Newbie needs help

[herman]

UW photography is a lot more difficult than it may seem. Combine inexperience diving with an inexpensive camera and your shots are not likely to come out well. Safety and buddy awareness are also major issues when carrying a camera. My best advise is to forget the camera and just enjoy the diving. I totally understand you want photos of your trip so here is an option that you may want to consider. Find someone on the dives who is taking digital UW photos and ask if they would be willing to share a copy of them with you. You will end up with better photos, safer dives and you will have seen more. Offer them a meal or a couple of beers as a thank you. I often do this for new friends that I meet on trips.

 

[victor]

1. Only take the camera on some dives. It tends to dominate your dives and can spoil the trip.
2. Get a dedicated buddy / spotter. When taking photo's you end up concetrating on the shot, not your buddy. The dive group will leave without you resulting in a solo dive, or aborting. It is worth paying a DM to buddy and spot for you, you will get much better shots when you are not chasing the rest of the group.
3. Get close, very close, very very close, you are still to far away, get closer.
4. Shoot macro on a night dive, there is so much to see you can do the whole dive on an area the size of a small room.
5. Try and get some shots of the divers descending or ascending back to the surface. It helps to place the whole sequence.

Remember taking pictures uses a lot of your concentration, you will be a terrible buddy. Tell them in advance, if they are not comfortable find another buddy. If none are available then leave the camera and just enjoy the dive.

 

[Eskasi]

UW photography is a lot more difficult than it may seem. Combine inexperience diving with an inexpensive camera and your shots are not likely to come out well. Safety and buddy awareness are also major issues when carrying a camera. My best advise is to forget the camera and just enjoy the diving. I totally understand you want photos of your trip so here is an option that you may want to consider. Find someone on the dives who is taking digital UW photos and ask if they would be willing to share a copy of them with you. You will end up with better photos, safer dives and you will have seen more. Offer them a meal or a couple of beers as a thank you. I often do this for new friends that I meet on trips.

I will be your buddy and share pics (including many pics of you) for a couple of beers....never mind the meal....

 

[DiverDonn]

Drew:
Another thing to keep in mind is that, unless you are shooting really closeup macros, you can easily lose size perspective underwater ( That 6 foot 'cuda, alone in a photo may only look like a foot long). Try to use the other people in your group as Models as often as possible. I find that letting my fellow divers know in advance what I am trying to do, often results in some of them posing for shots for me. Have gotten some great landscape and sea life shots this way with people in the foreground or background. If all you want is to get some memories of this particular trip, take Hermans advice above and see if another diver will share with you. Good Luck DD

 

[herman]

I will be your buddy and share pics (including many pics of you) for a couple of beers....never mind the meal....

Any time and I'll buy the second round!

I have sent CDs to 3 different countries and all over the US. I even include a slide show. A little beer or a hug if your female goes a long ways.

 

[drewdude]

Hey guys thanks for the info. Lot's of good wisdom (as opposed to bad wisdom). I'll be going w/my brother who has been my dive buddy for the majority of our dives (got certified together). I'll be watching him the majority of the time as he's got a pretty good set up (camera) and has done some great topside photos for the last 20 years or so. When I bought the reef master, he talked me into getting the strobe and wide angle for it. My wife is the photoshop expert. She's got great background (graphic artist) so I'll leave that to her when I get back.

That has been some of my concerns is watching out for myself ,each other, the reef, the group, and just making sure I enjoy the dive.

Like I stated before, once in a lifetime trip, want to be able show the kids what to look forward too when they get older.

 

[AbyssalPlains]

fisheye..thanks for the info....what are some of the most common mistakes made by the new u/w photographer?

Form personal experience, I'd say:

Impatience - taking pictures underwater radically changes the pace of a dive. If you are with a group anxious to keep moving, leave the camera on the boat.

Chasing critters. I still catch myself doing it, mostly because I feel rushed. The result are pics with critters swimming away, which doesn't look very pleasing.

Focusing too much on fish. Especially with a point and shoot that has some shutter delay, trying to take fish portraits can be the most frustrating experience ever. Focus on stationary subjects and look in the nooks and crannies.

Trying to shoot everything there is to see. This is a recipe for distraction and rushing through a dive, pointing the camera at this and that, but not really seeing anything. I found it much more rewarding once I became more selective. On a recent dive, I set a goal for myself, I wanted one good shot of a particular nudibranch. Yes, it was a little hard to ignore a great many of opportunities I came across on that dive, but that way I actually WATCHED the other critters and focused on photography only once I had found a nudi in a good spot. I spent about 10 minutes at that spot, firing away, changing lighting and making other adjustments etc. The very last shot I got before I had to end the dive was the "prize shot". By focusing on one or few subjects you free your mind to appreciate all the other things you will encounter while being ready for good results once you find your "target subject."

Shooting from too far away. Trust me, this is the big one. If you think you're pretty close, you're way too far away. Move in. If you think you're really close, you're still way too far away. Move in. If you think you're about to hit your lens port into the reef, you're probably still too far away but give it a shot. When I was a beginner I used to zoom it as much as I could to avoid having to get so close. Big mistake, because you are not really eliminating the water between your lens and the subject. IMHO, this is THE MOST IMPORTANT rule to keep in mind and the hardest to get used to. Even if you feel overloaded by all the other advice, if you only repeat the "Get closer, get closer" mantra in your head, your shots will improve at least 50 percent.

Putting too much pressure on yourself. Again, I struggled with this one big time, as I live in a landlocked area, and before each trip I drove myself nuts, going "Oh my god, I may not dive that place ever again, I just HAVE to bring back really amazing shots." This is terrible and can take all the fun out of a diving vacation. Make sure you take your camera along, but I suggest you make it your priority to take the experience in with your own eyes instead of viewing underwater life through the viewfinder of your camera. I've done this a lot, and lately I came to realize that while I did get some amazing shots on some of my dives, I don't remember much if anything else of them. On the other hand, the dives where I left my camera on the boat are the ones that really stick in my memory and I remember seeing about 100 percent more critters on those dives.

Hope this helps. Have a great time!!

 

[Steve_Dives]

Get some place and practice buoyancy with the camera. Set up toys in the pool and take pictures. A camera is a real challenge underwater.

 

[drewdude]

Thanks for the info!!! Another question for you all....at what depth would the flash be needed? For example, tropical waters...let's say 75-100' vis, decent water clarity. And would that change as the sunlight changes. For example maybe no flash at noon....but at 3 pm....now maybe a flash?

 

[Doc Harry]

1. Play with your camera now so that you know how to use it well.

2. First dive should be just the housing without the camera to make sure the housing doesn't leak. Pay detailed attention to your o-rings. You cannot pay too much attention to your o-rings.

3. Watch your air consumption. New photographers tend to blow through their air rapidly because they're (a) not paying attention to their breathing and (b) always trying to reposition themselves.

4. A flash is useful at all depths. If there are a lot of particulates in the water, then either get close for the flash or don't use the flash. If the water is clear, try to use the flash for all of your pictures.

5. Take a variety of wide-angle pictures, medium-angle and close-ups. Mix it up. Try for about 1/3 wide-angle, 1/3 medium angle, 1/3 close up.

6. Vary your subjects: people, fish, coral, reef critters, etc. Don't get stuck taking pictures only of fish or only of divers. Mix it up.

7. Don't forget topside photos too!! Hotels, scenery, people, etc.

8. Be sure to get close-ups of people, both topside and underwater. We are social creatures and most people like to see a big smile close-up so that you can clearly see their face. Don't always shoot from far away.

9. Get a dive buddy who is willing to let you lead. You can set the pace and your dive buddy will follow you around. Don't forget to keep checking on your buddy too!

10. Don't expect stupendous results. This is your first experience with an underwater camera. You will likely be a little disappointed. Go easy on yourself. Underwater photography is tricky and takes A LOT of practice.

11. Most importantly: you are there to have fun with friends/family and dive. Don't let the camera interfere with your trip. Put the camera down if it's causing too much trouble.