Dive Buddies With Camera

[DeputyDan]

I have no problems diving with a photograqpher. One reason is that I like to go slow. A second is that I realize what/who I am diving with and accept the responsibility to make sure we stay close together.

It's not good to wonder off and its a no-no with a photographer. By the way, I never point out lots of things for them the shoot, just a couple pointing out too much can be an aggrevation to them.

Final thought, I get a CD of all the pics.

 

[String]

Usually when i dive with a "serious" photographer i get very cold on a dive due to being so slow and barely moving.

 

[Mo2vation]

Claudette, don't worry -- Some people have the camera bug in latent form, and others of us pick up a camera and can still put it down. Personally, I would STILL rather dive WITH a photographer and point out what I want him to take pictures of, than carry a camera myself. First off, I get better pictures that way, and second, I enjoy my own dive more.

Actually, that's not true. There have been, of the probably 5,000 or 6,000 images I've shot on our dives together, maybe three times when 'dette sidled over and asked me to shoot something for her. After nearly 200 dives together we're kinda in the groove and I know what she likes to see, and she knows what I like to shoot.

In fact, she knows how to qualify a subject these days - its pretty cool. If I want to get a shot of a specific Nudi, she will pass on 4 or 5 until she sees one that she just knows fits the profile and environment I like to shoot.

The very best part, is she's not some nebbish pointing out every little thing. If I miss something or haven't gotten there yet, she'll politely point to something and if I shake it off, its no biggie... Except for those three times.

Someone mentioned earlier the non-shooting buddy role of illuminating the subject. She and I do the majority of our diving at night - and I don't have a foucs light. Our shore dives frequently involve lots of surge, bad viz and heavy particulate matter in the water... not a good combo when trying to focus down a 105mm telescope onto a 1/2" subject. I really appreciate her coming over and throwing some light onto the subject so I can pull focus quickly - and because she's not a clown in the water, she's not adding to the silt that I'm throwing around while I hunker down and fight the surge.

I can go on and on. She's the photographers perfect buddy. We have more fun than should be allowed on our dives. Its just a laugh fest from beginning to end.

---
Ken

 

[TSandM]

Well, most of the time, if I think something looks like it would make a good picture, so does Peter, so that works. Occasionally, I'll really ASK him to take a picture of something, because I don't know what it is and want the photograph for later identification. That's part of the "payback" I get for the time I spend practicing my back kick while he's taking pictures

 

[HBDiveGirl]

Someone mentioned earlier the non-shooting buddy role of illuminating the subject. She and I do the majority of our diving at night - and I don't have a foucs light. Our shore dives frequently involve lots of surge, bad viz and heavy particulate matter in the water... not a good combo when trying to focus down a 105mm telescope onto a 1/2" subject. I really appreciate her coming over and throwing some light onto the subject so I can pull focus quickly - and because she's not a clown in the water, she's not adding to the silt that I'm throwing around while I hunker down and fight the surge.

OH! I forgot about this! This was really fun the last two times we dived deep at the Redondo Canyon, with its grey talcum-mud floor and tiny nudibranchs (an inch-long or less!) camouflaged in the 3-inch algae.

When I found one, I'd ask for your attention with the light, then hold the light on the nudi. To avoid silting, I'd take a deep breath and scull my fins to hover straight up. You'd follow the light and move in beneath me. The light would attenuate as I got farther away, and become the perfect focus light! You could readjust the cam and still find the tiny marvel when you looked back for it. I was thrilled because I realized that if it worked, I would get to see amazing details of these lovely nudi's... stuff my eyes just can't see in real time. It was a fun buoyancy and trim challenge to pin the light beam on the nudi, without moving, and maintain position in the water column. As you said, Lynne, it's a great time to polish that back kick .

It's fun the way we work it out each time... the subjects, the light, the conditions... it's like a puzzle, and if we get it right, there will be pictures for dessert!!

...maybe three times when 'dette sidled over and asked me to shoot something for her.

How funny is this??!!? Nearly 200 dives, and I can instantly name at least 2 of those requests! (I don't make requests of my fav musicians during performances, either. Ya gotta play [and shoot] what you feel.)

1) The Leather Star at Claudette's Rock, Santa Cruz Island, because I'd never seen one before.
2) The tiny green colonial tunicates at Underwater Island, Anacapa Island, because they were so small I couldn't figure out WHAT they were. The photo nailed the ID in both cases.

Hmmm.... the third one...... <tap..tap..tap.....>

AHHH!! Got it!!!
3) The coon-striped shrimp in the recessed shelf at "Claudette's Rock". It looked like it was in a little cave, packed with corynactis, anemones, colorful sponges, tunicates, bryazoan... so thick it looked like rainforest foliage. It was beautiful to my eyes and imagination.. a fairyland image.

The picture stunk.
Technically it was excellent: Focused, well-lit, full-frame, good DOF.
But it had nothing to say, no story that could be lifted from the sea and re-animated into the eyes and hearts of anyone who looked at it. What I'd requested was a snap-shot. This experience taught me reams about what makes your pictures sing. It helped me learn what you are looking for. It kicked our photography dives up a few levels.

Let the musician play what moves him. He knows.

Claudette

P.S. Thanks for all the sweet props, Ken! You KNOW I'm having the time of my life diving with you. It's a celebration of fun and humbly improving skills.

You know.

 

[Arete]

I've had good and bad experiences. One regular buddy is a very good photographer, and as a result of being an avid photographer, she's highly observant, great on air and a pleasure to dive with. I have long dives and see a lot of things I would probably have swam by otherwise.

On the other hand, last weekend I was buddied with a previously unknown diver with approx 80 dives who had a camera and a heap of other accessories and basically was a bit of a spaz. He wasn't a good enough diver to manage all the other stuff he was trying to do. He crashed into the reef and me all the time, most of the stuff he was trying to take photos of was gone by the time he got it together and in the end his camera stopped working halfway through the dive, after we lost the rest of the group.

As for me, I would like to get into dive photography however not until I get better at bouyancy, can afford a good camera and potentially do it alone *dons flame suit*

 

[uspap]

Taking pics has helped me a ton with task loading. You have to deal with a fair amount of stuff to get the right shot. I did a reef check dive without the camera and they said there may be a bit of extra task loading on you. To me it was a piece of cake compared to photo work. I suck as a buddy but photo has made me a better diver. (in my opinion)