Trip Report Bonaire video and trip report - April 2018

[uncfnp]

Nice video!

We stayed at Port Bonaire our last visit and it had a lot of positive qualities but the unit needed a bit of maintenance. Not bad but enough for us to ask which unit you stayed in and any additional comments you might have.

 

[choiahoy]

Nice video!

We stayed at Port Bonaire our last visit and it had a lot of positive qualities but the unit needed a bit of maintenance. Not bad but enough for us to ask which unit you stayed in and any additional comments you might have.

It was the 2nd floor unit to the far right when facing the water. I pasted a link below.

Oceanscape Bonaire - - Oceanfront Condo wit... - HomeAway

The complex is very quiet and has a nice pool. We did one dive from the ladder in the back and very much enjoyed the dive--it would be between 18 Palms and Windsock, so not an area that we were very familiar with before.

There is a rinse tank (singular) and an outdoor shower, but no real place to hang your gear. We either rinsed and hung it to dry next door at Dive Friends or brought it up to the balcony. The only other downside was the lack of a grill, which we would have wanted on a longer trip.

 

[uncfnp]

It was the 2nd floor unit to the far right when facing the water. I pasted a link below.

Oceanscape Bonaire - - Oceanfront Condo wit... - HomeAway

The complex is very quiet and has a nice pool. We did one dive from the ladder in the back and very much enjoyed the dive--it would be between 18 Palms and Windsock, so not an area that we were very familiar with before.

There is a rinse tank (singular) and an outdoor shower, but no real place to hang your gear. We either rinsed and hung it to dry next door at Dive Friends or brought it up to the balcony. The only other downside was the lack of a grill, which we would have wanted on a longer trip.

Thank you. That is actually the one we were looking at for our next trip. Good to know you liked it.

 

[Soloist]

Very nice. Enjoyed the drone footage especially. Thanks for sharing.

 

[scuba127]

Nice report and video.....just an aside....volume of passenger traffic into Flamingo declined by 6% in 2017 as compared to 2016 while volume of flights into Flamingo increased...the problem at the airport may be more a matter of arrival/departure timing versus an increase in passenger traffic...

 

[choiahoy]

the problem at the airport may be more a matter of arrival/departure timing versus an increase in passenger traffic...

Timing is definitely the main problem--the United flight leaves at 2:45 and Delta at 2:51. I think the American flight is scheduled to depart in the afternoon as well.

 

[divesergeant]

Wonderful video. Thank you for taking the time to edit it and post it. I think I might need to get a drone. I need something else to keep me poor!

 

[seaseadee]

The color in your video is beautiful. All too often I see video (mostly mine) that's too green or too red. Do you mind sharing what you did in post (if anything)? As well as white balance settings on the camera?

 

[choiahoy]

The color in your video is beautiful. All too often I see video (mostly mine) that's too green or too red. Do you mind sharing what you did in post (if anything)? As well as white balance settings on the camera?

Thanks seaseadee!

I did color grade in post production. And full disclosure--I've been a professional film and tv editor for over 15 years--but I'm sure that you can get similar results. If this isn't helpful, feel free to send me a message with any specific questions and details as to what gear you use to shoot and edit, and I'd be happy to answer what I can.

It's very different when shooting still photos with strobes, but in short, to get accurate colors in video -

PRODUCTION
- there's no substitute for white balancing your camera frequently whenever conditions change, meaning when you change depth significantly, change sites, or the conditions (cloud cover) change. Some cameras are far better at white balancing than others. I've had particular problems with Sony and Fuji cameras and the best luck with Lumix, Olympus, and Canon.

- I use a pair of strong lights whenever I shoot macro or if I can film something within 3-4 feet (that won't swim away). 5000 lumens will do nothing for anything further away than a few feet, but will get you bright and accurate colors up close.

- Generally speaking, the best footage I capture tends to be in under 30' of water on bright sunny days with a red filter (no lights or the hot sections will be too red). For shots at deeper depths, I try to get close with my lights. If I can't, I use a red filter, set a white balance, and hope I can pull out the proper colors in post. Sometimes it looks good, other times not so much. This is the simple reality of underwater video.

Try to get the colors as close as you can in the camera, knowing that there'll be another chance to do further corrections in post.

(continued below)

 

[choiahoy]

POST PRODUCTION

- In terms of color grading, the single most important adjustment is white balance, and remember, one can white balance off something that is white, black, or middle gray. I used to ask my wife to carry and flash a full film color slate, but she quickly put an end to that. But even so, there's plenty to balance on--sand, my wife's tank, her black wetsuit, or the small white slate I carry with me (hold it as far from your camera as possible when setting the WB).

The white balance process is slightly different per software. A quick note on that--I see little reason to not use one of the ‘professional’ industry standard editing software as they're all now either inexpensive or a version is available for free. These are Avid Media Composer, Adobe Premiere, or DaVinci Resolve. I suppose some would include Final Cut in that as well. I'm actually currently writing an article on this topic for a diving magazine. If you’re interested, I'll let you know when it comes out.

So to sum up, the recipe for accurate colors is proper lighting when possible (sun, lights); add in white balancing your camera in production (this includes the use of a red filter when needed); and finally mix in a color grade in post production. While it sounds complicated, these are the same steps in shooting good footage on land.

Reach out with any questions--I'd be happy to talk more.