DIVER SITY in Thailand with my S95

[Dunx]

Hello fellow divers, I wanted to share 2 things
1. a set of photos I took with my s95 in an Ike housing, ultralight arms, a YS-110a strobe and a w-20.
It was my first time using a strobe and although challenging at first to get the settings right, ultimately very very rewarding. Any feedback is appreciated. They're mostly thailand, both from ko lanta and ko tao, and some from Tofo, Mozambique (which I highly recommend as a dive destination!)
they're here

2. Also here's a video I shot on that trip (also with my s95). I wanted a setup that would allow both photo and video - hence the strobe AND Sola1200. Pretty happy with how it turned out, especially when I got the lighting just right, really makes the colors pop. Hope you enjoy!
[video=youtube;nJZZvK3Xbp0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJZZvK3Xbp0&feature=player_embedded[/video]

 

[Interceptor121]

Very good start Dunx the picture are crisp and the video very enjoyable

Few questions:
1. How were the shots taken? I see high shutter speed the motion is definitely frozen. Were you in Tv mode?
2. The video is nice but it is strange to see vibrant colour where the light reaches and greenish in the horizon, have you got an option for a filter in your wide angle lens?

Where did you go in Mozambique and was it difficult handling the equipment with the RIBs?

 

[Dunx]

Thanks for the feedback.
1. yes, i believe I shot in shutter-speed priority mode. Once the settings on the strobe were dialed in and everything was synced up, I found it useful and easy to just change my BG exposure with the shutter speed, and adjust foreground exp with the stobe power dial based on how far away i was from the subject. Took some getting used to - i'm a competent photographer on land and there was definitely a learning curve with underwater, even though i've been diving for over a decade and did a ton of research and reading about it. Very rewarding though, when you get it just right.

2. I agree - and video is extremely difficult. I've played with filters, but if you use a filter, then whatever light you're hitting your subject with is going to look very red and not balanced.
It seems like the options are: white balance at depth with a white card so everything including the BG is the right color temp (but then you can't use a light because they're almost always daylight balanced color temp)
use a filter - which essentially does the same as above
or use a light and light the foreground, giving you the look i got here. If there's enough natural light, on shallower dives say, then definitely the uniform color temp looks great, but at depth I think there's always a trade off.
Also, at depth, hitting a close subject with proper light is always going to look sharper and poppier than white-balanced with no light.

As for Mozambique, we were in Tofo. Saw some mantas, sharks, more giant honeycomb eels than you can count and a whaleshark. pretty good diving What do you mean by RIB's?

 

[ScubaSteve]

I for one thought it was VERY cool to see you approach a white looking object only to see it change to a rose colored object as you got closer....very cool.

 

[Dunx]

^Thanks Steve, yeah I was really happy with that effect

 

[Interceptor121]

Thanks for the feedback.
1. yes, i believe I shot in shutter-speed priority mode. Once the settings on the strobe were dialed in and everything was synced up, I found it useful and easy to just change my BG exposure with the shutter speed, and adjust foreground exp with the stobe power dial based on how far away i was from the subject. Took some getting used to - i'm a competent photographer on land and there was definitely a learning curve with underwater, even though i've been diving for over a decade and did a ton of research and reading about it. Very rewarding though, when you get it just right.

2. I agree - and video is extremely difficult. I've played with filters, but if you use a filter, then whatever light you're hitting your subject with is going to look very red and not balanced.
It seems like the options are: white balance at depth with a white card so everything including the BG is the right color temp (but then you can't use a light because they're almost always daylight balanced color temp)
use a filter - which essentially does the same as above
or use a light and light the foreground, giving you the look i got here. If there's enough natural light, on shallower dives say, then definitely the uniform color temp looks great, but at depth I think there's always a trade off.
Also, at depth, hitting a close subject with proper light is always going to look sharper and poppier than white-balanced with no light.

As for Mozambique, we were in Tofo. Saw some mantas, sharks, more giant honeycomb eels than you can count and a whaleshark. pretty good diving What do you mean by RIB's?

RIB= rubber inflatable boat I have had some hairy rides in South Africa and I know in Mozambique is similar

1. I believe the strobe you have works in DSTTL but it seems you were using it in manual. The Sea and Sea + Canon are usually good at DSTTL I think you can go for that and save yourself some hassle. The camera seems to choose very wide apertures. The motion is frozen but the depth of field is limited. Is the W-20 a wide angle lens or what?
2. I prefer filters and manual white balance. Lights are for me only good for macro unless you have at least two and better be good. I found a filter to be OK down to 25 meters or 75 feet in good viz. Below that I have never found anything very interesting to shoot other than sea horses but of course this may change. That Sola light seems powerful am sure for Macro must be a job

 

[Dunx]

RIB= rubber inflatable boat I have had some hairy rides in South Africa and I know in Mozambique is similar

1. I believe the strobe you have works in DSTTL but it seems you were using it in manual. The Sea and Sea + Canon are usually good at DSTTL I think you can go for that and save yourself some hassle. The camera seems to choose very wide apertures. The motion is frozen but the depth of field is limited. Is the W-20 a wide angle lens or what?
2. I prefer filters and manual white balance. Lights are for me only good for macro unless you have at least two and better be good. I found a filter to be OK down to 25 meters or 75 feet in good viz. Below that I have never found anything very interesting to shoot other than sea horses but of course this may change. That Sola light seems powerful am sure for Macro must be a job

RIBs...oh god. yeah, they were insane. I'd dove in South Africa before as well, so i knew the deal. They're definitely tiring to ride in, especially in choppy seas. Sometimes I felt like my energy was depleted by the time we got to the dive sites I did enjoy getting used to doing a negative entry though.

1. It does work in DSTTL, but honestly I found myself fiddling with it in that mode more than just going manual. After a few dives I got pretty good at dialing in the right power output of the strobe.
2. you might be right, but i just really wanted a light I still have more experimenting to do to get the right balance. One thing I'd like to try is actually putting a blue filter on my light to get it to pump out the right color temp for a white balanced camera....getting the best of both worlds. And it's true that it's hard to get full coverage with a wide angle, even with 2.

 

[Interceptor121]

Did you jump with your camera from the RIB right away?

 

[Dunx]

I did yeah, just folded the arms in and held it close to my body for the negative entry - I had a lanyard and carabiner system so as soon as I was under the surface I could drop it and equalize etc.

 

[bkopec]

Nice vid. Love the editing timed w/ the music. What software did you use to put that together?