First shot at UW photography this Sunday...

[beaner]

I'm waiting, with baited breath, for my brand new Nikon Coolpix L20 and Ikelite Housing # 6280.20 to arrive in the next few days so that I can take it out this Sunday.
I'm new to diving (less than 2 years; 50 dives) and slightly nervous and skeptical about my UW photography skills. I know that I won't end up being a highly-paid photographer (its just not my calling), I just want to be able to take some semi-good shots of the cool stuff that I see when I'm down there.
Advice for this newbe, with new setup particularly, is very welcome!
And if you're in Phuket this weekend and want to go for a dive on the reef at Kata Beach, let me know!
j

 

[xcelratr]

Stay safe. Don't let the additional variables of the camera and your desire to take pics distract you from air level, depth, bouyancy, buddy, equipment and general situational awareness.

Zoom with your fins, not your lens. Get close to the stuff you want to take pics of.

Try to get low and take pics from the side or below your subjects.

HAVE FUN! Don't let the picture-taking dominate your diving so much that you miss cool stuff or you don't take time to enjoy being underwater blowing bubbles.

 

[scuba e]

Ditto.
Remeber to really watch your air. My first few dives with a camera resulted in 1/2 hour dives. I really sucked the air down!
Also, dont try to cover alot of ground. Focus on a small area.
Have fun. Wish i could go.

 

[mjh]

Congrats on your camera, sure you will really enjoy it.

You have gotten some great advice and I know when I first started people here where really helpful so....

As xcelratr said, get close and shoot at eye level or better yet from bellow. Fill the frame with the subject.

Now my standard motherly rant: Take care of the reef! No picture you are taking is worth kicking, laying on or touching the reef we all love. No more than one finger on the reef, dead part. Part of the challenge of diving with a camera is getting shots while being reef friendly.

Somebody once said "shoot till your finger bleeds" with digital this is great advice.

Really use your camera in housing on dryland. Know all the buttons and how to change settings because things get strangely more complicated underwater.

As mentioned take your time and watch your air. I know I cover half the area that divers without cameras do on a typical dive.

Great photos typically show behavior. Again that often takes just sitting there waiting for some dumb fish to do something.

Other general but unwritten rules:
1. If the guide finds a creature or it is subject the guide tells you can be found at "X spot"; best to let non-photogs look at it first. Then take 2-3 photos, let other photogs have their shot, and go back if you want to try again.
2. If you find the subject it is all yours Nice to let non-photogs see it but feel free to take all the time and photos of it you want. Again great PR to point it out to others when you are done with the subject.
3. Typically no two photographers should be shooting the same subject at the same time.
4. If it is a subject you know other photogs are waiting to shoot be very careful how you enter and exit the scene. You don't want to disturb the subject or area around it. In general after shooting take a deep breath, go up in the water column a good 6ft then exit area.

Ok time to get off my soapbox....

 

[scottfiji]

The night diving at kata beach is pretty good - hopefully you'll see some ghost pipefish. Good luck!

Get real close to your subject, don't forget to turn on your flash and macro mode.

 

[beaner]

WOW! Thanks for the advice everyone.
Will definitely let you know how I do.
I just want to give a plug to the company that sold me the Ikelite...
I couldn't find anyone in Phuket who carries Ikelite (thought this really strange) so I ordered it through One Stop Dive Centre in Ao Nang (Krabi) - SCUBA diving equipment sales, servicing and repairs in Krabi, Thailand
Service was *fabulous*. Lee, the Sales Manager, responded to my web inquiry promptly and I had the housing in my hot little hands within 48 hours.
I also contacted a retailer in Bangkok and was pleased to learn (after I had already made the money transfer) that the housing was substantially less expensive through One Stop. As well, One Stop had the housing in stock whereas the company in BKK said they had to order from the US, which would have taken 7-10 days.
I'm so excited to try it and will let y'all know how it goes!
Jenni

 

[beaner]

Thanks SO MUCH for the advice everyone! Wow.
I just want to give a plug to the company that sold me the Ikelite...
I couldn't find anyone in Phuket who carries Ikelite (thought this really strange) so I ordered it through One Stop Dive Centre in Ao Nang (Krabi) - SCUBA diving equipment sales, servicing and repairs in Krabi, Thailand
Service was *fabulous*. Lee, the Sales Manager, responded to my web inquiry promptly and I had the housing in my hot little hands within 48 hours.
I also contacted a retailer in Bangkok and was pleased to learn (after I had already made the money transfer) that the housing was substantially less expensive through One Stop. As well, One Stop had the housing in stock whereas the company in BKK said they had to order from the US, which would have taken 7-10 days.
I'm so excited to try it and will let y'all know how it goes!
Jenni

 

[beaner]

Hi everyone! An update on my first sojourn with my new camera...
Right off the mark, I'm pretty pleased with the camera and housing but since I only had 15 hours (9 of which were sleep and the rest catching up with my friend who had just arrived and brought me the camera) before using it underwater, I didn't have time to figure out the settings and all. I definitely need to work on the White Balance. One thing I'm not crazy about is the orientation of the trigger on the housing - it's really awkward. Also not crazy about the use of disposable batteries... I really wish the camera was rechargeable. To mitigate I'm going to purchase rechargeable batteries as I can't find anywhere to dispose of batteries responsibly here in Phuket - back in Canada you can take them to Radio Shack or another electronics retailer and they'll take care of them for you.
All in all, I'm pleased with the camera and housing and think I made the right choice for my very first purchase. As I said before, I'm not sure that I'll invest much more into UW photography, but this is a great way to capture memories while underwater.
Unfortunately I can't figure out how to attach photos here (grr) so if you're really interested, PM me and I'll send some of the "better" ones along. ouf!