Photography Tips-WB, Settings etc etc! Sharks oO? HELP >___<

[Bazal]

Hey,

So basically - on ground I use a Canon 70D. I shoot in Av, Tv and P mode - not advanced enough to shoot in Manuel mode yet. I normally shoot in both RAW + JPEG. I'm NOT good at working with images in RAW, but still shoot because eventually I'll get there!

Problem.. under water.. well properties are a bit different... I have no experience with underwater photography - actually - I'll do a little explaining.

I avoided picture/video taking underwater until I learned to control my buoyancy at a decent level (as in no air in and out of the bcd) - as in gliding/floating... with minor breathing modifications in order to adjust buoyancy. This happened after my 20th dive - still need a lot more fine tuning - anyway I did not take pictures/movies until my 25th dive (I have 29 total dives).

So - things I kinda am aware of:
- I AM aware of light changes/color loss. Yes I could use a red filter or use a custom white balance... but having strobe should correct color loss.
-I am aware of distances being different underwater - and you probably want to be within.. well I think 3 feet of taking a picture
-I am water (esp salt water) is thicker than air - thinking a flood beam is better for moving taking and a spot beam better at picture taking - I think those points are relevant to night photography - not so much day (I have a Sola Light and Motion 2000 Lumens... so thinking ahead).
-Aware that mastering buoyancy = better images. BUT... is it even possible to ever master buoyancy? That might take years... also... as crazy as this sounds... I've been told my buoyancy was actually better when I was shooting underwater... the reason "because I think less"... weird reason oO
-Aware for strobe to work (at least the one I have), I have to shoot in force-flash mode... aka P, Tv or Av

That being said - my ONLY experience with underwater photography was:
4 dives... 2 inland Mexico and 2 in Cozumel...

My Setup:
Canon Powershot G16 + Fantasea Housing + Fantasea Fish Eye + Sea and Sea YS-03 Strobe (I used the diffuse white filter - is that smart???). I used "Cloudy" for my white balance because I thought the strobe might over expose. I also used a -2/3 for the light meter. I shot in both JPEG + RAW at the same time.

Problem: My camera got stolen in Mexico so I never got to see the results. My fault... I've never had an SD Card go bad... and was not expecting my camera to get stolen.. oh well you live and you learn. Through the small screen on the back... looked liked everything was in focus... there were bubbles in my pictures - not sure if that's from my breathing or bubbles that got inside of the fisheye lens (you have to attach it underwater).... but couldn't tell much from the small images.


Currently... my setup
Canon Powershot G7 + Fantasea Housing (has a bigger sensor than the Powershot G16 but a slower AF) - I JUST got this camera so I have not tinkered around with it. Plan on using the Fantasea Fish Eye + Sea and Sea YS-03 Strobe. I should mention... this is a BEGINNER'S setup... I think there's a thousand better strobes, cameras, cameras with interchangeable lenses etc etc. This is my starting point.

So I need some advice - What do you normally use for white balance? How about exposure balance? Other settings?

Any tips/tricks? Ex: Would you use the white diffuse filter, how close should I get to the subject, is it better to shoot upwards or downwards - any beginner advice is appreciated!


Finally sharks!! Never seen one - would LOVE to see one (though.. realistically speaking - not sure how I will really feel when I see one - any advice on this experience?). If I see one... heading towards me, on top of me, below me, on my sides... how should I react? Move away from it? If it's heading towards me oO? Also - how do they feel about being photographed? Are they bothered by the camera flash?

Thanks!!

 

[Cali_diver]

Hey,

So I need some advice - What do you normally use for white balance? How about exposure balance? Other settings?

I use cloudy most of the time but also shoot and edit in Raw so I can adjust white balance easily. Cloudy will give you a warmer picture usually.

Any tips/tricks? Ex: Would you use the white diffuse filter, how close should I get to the subject, is it better to shoot upwards or downwards - any beginner advice is appreciated!

The closer the better.... if you can shoot upwards it is better for most subjects, but some subjects are quite beautiful when shot from above.

Finally sharks!! Never seen one - would LOVE to see one (though.. realistically speaking - not sure how I will really feel when I see one - any advice on this experience?). If I see one... heading towards me, on top of me, below me, on my sides... how should I react? Move away from it? If it's heading towards me oO? Also - how do they feel about being photographed? Are they bothered by the camera flash?
Thanks!!

If you see one coming towards you take a picture and feel blessed that you were able to see one of the most amazing fish in the sea!!! Most sharks will keep their distance from you, especially when you breathe. Don't react just enjoy the experience. I have never had a shark react to strobes, I have seen a barracuda react to lights and strobes though. Just remember that unless you have big powerful strobes they have to be fairly close for the light to reach them. If they are off in the distance, shoot ambient light to avoid backscatter from strobes.
Jack has some great handbooks you could read at Underwater Photography Resource Center :: Handbooks for Better Underwater Photography

Best of luck and happy shooting... and I know you know now but always back-up your pictures

 

[snowdog61]

look for The Aquatic Eye on youTube - lots of tutorials there. WetPixel.com and uwphotographyguide.com are good places to look also. Shoot RAW in manual and fix everything in post - it's not that hard and unless you've really burned the image, most can be 'fixed' to get something acceptable. I'm still using a Canon S95 with 2 Inon S2000 strobes and post processing using the included canon digital photo professional software. Get your buoyancy spot on and be relaxed - it'll be easier to approach skittish fish. It's not the 'stuff' that gets the good shots.

 

[Bazal]

Hey,

So I started checking out the handbooks by Jack - Haven't had the chance to look at snowdog's recommendations because I have been SUPER busy lately. Panicking a little because I have a vacation soon. I've never really shot in Manuel.. Normally like I mentioned, Tv, Av or P mode - then I experiment with what ISO works - in daylight that's easy - 100... at night much higher - but the Canon 70D doesn't do too badly with a high ISO too.

That being said - I'm not super familiar with the Canon G7's capabilities - will have to run a few tests. But... underwater.... what kinda "F" value would you recommend? Because with the fish eye wide angel lens - the whole underwater correct factor - and the objects looking closer - well it goes over my mind what a camera sees - that's my concern with manual mode because I choose the aperture, shutter speed and the iso value - in the other modes, the "other value" is automatically corrected. Eitherway, any general ideas for starting points?

Thanks!

 

[Cali_diver]

I shoot with a DSLR so setting are different with compacts. Check out this and see if it helps:
Compact cameras