Any tips you could give me on this photo

[Paul Cwalina]

I was using Peace of SH** Ikolite housing and a sony rx 100 II. No other Dioplar or wide angle attachments. Wanted to give the compact a try before i went to interchangeable. I had the same thought about the foreground as well and shot this picture with a school of barracuda as foreground. I think however the color from the first one (and I love the see wood for some reason) makes this one a better pic? Also I like to use iphoto. I was using a conjunction of Lightroom and CS6 but in my mind that is cheating and you should only be able to make a change to the whole picture with minor saturation or color temp changes but beyond that it is too the photographer to produce the image. IMO...

 

[supergaijin]

To edit in LR/PS or not is up to you. Personally I'm all for it as my pics can always be improved to become more pleasing to the viewer- and that is one of the reasons I take pictures.

For reefscapes i would suggest closing your aperture to get as much in sharp focus as you can. f8 (or smaller if possible on your camera)

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Even a little Photoshop help can improve most shots. The best rule of photography is to get close, look up and get close.

 

[Nuno A]

If you like it is good !!


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[Paul Cwalina]

seems I need to hire some post production guys. I like to spend my time in the water (since I make all my money selling scuba products online). I need a holiday from computers once in a while. This is what Raja Ampat gave me. It was a break from the computer and back to nature. (even though my camera is a computer itself but still..)

---------- Post added April 18th, 2014 at 07:40 AM ----------

Do you think i am ready to progress to a strobe setup or should I keep increasing my skills with all natural?

 

[James R]

I wouldn't even bother taking my camera without strobes in nearly every situation.

 

[Nuno A]

There's no such thing as underwater photography without strobes !!


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[Paul Cwalina]

OK, I gather the best set up for someone who wants a travelers set up would be a sola 5-6 or whatever focus light with 2 sea and strobes? What model should I tell the guys I want for the strobes?

---------- Post added April 19th, 2014 at 12:55 PM ----------

anyone?

 

[doctormike]

I was using Peace of SH** Ikolite housing

How did that impact on the quality of your photographs? The main way that I can imagine that happening would be if it flooded. Is that what happened?

and a sony rx 100 II.

Generally considered (by most of the photo reviews that I have read) to be one of the best compacts on the market today in terms of image quality. You should be able to take excellent UW photos with this camera. Yes, there are a few things that a DSLR will do that a compact won't, but you have a long way to go before you have exhausted the limited of the RX-100 II. Here's what I always post when this comes up:

Also I like to use iphoto.

I really like iPhoto as well. I have the full version of Photoshop, but unless I am doing masking or something, I can fix what I don't like about the vast majority of my shots using iPhoto (including limited spot editing of particles, etc..).

I was using a conjunction of Lightroom and CS6 but in my mind that is cheating and you should only be able to make a change to the whole picture with minor saturation or color temp changes but beyond that it is too the photographer to produce the image. IMO...

Here's something that I never really understood, and I hear this sentiment a lot in photo circles. In most cases, UW photography isn't a competitive sport. Your job is to produce an image that you find visually appealing. Yes, if you cut and paste a whale shark into a shot of your local quarry, that's "cheating" if the point is to prove that you went diving with a whale shark. But other than that, becoming skilled in post production is no more "cheating" IMHO than buying good camera gear. I guess some people feel otherwise, but I haven't heard a convincing argument to the contrary.

 

[doctormike]

OK, I gather the best set up for someone who wants a travelers set up would be a sola 5-6 or whatever focus light with 2 sea and strobes? What model should I tell the guys I want for the strobes?

---------- Post added April 19th, 2014 at 12:55 PM ----------

anyone?

Most modern strobes are good at exposure control, so it usually comes down to size and power. Most simple UW photographers (like me) probably only have experience with what they have used, and don't have the ability to do a broad comparison of different models and brands. So I was happy with the Inon S2000s, and then I went to the Inon Z240s, for more power. I'm also happy with them. A focus light is a good idea for macro work, especially in areas of low ambient light, less critical for fisheye work.

Remember, more power is only helpful in excellent vis and with a real wide angle / fisheye lens and a large subject. The most powerful strobe doesn't do much beyond 4-6 feet in terms of bringing color back to your shot. If you are doing macro, you don't need more power, but two strobes will give you more control over your lighting and shadows.