Question on bouyancy

[jonix]

i'd suggest, as others have taught me here before, saving a custom setting with your camera so you'll just be left with doing white balance calibration....less task to think about. relax and go slow before every shot, in time you'll get all this sorted out. i also shoot without strobes.

as with parabolic, i dump all air as well, and also guilty on the breath holding thing

 

[victor]

But after getting my camera and diving with it I find I'm yoyoing around alot, at first I found myself holding my breathe during shots and tried to correct it but find I still do it. Granted I only have 6 dives actaully using my camera and this is bugging me alot. I haven't had a chance to get out and just do a couple dives to fool around abit and find out what I'm actually doing wrong and figured I might ask some of the more experienced photog's how they dive and shoot. I also found myself using my arms alot more while shooting also. :shakehead

Just been through the same thing. I did not seem to have as much of a problem shooting macro with the nikonos as I did with my digital.

To begin with I found myself taking a lungfull of air before each shot, yes it resulted in me floating up. It took a consious effort to just stop breathing, not breath in, before I took the shot.
Also the worry of the trying to keep up with the group while looking to frame and shoot was tough.

You need to dive solo or have a dedicated buddy to make this work, best if it is a local DM as they can spot for you and they know the divesites.

How the guys with 2 strobes to direct, on long arms, work out the right fstop and set up the power of the strobes while getting within 2 inches of the subject manage. Don't ask me how these guys do it, I am just amazed at how good they are.
:wave-smil

 

[rhyz]

Parabolic - I haven't tried to settle lightly on the bottom yet. Being a new diver and trying to be very concious of
my diving form and equitigue I dive by the book. I quess you could phrase it. This was during my first dives in the
warm caribbean waters and have always read not to touch anything. So I would desend in a horizontal position and gain
neutral bouyancy as I desended to my depth. Maybe as my experience grows and I learn more about the enviroment I'm
diving I might be able to spot good places to settle in without disturbing anything. But for now I dont as I'm to
scared of hurting/killing something. And yes I had the "wide eyed" look in my face I would imagine during my dives.

Another thing that made me wonder is "how do people get all those beautiful macro shots......and try and shot your
subject from below. All the reefs I dove so far didn't allow me to even get close to the bottom for fear of breaking
something. All huge forests they looked like.

Sylpha - In my phrase "to light" I was referring to ascending when holding a breath. I think my main problem is my
breathing. Learning to dive (yes I still able, but a pup) your always told long deep breaths. On my first 10-12 dives I
would draw a huge breath, hence I used ALOT of air. Still do today but I became more concious of my breathing and am
trying to breath more naturally U/W without that huge breath.

But when I take a shot, or trying to get into position for a shot I will hold my breath and start to desend, totally
ruining my bouyancy and the shot. More practice on my breathing I think will remedy that.

I can do my SS without any problems with my weight. Just a concern while shooting.

As for my arms, I always watch other divers in the water and look at their form while swimming. Then I try and
apply their techniques to mine. I've see alot of divers with both their arms folded around their chest as if their
hugging themselves. And from what I've read and been taught that is the proper form. But with my camera with me I
find my arms tend to always be out in front of me now waiting for a shot. Other than that I dont use my arms
for positioning, pulling myself along (haven't been in a bad current yet).

To begin with I found myself taking a lungfull of air before each shot, yes it resulted in me floating up. It took a consious effort to just stop breathing, not breath in, before I took the shot.
Also the worry of the trying to keep up with the group while looking to frame and shoot was tough.

You need to dive solo or have a dedicated buddy to make this work, best if it is a local DM as they can spot for you and they know the divesites.

How the guys with 2 strobes to direct, on long arms, work out the right fstop and set up the power of the strobes while getting within 2 inches of the subject manage. Don't ask me how these guys do it, I am just amazed at how good they are.
:wave-smil

Amazed by alot of people shots here too. And I quess custom setting are they way to go, but still amazes me how some can figure out the setting needed just by eye.

Yes I think I'm doing the same with the lungful of air and will have to become more concious of it. Hopefully I can
get some more dives in the quarry this weekend to just screw around at depth.

Thanks for all the replies and advise, this gives me a better insight and alot of things to consider and practice on
later!!

-rhyz

 

[Warren_L]

Buoyancy is the key to just about everything related to diving, and even moreso with photography. As you gain more experience with diving in general, you tend not to have to think about your buoyancy - it becomes second nature and you just end up doing it. And if you don't have to think about your buoyancy as much, this reduces your task loading and are more free to focus on shooting picutres.

And while some say that it is ok to kneel on the bottom, I'm of the opinion that this should be avoided as much as possible. While there may be times this may not be a problem, in general, this should be avoided altogether. Unless I'm in really rough conditions, I do not see any reason why I cannot hold position without being on the bottom. Around here, it is extremely difficult not to stir up a little silt if I settle down on a wreck or the bottom - and even if it is in a spot on the divesite that I am not photographing, someone else might be. As well, when I dive down south, I never really know what is underneath me in the sand, so I do not settle down in it.

I have done this on occasion when I first started diving, but I noticed that in rough waters it does not really help much, as if I am kneeling, I am vertical, and if the water pushes me around while my knees are stationary, this makes me unstable. I don't like that very much. Nowadays, it isn't even a consideration. I just don't do it.

As for holding your breath, this is a trickier one. I hold my breath while shooting pictures quite often, but only for short periods of time. For me, the primary reason is to help prevent movement and secondarily, the reduction in potential for bubbles interfering with the shot. You just have to remember that this is not a problem as long as you are not ascending - because we all know can happen if you're ascending while holding your breath. So you really need to be able to have good control of your buoyancy if you are going to do this. Remember, if you are neutral and holding your breath, your depth should not change. But again, your feel for buoyancy develops with more experience.

 

[parabolic]

rhyz
I should have mentioned that I learned to dive and take u/w pictures in California 30+ years ago, and have never stopped diving in California. With our surge it is simply impossible to steady yourself for a photo without being a little overweighted, kneeling and in most cases, grabbing onto something (hopefully inanimate) with your left hand. Most experienced CA divers/photographers learn to do this without creating too much havoc with the marine life

 

[FredT]

As for breath holding, treat it like a rifle shot. Full breath, exhale half or better, hold the half or less,inhale after the shot. Never stop breathing with full lungs. If necessary to stop breathing stop empty, or nearly so.

FT

 

[Darnold9999]

This may be semantics, but I don't hold my breath so much as stop breathing. Stop at the point where I am neutral - normally about half a breath - either in or out doesn't matter. Stablize, shoot, continue breathing.

 

[Uncle Pug]

To avoid the bottom try shooting your pictures while vertical head down.
If you don't want to flip all of your photos later then hold the camera upside down.

 

[parabolic]

To avoid the bottom try shooting your pictures while vertical head down.

I generally try to avoid that in my drysuit

 

[RonFrank]

I generally try to avoid that in my drysuit

Why? I practice it in a drysuit, not a problem.