Diving At Night Without Being Able To Use Arms to Hold A Light

[c172jeff]

I use my hands to propel myself because I am a paraplegic.
I have my camera (Canon G1X & Sea and Sea YS-D1 flash) attached to my BCD via a D ring and cord.
I was intending to mount the video light to the camera tray and video with the light and camera pointing in the same direction.
I am intending to have a small light as backup in my pocket.
I am also intending to have a light mounted on my head to shine generally where I am looking. Three lights total (not including the strobe). I would switch the video light on when I start taking video.
I'm thinking that I can ingress into the water and swim to a general area and then take hold of the camera/light and take some video.
Since I never dove at night, the darkness/headlamp issue is the item for me to work through/test.


I also had heard about the helmet/bungee cord. I was just wondering what others might recommend and can advise me on what to expect when using a head mounted light.
Will it be falling off much or pointing in the wrong direction/interfere with the mask?

Thanks for all the replies. I realize that I will just have to try it and see what happens.

 

[JamesK]

Helmet use is not complicated. Some people jut make it complicated! Lol.

One thing you might want to consider is checking out Dive Gear Express and looking at their backup lights. They have a very small single AAA cell backup light. It attaches to a mask strap, or are very nice one a helmet for a low profile to help eliminate entanglement. They give adequate light for a night dive without scaring away creatures.

http://www.divegearexpress.com/lights/backuplt.shtml

Now that being said, twist on lights can at times be difficult to manipulate underwater with one hand. So you might want to consider something with a switch, or a nice rigid mounting of the light. You can mount lights using thin walled PVC secured to the helmet. Cut a portion of the PVC out to make it look like a C. Then heat the PVC until soft. Snap it around the light and hold in place until it cools. The light should snap in and out then. Placing a bolt snap on the back of the light with a small bungee loop screwed in to the back of the helmet gives you a way to secure the back of the light to the helmet if you do not want a permanent mounting of the light.

Put the helmet on first and aim the lights how you want them before you mount anything. You might wan someone to trace around the outside of the light on to the helmet to make it easier.

Good luck an if you have any more questions, ask away.

---------- Post added January 17th, 2013 at 08:34 AM ----------

And to add a little more. Shooting video from a helmet can be difficult. Yes, the set it and forget it nature of the helmet is great, however it is difficult to aim and frame the video. Plus you have to keep your head very still.

If you choose to do it you will want to shoot test footage before hand.

Shooting with video lights separate from you camera can be a good thing. It will help reduce back scatter. That being said, you have to be able to frame your video to see if the lights are giving you the coverage you need. You also have to be steady with your head an hands otherwise you have uneven lift coverage during your shot.

 

[hellhole]

one thing i would do if i were you is to find a few solution.. then try them out a pool at night..

so that you can get custom to it first... it will give you confidence and also less stress to what will be a great experience!

 

[John C. Ratliff]

...Shooting with video lights separate from you camera can be a good thing. It will help reduce back scatter. That being said, you have to be able to frame your video to see if the lights are giving you the coverage you need. You also have to be steady with your head an hands otherwise you have uneven lift coverage during your shot.

Most of what I was going to say has already been covered. But I can stress that you get into the pool several times to work out the wrinkles before going on your trip. That way you'll already know what works and what does not. Get a toy fish, weight it so it stays on the bottom, and work on framing it in diminished light, if possible.

You'll notice that I highlighted a couple of sentences from JamesK above. I've done my share of underwater photography, but not video. However, the approach is the same for both, as both are within the realm of underwater photography. You want your light separated by some distance from your camera lens, as this does reduce the "backscatter" off small detritus and plankton. Get a couple of books on underwater photography, and look at these principals. This is probably more important than ever with the new autofocus cameras, as it is possible that if the light is aligned close to the camera, the camera will autofocus on the backscatter and not your subject.

Also, think about is the type of videography you want to do:

--If you are in mid-water, without the bottom, you need to ensure that your scuba/weight/BC system is completely balanced so that you don't get out-of-balance when shooting. This can be complicated, especially if you are renting gear. Get your BC/weight system checked out for mid-water, then use only that system. Be sure to use the same type of tank, and make sure that you attach the BC in exactly the same manner when you are on your trip as what you checked the system out with in the pool. You'll probably have to rent AL80 tanks, which can be long and mess a bit with your orientation in the water. So be aware of that, and practice it in the pool.

--If you are going to go to the bottom, that provides a more stable platform for you to do the videography. You can get into a sand area next to coral, for instance, with subjects in the coral, and do you videography there. Weight yourself a bit heavy, and use your BC to be neutral in the water until you get to an area you want to film (I know, it's not film, but I couldn't figure out a better verb ). Once stabilized on the bottom, you can use your hands for the camera/strobe/lighting system.

--Consider using your buddy to "caddy" for you, bringing your camera/light system down and handing it to you when you are positioned for filming. Have the buddy act as your assistant for the dive, then reciprocate for the buddy next dive. Work out something so you have some assistance in getting the gear to where you want to do the filming.

I have included several photos I have made in the Clackamas River at High Rocks, near Portland, Oregon. Note that visibility is about 6 feet, and at 22 feet underwater the light levels are quite low; not quite like night diving, but low especially in the shadows. Note the shadows on the close-up photos of fish. This is because my strobe was at an angle of about 90 degrees to the camera lens, which minimized the backscatter. These are effects you can use to enhance your close-up photography of the corals and fish you experience at night in the tropics. I have also included two macro photos that I took at Edmonds Underwater Park, near Seattle, Washington. Again, the visibility was not like the tropics, but was about 20 feet. These macro photos (very close-up) allow positioning the light to maximize the light falling on the subject while minimizing any potential for backscatter. The tube feet of the starfish, for instance, is actually somewhat back lighted (strobe behind the subject) which kept any water particles from being picked up by the camera's lens.

Get some DVDs and watch the video that the pros have produced. I would recommend Planet Ocean, which is readily available and not too expensive. These DVDs show some great underwater footage for the tropics. Watch it first for the scenery, then for the techniques that the videographers use.

As others have said, please come back and describe your experiences, helping others with their dives in the process, AND share your videos. We would really like to see them.

SeaRat

 

[John C. Ratliff]

C172Jeff,

Here is some night underwater video, with a very heartwarming story too. There are two videos here, one from the news and one the orginal 8+ minute video. The longer video would help you out in seeing the types of video possible. You might also contact the videographer for technique help.

Amazing video: Dolphin in trouble asks divers for help - San Diego, California News Station - KFMB Channel 8 - cbs8.com

SeaRat