build your own uw photo course

Here's one for you all...if you were just beginning in UW Photo, maybe had been doing it six months or less (I know everyone's six months is different ) - either with some OK results or not, and you wanted to take a course, what would you want covered?

assume the camera basics like maintenance, basic f stops, shutter speed, basic shooting angles are covered already.

Let's say a quick course...three days including two diving days - maybe say four or five dives with time to review. Not an indepth course to make you a professional, more like a "resort" course to immediately improve one's photos. If that makes sense?

If I were to take a class would also like to learn more about strobes, setting and angles.

If that is was what you're looking for....

The settings on the strobe - auto, full etc. I have bee working with auto mode the whole time.
Setting the strobe in the ideal angle...I am having trouble in dark places, like the inside of the wreck....sooooo much BS no matter which angle I choose

Yeah, I remember strobe placement and hope to get back into it tomorrow...yes, cross your fingers, folks, I might actually get to dive with my new strobe for the first time!

A good course with external strobes sure would be handy right now.

Keep those suggestions coming! BTW - so many reading this, everyone must have something they would put on their wish list for a starting out or quick fix course??

I think getting close is a good place to start for a quick course. I definatly do not consider myself an expert but my trick to underwater photography is getting close. I really don't bother shooting with my setup for any sort of distance.

Teaching how to pre-setup and visualise a shot is a good starting point. Then how to approach the subject carefully. Finally patience - most other people I have dived with that have little digicams are shooting like they are on holiday. Spend time with just a few subjects - don't try and take a shot of everything on a dive. If I get 5 photos from a dive I can go 'wow I took them', rather than 40 I think 'ohh they are ok' I am always much more satisfied. One thing I noticed is that as I have used the camera more I take far less shots overall but far more good ones.

I think demonstrating how to get in position for good shots is critical. Setting a task for the dive would be a good idea and then reviewing everyones photos and pointing out the problems is a way to learn. My mum doesn't dive but has a good eye (she loves art), if I impress her with a shot I know what to repeat, if not she points out why she doesn't like it.

There is always so much more to learn with photography and one thing I now do is try to replicate a shot I enjoyed. Once I get something that is similar I know what must be done to achieve a shot in that situation - how close, strobe placement, exposure, angle of view, etc. Then I can get creative and try adding something to make the image my own style.

I think a course for a person like me at six months (which wasn't that long ago ) would be a few tips on how to shoot better wide angle, how to shoot better macro and then out taking images together of similar subjects comparing and learning from example.

Hope some of this waffle helps :06:

Hi Alcina
I have only been under the water about 5 times with a camera but in the weather we have got here at this time that is about 3 months worth! The strobe has not arrived yet but I am sure assistance with getting the most out of that would be hugely valuable.

What I would most appreciate is critical review of shots with time to go down again and try again. Maybe an outline of how to get the best out of things like macro and wide angle and strobe but also an invitation to people on the course to bring along shots that they are fond of but which have faults with the objective of working to overcome them.

I know that makes it hard to plan a course outline and would restrict the numbers you could work with but it would be what I would pay for.

Alison

I enjoy classes that focus on one thing. For instance, manual white balance. We discussed what it was, how it worked, how to set up the camera then did several dives using it. After each dive, my photos were critiqued and I corrected things on the next dive.

This same format could work for just about anything with the format you laid out.

This is great stuff - keep it coming!

alcina:

This is great stuff - keep it coming!

Click to expand...

Firstly it is all about exposure to start with. And it doesn't have to be underwater either.

The most effective photography class I ever had never even involved the water and concentrated almost exclusively on exposure.

I am still amazed that people who struggle to take average images of the family pet or decent beach scene believe that they are going to take masterpieces underwater where taking photos is infinitely more difficult.

After this, THEN it is lighting. You want to get to the level where you feel like you are placing your strobes/flashes to 'paint' the scene - rather than just simply 'lighting' the scene.

When you truly start to understand exposure and then lighting you start reducing the amount of luck you need to take a shot.

If you still have time then move onto compusure. There are some reasonable guidelines for taking good images (such as 'rule of thirds', 'center of attention', 'leading lines', etc, etc), but it is even more fun to break the rules to create your images. Achieveing an 'effect' you were intentionally looking for is extremely satisfying.

M