Advanced underwater photography: techniques for digital photographers

129 Pages·2012·198.684 MB·English

by  Gates, Larry

T e c h n i q u e s f o r D i g iTa l P h oTo g r aPh e r s
advanced
Underwater
PhotograPhy
Larry Gates
Amherst Media®
publisher of photogrAphy books

dedication
This book is dedicated to Lucy
and in memory of Hans DeJager, June 9, 1949–June 22, 2010.
Copyright © 2012 by Larry Gates.
All photographs by the author unless otherwise noted.
All rights reserved.
Published by:
Amherst Media, Inc.
P.O. Box 586
Buffalo, N.Y. 14226
Fax: [phone]
www.AmherstMedia.com
Publisher: Craig Alesse
Senior Editor/Production Manager: Michelle Perkins
Assistant Editor: Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt
Editorial assistance provided by Sally Jarzab, John S. Loder, and Carey A. Miller.
Business Manager: Adam Richards
Marketing, Sales, and Promotions Manager: Kate Neaverth
Warehouse and Fulfillment Manager: Roger Singo
ISBN-13: 978-1-60895-253-3
Library of Congress Control Number: 2011924263
Printed in Korea.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, me-
chanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without prior written consent from the publisher.
Notice of Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the author’s experience and opinions. The
author and publisher will not be held liable for the use or misuse of the information in this book.
Check out Amherst Media’s blogs at: http://portrait-photographer.blogspot.com/
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contents
aboUt the aUthor.......................6 Cropped versus Full-Frame Sensors..........33
Thanks ................................6 Housings..............................33
siDebar: DePTh raTings.......................33
introdUction...........................7 siDebar: raW versus JPeg......................34
Defending the Title........................13 Lenses................................34
Equipment Note ..........................14 siDebar: be choosy..........................35
Focal Length and Angle of View:
1. a technically Perfect image ..........17 An Experiment .....................35
Focus .................................17 Focal Length Factors ....................36
The Focus Point ........................19 siDebar: lens-relaTeD Terms ...................36
Locking the Focus Point..................19 Lens Selection .........................37
Passive versus Active Auto Focus ............19 Diopters, Extension Tubes, and Teleconverters..39
Overcoming Focusing Problems ............20 siDebar: Prime versus zoom....................39
Focusing on Moving Subjects ..............22 Lens Ports.............................40
Manual Focus ..........................22
Exposure................................23
ISO Rating ............................23
Aperture ..............................23
Shutter Speed ..........................23
Artificial Light..........................23
Ambient Light..........................23
siDebar: Dynamic range anD exPosure ............23
The Case for Manual Exposure ...............24
The Sunny 16 Rule ......................24
Built-In or Handheld Meter?.................24
Just Go for It...........................24
siDebar: exPosure challenges ..................24
Adding Strobe Lighting.....................25
siDebar: iD shoTs ...........................26
Composition .............................26
Subject .................................28
2. eqUiPment and technology...........31
The Camera System........................31
siDebar: frienDly aDvice......................32
The dSLR .............................32
What to Buy? .........................32
Flat Ports............................41 Advances in Strobe Technology...............52
Dome Ports...........................41 Two Strobes .............................54
siDebar: abouT DioPTers ......................42 siDebar: a WorD of cauTion ...................56
Ring Gears...........................43 Camera and Strobe: Making the Connection .....56
View Ports.............................43 siDebar: a seconD sTrobe .....................57
siDebar: buyer beWare........................43 Sync Cords or Fiber-Optic Cables?...........57
Masks ................................44 Attaching the Strobe and Housing Accessories..57
3. lighting and strobes.................45 4. eqUiPment care, maintenance, and
Strobe Specifications and Features .............45 troUbleshooting ....................61
Balancing Strobe and Ambient Light . . . . . . . . . . .47 The Camera, Batteries, and Memory Cards ......61
Exposure Values ........................47 Keep It Dry............................61
Color Temperature and White Balance..........49 Dust and Sand..........................61
First-Curtain or Second-Curtain Sync?..........50 Pets .................................62
TTL Flash Compatibility ....................51 Keep It Clean ..........................62
Recycle Time.............................51 Extreme Heat ..........................62
Angle of Coverage.........................51 Computer Glitches ......................62
Diffusers ................................52 Batteries ..............................62
Memory Cards .........................62
Storage ...............................62
The Lens................................62
The Housing.............................63
The Strobe ..............................65
Fiber-Optic Cables and Sync Cords ............66
Other Camera System Components............66
Troubleshooting ..........................67
Floods................................67
Strobe Issues...........................67
Pack Your Bags ...........................68
5. the sUbjects .........................71
Silhouettes...............................72
Close Focus/Wide Angle Shots ...............75
Separation ...............................75
Over/Under Shots ........................78
“Reeflections”............................80
Abstract Images...........................80
Unusual Behaviors.........................83
A Different Approach ......................84
6. techniqUes from advanced Underwater
PhotograPhers ........................85
Practice Makes Perfect......................85
Brian Bolton .............................87
Photographing the Arrow Crab.............87
Jan McGarva.............................89
The Approach..........................89
Night Dives............................91
Capture Specifications ....................92
Etiquette..............................92
Meeting Challenges......................92
Rob Stein ...............................93
The Digital Advantage....................93
Conceptualizing the Shot .................93
Night Dives............................95
Mary Moyer .............................96
Lenses................................96
A Diversity of Subjects....................96
Meeting Challenges......................96
Connie Z Photography, LLC.................99
Pre-Planning...........................99
The Dive..............................99
John Yasaki .............................102
Manual or Auto Focus? ..................102
Boat or Shore Diving?...................102
Suiting Up............................103
Conceptualizing the Shot ................103
Challenges............................104
Common Mistakes......................104 Saving the Edited File..................115
Tips ................................104 Programs and Applications..............115
Alison (Ali) Gracey .......................105 siDebar: meTaDaTa.........................117
The Shooting Environment...............105 Editing or Manipulating?.................117
The Approach.........................105 Pricing Your Images ....................118
Steve Minor.............................107 siDebar: KeeP iT on The level ..................118
Pre-Planning..........................107
conclUsion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
7. after the dive ......................109 Moving Forward .........................119
Workflow...............................109 Looking Back .......................... 121
Download............................109
Review the Images......................110 aPPendix: camera service and rePair... 124
Image Editing and Retouching ............110 index ....................................126
Adjusting Exposure and Color Balance .....112
siDebar: a calibraTeD moniTor ................113
siDebar: color calibraTion anD color sPace ......114
Sharpening..........................114
Key-Wording ........................114
contents 5
aboUt the aUthor
thanKs
I’d like to acknowledge several people who helped make
this book possible.
I thank my publisher, Craig Alesse, for his faith and
confidence in me. Thank you, Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt,
my editor, for your tireless effort in assembling my man-
uscript into a readable book.
I thank Jennifer Maksymiak, Chris Edson, and Battle
Vaughn for their reviews, critiques, ideas, and sugges-
tions during my writing of this book.
I thank Mary Moyer, Connie Z, Ali Gracey, Jan
McGarva, Rob Stein, Steve Minor, Brian Bolton, and
John Yasaki, all of whom generously contributed their
images and technical and artistic insights for use in this
book. I also thank Steve Philbrook, Ryan Marchese, Jeff
Baerlocher, and Hans DeJager for contributing photo-
graphs used here.
My thanks also go out to the following dive charter
operators and their staff for their support: Ocean Divers,
Scuba-Do, and Pleasure Diver (all of Key Largo).
A big thank you also goes out to all of my students of
underwater photography, who have over the many years,
author larry gates. Photo courtesy of gene condon.
perhaps paradoxically, taught me something. Most of
Larry Gates began shooting underwater photography in what we discovered together is found in this book and its
1992, when he took his first photograph while scuba div- older sister, The Beginner’s Guide to Underwater Digital
ing in Lake Oahe near Pierre, South Dakota. Within a Photography, also from Amherst Media.
couple of years, he became a scuba instructor in Maui in
the Hawaiian Islands. In 1994, Larry moved from Maui
to Key Largo, Florida, where he teaches underwater
photography. He is a PADI Master Instructor with cre-
dentials in teaching underwater photography, and he has
done over 5000 dives and taught underwater photog-
raphy to hundreds of individuals. He has photographed
subjects in the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands,
the Cayman Islands, Cozumel, Bonaire, and Belize, and
he shares his experiences shooting in those locations with
his readers and students.
6 advanced Underwater PhotograPhy
introdUction
This book was written for underwater photographers who have learned
the basics of digital underwater photography. While this book’s title
includes the word “advanced,” it is not all-encompassing. Covering every
possible facet of underwater photography would require numerous volumes
written by several authors. Additionally, such a book would be outdated upon
its publication, given the rapid changes in the technology and equipment we
dive with and use in making digital images in the underwater environment.
This book will define what advanced underwater photography is and what
makes a photographer an advanced underwater photographer. I will outline
the equipment used in advanced underwater photography and will present
strategies for using that equipment, plus solid technique, to create advanced
underwater photographs. This book also provides various techniques used by
other advanced underwater photographers. All in all, the book is a little more
in-depth than its sister, A Beginner’s Guide to Digital Underwater Photogra-
phy. Think of it as your next fin-kick forward into the fun and challenge of
underwater photography!
As beginning underwater photographers, we learned about focus, expo-
left—sometimes it’s possible to use fish
behavior to your advantage when photo- sure, and composition. With time and experience, we made improved cap-
graphing. in this case, the fish’s curios- tures. This book will expand on these key topics to help you take a mission-
ity allowed for a great photo opportunity.
orientated approach to your underwater photography.
exposure: f/8, 1/125, and 200 iso. right—
large coral heads like this brain coral offer When one enters the advanced arena of underwater photography, the
the opportunity to create wonderful com- good ole point & shoot cameras are left at the gate. We use a full-featured
positional studies. shoot these from many
digital camera (one that offers full manual exposure control), and more likely
angles and vantage points to ensure the
the housed digital Single Lens Reflex (dSLR) cameras are employed. This
best-possible composition. exposure: f/8
1/100, and 100 iso. book provides information about the myriad equipment choices and the
8 advanced Underwater PhotograPhy
advantages the gear offers underwater photographers. While more elaborate,
robust, and typically higher-cost equipment is used, this equipment, in and
of itself, will not make you a more advanced shooter. It may make you more
capable, but a capable photographer can take an advanced underwater photo-
graph with virtually any type of camera. Good technique is critical.
Because even advanced underwater photographers have equipment-relat-
ed issues from time to time, this book also offers a troubleshooting section.
Underwater photography is enjoyable and fun to engage in, and it be-
comes even more rewarding as we advance our knowledge and skills. I’ve
made a conscious decision to make this book enjoyable to read; it is not void
of humor, but it does lack charts, graphs, equations, and diagrams, which can
be difficult to grasp. When technicalities are discussed, they are presented in
layman’s terms.
A goal of this book is to teach what is necessary, in terms of equipment
facing page—schoolmasters are school- and technique, to get a particular capture. This book will detail some of the
ing fish. They apparently find safety in
problems encountered in making a given capture and how those problems
numbers, which allows for a close ap-
proach. exposure: f/5.6, 1/125, and 200 iso. were addressed. In short, it will try to answer the question: “How can I take
left—seafans over the ridge. exposure: such a photograph?”
f/5.6, 1/80, and 100 iso. right—Deep wa- In these pages, you will find numerous photographs taken by myself and
ter reef scenic, shot with a wide angle lens.
other photographers, mostly my students of underwater photography. In
exposure: f/5.6, 1/125, and 100 is0. Photo
courtesy of mary moyer. some cases, they have provided a description of how a given capture was made.
introdUction 9