Maybe stick to cavern for the first bunch of dives with the camera. That's all I do.
I agree with Andrew, sometimes the real arty shots are often pretty close or within sight of OW. Like this one my buddy took of me:
That is beautiful. I've had some luck in the cavern zone, and just outside:
Just need lots more practice. I've been shooting on land for a long time, but UW is fairly recent comparitively.
Looks like you are off to a pretty good start. Just try a short distance in at first, then progressivly farther.Originally Posted by inkdiver
I sucked with the whole lighting thing (maybe my camera, flash, or myself aren't right), so I gave up and did video with a video reflector -- even I can't mess that up. I only have one still picture that ever got exposed worth a darn in a cave.
~Jeff
my two bits
my two bits... I am using a sony cybershot with the sony housing... nothing fancy, can't do big shots, but I put a video reflecter on my H10 light and it helps to illuminate pretty well... the standard reflector on my light causes there to be just a straight beam of light in the photos and they don't turn out well. I use the light to illuminate my diver and try to get shots where they have something behind them to catch the light and the flash (little flash from the camera). I have had best success getting shots like coming through the key hole at ginnie or similar.... anywhere you can get the diver surrounded by something the light can hit. If you are within 5-10 feet of the diver you may get some really good shots.
In mexico I did a great dive with my guide and on the way in we scouted out good "close quarters" spots to hit on the way out. Luckily we had a cenote to surface in and talk about it.. on the way back he ran the camera for me and I got to be the model... some great shots in tight stalagtite covered sidemount passages.... out of the 100 pictures I took on that trip I have about 5 that are awesome....
best tip... the more you shoot, the better chance you'll get a good one.... digital is the best because you have instant results.
enjoy!
I guess I'll add my two cents as well. I really enjoy UW photography too and have shot a lot of stills in various caves, but as others have said the task loading issue is very real. I've taken my camera and strobes with me on dives where I was at the very edge of my experience and comfort level and it just plain wore me out.
Having to constantly clip and unclip the camera, manipulate my lights, communicate with others on the team where to shine their lights, maintain buoyancy, manage stage bottles and hoses, and on and on and on, it just got to be overwhelming at times. The best advice I can offer, and I'm certainly no pro, is to avoid photography any time you are somewhere near the limits of your diving ability.
Sometimes just the fact you're carrying a camera, even if you don't try to use it, will wear you down due to the drag, and it can create entanglement hazzards and interfere with other far more important equipment such as stages and reels if you carry it in a poorly thought-out location. It's usually not too bad if you only carry a small "point and shoot" type camera just in case you come across something special, but when you start talking about a camera with strobes and extra lenses and all the other stuff you're in a whole different ballgame. I swear sometimes it's like having a live octopus on you for the whole dive. It definitely calls for some serious consideration.
"See! If GEICO had taken THAT approach instead of saying it's so easy a CAVEDIVER could do it, I wouldn't be having an existential MELTDOWN right now!"
Hey,
Well you could do a couple things, take someone's advice and just shoot in a cavern first to play with your settings and get some beautiful cavern shots. The way I work photography dives is pretty simple really. I'm on a photo dive, not a "real" dive. So If its a cave i'm familiar with I talk with my buddy about locations I want to shoot in. Get to those spots and shoot your photos. I wouldn't just take the camera on a dive where you have a mission to get to a certain room, that just never works unless you just want to shoot that room. So plan it to be a photo dive and just shoot in the first 400ft of the cave. Does that make sense?
You have a really nice camera set up, my question to you would be how comfortable with the camera are you? How long have you been using that rig? If its a few years and you can use it with your eyes closed (or in the dark) then go for it! It can be task loading if your not comfortable with the camera and you dont do it all the time, then just take it slow.
Be safe
Thanks again for all the suggestions, much appreciated.
I have a Nikonos 4 that I have used a good bit on recreation dives so I am comfortable carrying it. After completing intro, I took it into JB. I knew exactly what I wanted to do and had preset the f-stop, distance, and flash settings so I did not have to worry about changes in the cave. I used an extension tube to take pictures of fossilized sand dollars and sea urchins in the shaft. Taking the camera was a non-event.
After completing apprentice, I used a wide angle adapter to take some pictures of my two buddies on the way in and of the exit on the way out. As before, all setting were preset. After taking pictures of my buddies, I clipped the camera to the gold line for retreival and use on the exit. On the return, I clipped it to a shoulder D-ring. At some point in time, the camera lens must have scraped the wall in the chimney which allowed water into the camera body and ultimately the lens. I was comfortable with the camera but unfortuneately, I was not thinking of the environment and a protruding camera. The result was a flooded camera and a ruined lens. I have not taken it back since but when I do, I will think more about how it may affect the environment.
I would say taking a camera all relates to task loading. If you are comfortable with the camera and your buoyancy, you probably will not have any issues. Just watch the walls or floors
Safe diving,
Sandy Robinson
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