Looking for a crash course (Sony RX100II with 2 YS-D1 strobes)

[Interceptor121]

Realistically you should focus on only one type of shot. So depending where you are choose the easiest option and try to get around that.

I am surprised how many people spend thousands without even testing the rig in a pool and then expect to have results?

 

[JDelage]

Are you familiar with the basics of exposure? Basically, to get a chance to take a pleasing picture, the first thing is to make sure that enough light hit the sensor. You can do it 3 ways, each have drawbacks:
- Increase exposure time (drawback: increases the risk of motion blur from your hands or your subject),
- Increase ISO (drawback: increases the "noise" in the picture),
- Increase the size of the aperture, that is, use smaller f numbers (drawback: the wider the aperture, the shallower the depth of field).

Most times, the problem is to get enough light onto the sensor (there are exceptions).

In the vast majority of cases, you can find several combinations of the above that will result in an adequately exposed picture. Then you need to optimize to make your picture more pleasing, which basically means choosing the tradeoffs / drawbacks you can live with.

The strobes give you more room to manoeuvre - they push out the limits of your system by adding more light - but they don't change the fact that a good picture starts with the right balance of tradeoffs.

Once you return from your trip, I recommend this book to get you up to speed on exposure:
Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera: Bryan Peterson: 0884798534707: Amazon.com: Books

 

[KeithG]

I appreciate the good pointers and excellent links. I should have spent more time learning before I came on holiday but ran out of time so all of these suggestions have been helpful. I had some fun experimenting with manual on today's dive and had better results and I also spent some time on land doing the same.

Why limit your learning time to your dives?

Grab your camera in your hotel room and start taking shots of your feet (they are generally easy to focus on and normally can be kept in the center of the frame with out too much effort. YMMV).

Now try the them in the bathroom (shiny floor - oops!). Then go out onto the balcony. Then a closet. Wait till dark, go outside. Wander around looking for different lighting conditions.

If you want to be able to get great shots, then your camera needs to become an extension your body.

Learn your camera above water. Practice it under.