Photographers as Buddies

[Pufferpunk]

Hi Guys,

My Nikonos V & 20mm lens flooded on my 1st dive of my trip to Belize last week. In all the excitement, I forgot to put in the user o-ring for my battery! I feel so awful about this STUPID mistake. I had just bought this lens brand-new from eBay. Well, the damages are: $190 for the lens & $350-405 for completely gutting the camera. It's at Southern Nikonos & I trust them. The camera will be equipped with all new parts, which would be better then buying a used one & cheaper than a new one. The optics coating on the lens has been damaged & will be spotted, but they say that it will not affect the photos.

My husband says this flooding is an omen. He says that if I can't maintain my equipment properly, what kind of diver am I. I do find myself going deeper than I planned or diving longer than I planned to get that extra perfect shot. I read in Jim Church's book that you can tell what kind of diver a person is by how their equipment is maintained.

My husband has constantly been complaining about what a bad dive buddy I am as a photographer. I agree. It is very hard to keep an eye on someone else, when you are busy spotting subjects, composing a photo & bracketing. He timed me several times, saying it would take me 5-7 minutes to glance up from what I was doing, to look for him. He has been in the chamber once already for having to rescue a buddy who's regulater failed at 100', so we are both aware that this could also happen to any one at any time. He doesn't want to pay all that money for repairs, so I can continue in this behaviour. He has just finished a book on solo diving, in where there are several photographers that admit what piss-poor buddies they are. He says I am dangerous to dive with. Any opinions?
;-0

 

[WreckWriter]

Sounds like he's a bit of a jerk. One mistake doesn't make you "unable to properly maintain your equipment".

Admittedly, many photographers are inattentive and not the best buddies. its not always true though. I did a couple dives recently with a photographer who was none of the above.

I bet your husband is one of those who swims full speed throughout the dive and sees nothing that's not at least 3 feet long.

Don't be so hard on yourself. Learn from your mistakes and strive to be a better buddy.

Tom

 

[boydski]

I bet you'll never forget that battery O-ring again!

While underwater photographers are not the best of buddies, your husband does need to lighten up. Ask him to find photo subjects for you ( you'll be watching him more often to see if he has found something interesting ). You might also make an effort to check on him more often. I always immediately check on my buddy ( my wife ) after every shot, and frequently between shots. She typically follows me, so it's easy to glance down between my legs to check on her. Frequent OK checks may help calm the situation down as well.

In cold water and at night, she also helps illuminate my photo subjects, which lets me know she is nearby, and OK, without my glancing up ( i.e. I see her light shinning on the subject ).

The few times I have heard any complaints, I handed the camera to my buddy and said, " here, you try". That also helped immensly, as she now saw that it isn't as easy as it looks.

Boydski

 

[Pufferpunk]

Wow, how did you know? He's always looking for that whale shark around the next corner!:shark:

 

[cyklon_300]

It's is more difficult to focus (pun) on locating subjects and composition and still keep a watchful eye on one's partner.

A photographer's partner is essentialy diving solo for some brief periods. Your partner should learn to deal with it. Try some compromises, your husband will need to be less dominant on some dives and basically agree to be your wingman while you shoot. You might offer to leave the camera onboard for some dives and allow him to lead the dive at his pace.

I know several experienced photographers and quite a few have experienced floods...it's just a part of the game. Allow yourself some time to adjust to the mental requirements and after some practice you'll be able to shoot and maintain awareness of your partner.

My buddy used to assume I was oblivious to her if I had the camera until I'd describe some detail of her dive that she was SURE I had missed. It also helps her attitude when I give her a nicely framed picture of some cool critter for her office.

(You know the old joke, 'what did you see on your vacation?...I don't know, I haven't got my film back yet.')

 

[Pufferpunk]

No I never make that kind of mistake twice. Like the 1st time I used the Nikonos V, I thought it loaded like a Sea & Sea. My film never advanced. I had a walking batfish & a squid w/it's tenticles up in my framer. Boo hoo!

 

[MadReefer]

If your husband is really worried about you not being there if he has a u/w emergency, he should have a Tank Banger or something of the like to get your attention before the 5 to 7 mins have elapsed (I can't hold my breath that long).
My wife complains that I am a poor buddy because I desend really quick and watch her and our daughter come down. She is a photographer as well. I will be interested to time how long her attention is taken by her subject. We wil be in PR for Christmas...diving Parguera Wall and the West coast(Rincon to Mayaguez and hopefully Mona/Deschecho)

Will post Pics and update all with the attention deficet for her buddies.

Mad:upset:

 

[SubMariner]

Basically, I agree with what has already been said: being a good dive buddy & a photog are NOT exclusive. But they do require the buddy team to communicate & decide what their goals will be BEFORE they hit the water.

Both Pearce & I are u/w photogs... Pearce doing the lion's share. When one of us not the photog, the other is a spotter. As with most buddy situations, we are always fairly close to each other.

Is one person "missing out"? Definitely not! If I am not photographing then I am having a good time looking at the reef (or whatever subject area we are diving).

People who get bored diving are not slowing down to enjoy the total dive experience. That means looking at EVERYTHING, not just the big stuff.

As someone has already pointed out, you are not down there to set an u/w swim record for who can go out and back the fastest. You are there to enjoy the wonder of a totally alien world populated by alien creatures... right on own planet!

Nuff said!

~SubMariner~