Tips for Blackwater Photography

[js1221]

Going to dive Blue Heron Bridge toward the end of February and figured as long as I was in the area I'd try the Blackwater Dive that Pura Vida offers on Thursdays. This will be my first blackwater dive and I'd like to take my camera and try to get some pictures. I'm not sure though if I would be better off using video lights, strobes or a combination. Any tips would be appreciated.

 

[bvanant]

Which camera? Strobes for sure. Make sure you set up multiple focus points on the camera, you might be shooting transparent (mostly) things and getting some of it in focus is useful. Take a good hunting light (very tight beam) in your left hand, once you find a subject, then use your focus light on the housing. I use inward strobes (inward a bit) mostly.
Bill

 

[js1221]

Which camera? Strobes for sure. Make sure you set up multiple focus points on the camera, you might be shooting transparent (mostly) things and getting some of it in focus is useful. Take a good hunting light (very tight beam) in your left hand, once you find a subject, then use your focus light on the housing. I use inward strobes (inward a bit) mostly.
Bill

Bill,

I have an Olympus E-M10 Mark IV mirrorless, with Backscatter MW-4300 video lights and MF-2 strobes. I also can get two Inon S-220 strobes to use.

Do you leave you housing focus light on all the time to help search, or only when you are preparing to shoot?

 

[subtidal_K]

I've been on the blackwater dive in Kona which is offshore and a drift dive so I would leave at least a focus light the entire time as it can be a quick look, frame, shoot sort of situation vs having the luxury of ID'ing a subject, turning on the focus light, and composing a shot on a normal dive.

Good news is with blackwater, not a ton of composition in regard to foreground or background. Just get in frame and in focus (always super easy and never frustrating).

 

[bvanant]

On all the time, but with a separate (Orcatorch or similar) "hunting torch". For the EM10 I would have at least the medium size focus points.

From Bali

 

[Barmaglot]

You want to have a torch with as narrow a beam as possible for spotting critters. INON LED flashlight [LF650h-N] is ideal (I use the previous model, LF800-N). Put it on a lanyard and sweep the beam around you as you swim. The very narrow beam cuts through the water a fair distance without blinding you with backscatter, and when it hits something, you can immediately see it and home in. Once you're in shooting range, bring the camera up to illuminate the subject with your focus light and drop the torch to dangle on its lanyard while you're shooting.

 

[MaxBottomtime]