First ever underwater pics

[Dragonsrock]

Hi All,

These are my first ever under water pics and first with my new EPL1, I dont know how good or bad they are, would liek some feedback, but remember, I am very NEW at this, so be nice ))))

Sorry if the pics are too big, I have no idea, I am just impressed that I have gotten this far )))

 

[deeper thoughts]

very nice

 

[Ed Palma]

I just love that sea turtle!

 

[DennisW]

You have some nice pictures there. Thanks for sharing. The Lionfish is very good, the Green Moray is a bit out of focus, and the Turtle is a nice picture. Could use some cropping maybe. Don't stop taking pictures, these are good.

 

[DevonDiver]

They are very good for the first effort. You could touch them up very nicely on photoshop also. There are a few techniques on that application that really lend themselves to improving underwater pics.

 

[toastman]

Nice pics !

 

[mjh]

Nice first attempt. All I did on mine was flood my strobes. Great advice I got when I first started was:

1. Get close, get closer, get even closer!
2. Try to shoot "up" at your subject. (This requires excellent buoyancy and making sure you will not come in contact with the reef, corals or bottom.)
3. Shoot till your finger bleeds, lol.

I would ad:

4. As your skills improve try to capture behavior, that is what takes a good shot to great.
5. Just like in other venues try to visualize what it is you want to capture or portray before you take the shot.
6. Imitation is the best form of flattery! Look at a lot of dive photos, see what appeals to you and try to emulate it. Eventually look for ways to do something a little different to make it your own.
7. Lighting makes a huge difference. Ad a strobe when you can or think about adding a filter.
8. NEVER, EVER put the reef, corals, creatures at any form of risk to get your picture. No photo is worth damaging this incredible environment.

 

[scuba e]

Hello Dragonsrock, my name is Erik and I am an addict......
Welcome to the club, diving will bever be the same again.
I agree with mjh but i would put number 8 1st. You will notice the odd cold glance as you board boats with your cam. There are many, many divers that forget or ignore their skills when they pic up the camera. I do everything I can to not be "that guy". Stay off the reef and share the subjects. If a DM shows it I try to spend less time than the non photogs. It is fun to find your own stuff anyway.
The biggest difference I found was when I added strobes. The added light brings out more color and allows you to speed up the shutter. This will help lock in subjects in motion with out blur.
Looks like you are off to a great start. The composition if the lion is very good.

Have fun.

 

[Osric]

I think they look great! If that's what's coming straight out of your camera I'd save photoshop for the best of the best to remove backscatter or sharpen up the detail in your subject.

Osric

 

[DevonDiver]

Hi Dragonsrock...

I had some spare time on my hands, so I played with your pics on Photoshop. Best I could do in 5 mins with your low-res uploads. How do you like the results?

In terms of composition, the lionfish will always look spectacular when taken against a blue background. They always 'blend in' with the reef as a background. Try and get below it, be patient, and wait for it to rise above you. (You can see how effective a blue background is against the turtle).

With the moray... focus is the issue. Avoid using the zoom...get as close as you can. Keep the camera very steady. I can understand that you don't want to get your fingers to close to a Moray! Just take a whole bunch of shots and, with luck, you'll get a couple that are crisp.