like about 30 cm lines}

appreciate your input

n.b. i know this is an age old question, but never seem to find the definitive answer ....