Underwater Photography
hobby or addiction?
"I
want to thank Dave Holladay, a dear friend and mentor of many years,
who taught me the basics of still photography; and who is responsible
for the thousands of dollars spent on what has now become an obsession."
Beverly Speed,
forever a student of photography
PHOTO WEEK 2005
Photo pros Jim Watt,
Murray Kaufman, and David Fleetham will be on hand June 15 - 26
to offer seminars and one-on-one instruction. Travel Masters is
providing FREE and unlimited Kodak 100 film. Free processing will
be provided for 35mm format, and editing equipment will be available
for digital and video. As if that weren't enough, there will be
prizes such as travel, camera gear, scuba gear and more.
Jim Watt
Murray
Kaufman 
David
Fleetham
Jim Watt resides
in Hawaii and has been diving worldwide for over 30 years. In 1982,
Jim started to photograph some of the marine life he was so familiar
with. He is considered one of the world's most successful marine/wildlife
photographers. Jim has been published in over 300 books and magazines
worldwide, and is dedicated to the celebration and preservation
of life on earth and within its many oceans.
Murray Kaufman,
an award-winning nature photographer, specializes in adventure travel,
rain forest, underwater, and indigenous people photography. His
formal education includes a B.S. in Biology, D.D.S., and M.D. degrees.
Between trips to exotic destinations, Murray maintains an active
surgery practice in Los Angeles, CA. Murray has been published in
many magazines and journals, including Skin Diver, Scuba Times,
Discover Diving, Sport Diver, Dive Travel, Ocean Realm, Islands,
Outside, and Nature's Best.
David Fleetham,
who resides in Hawaii, has been published in over 100 magazines
worldwide. National Geographic hired Mr. Fleetham to escort David
Doubilet while on assignment in Hawaii. David received an Honorary
Mention in the Professional Division of the United Nations Environment
Program 1994-1995 International Photographic Competition on the
Environment. He shoots primarly with 35mm Canon SLR cameras and
Ikelite and Aquatica housings. He also uses various twin Ikelite
strobe setups and Kodak VS and Fuji Velvia film.
You can click on
the links below to learn more about the pros and to see some of
their fabulous images.
IMPORTANT
INFORMATION: Sipadan Water Village
uses 220-240 volt current. In order to charge photo/video equipment,
you'll need to obtain a step-down converter which transforms their
220-240 volts to 110-120 volt. These devices are relatively inexpensive,
running around $15-20.
BY POPULAR REQUEST
A BIOGRAPHY OF DR.
BOB WHORTON
As seductive in
front of the camera as he is behind the camera
I've had several requests
to publish a bio of Dr. Bob Whorton, whose photography we've been
admiring for some time now. Many people have made glowing comments
about this gentleman's talents in photography. I, for one, have
been a fan of Dr. Bob's (as he's affectionately called) for quite
some time. So, I asked Bob if he would jot something down so that
we may get to know the man behind the camera(s) a little better.
In spite of his busy schedule, he has humbly presented us with a
glimpse into the life of "Bob the diver."
In his bio, which evokes a
wide range of emotions, you'll get a good sense of Bob's humor and
infectious passion for diving and the marine environment. In fact,
you just might get the urge to book a trip to some of the fabulous
places Bob has frequented. And now...
Bob the diver...
Bob was formerly
qualified as a research engineer in the electronics industry in
the UK and USA universities. He graduated with a PhD in 1980 and
remained as a researcher in sentient electronics until early 1983.
Bob began diving in April 1971
in the UK - "Cold and dim," he says; and that was just
his instructor. His first of 11,445 dives were not a great experience,
partly due to anxiety, conditions and poor quality equipment. Then
diving 'properly' in 1972 with a visit to the Red Sea's northern
extremities of Israel & Jordon, using the newest two-stage regulators
;o), put a whole new (dive) light on the sport!
While this was Bob's first visit to dive the Red Sea, his first
trip was actually back in 1959 on holiday with his Father, and the
first time he had the experience of eye contact with a small whaleshark
in just 5' of water, while cradling it in his arms.
His wanting to dive stems from
watching "Sea Hunt" on TV. Bob fulfilled a life-long ambition
by actually meeting his hero, Mr. Lloyd Bridges, in Florida.
After that, Bob made at least
three trips a year to the Red Sea for diving, and became part of
a real exploratory group of Israeli's, Italians and a German, going
deeper and deeper south around Sinai, into the gulf of Suez. The
following years he travelled down through mainland Egypt as far
as the Sudanese border, and by boat out to the offshore islands
for real virgin reef, breathtaking diving. Bob says, "Although
they won't remember me, I met Hans & Lotty Haas during this
period too."
During the early 80's, as an
Engineer for the PChem Industry, he was able to dive the length
of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Sudan. To
date he has done over 5,000 dives around the Red Sea, not a record
by any means, but certainly the most comprehensive of experience.
Bob's favourite dive spots are in Sudan - Sha'ab Rumi, Saudi - Farasan
Islands, Egypt - Rocky, Zabargad & Daedelus. His all-time world-favourites
are the Brothers & Elphinstone.
During the late 70's and early
80's, Bob travelled to newer locations in the warmer America's for
radically different diving opportunities including Baja, Galapagos
and Cocos Island. He became a PADI instructor in '82, striving to
MI with all the specialities.
Mid-late 80's was spent travelling
east to Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand and to the Indian Ocean
paradises of Seychelles, Mauritius, and (since 1972) frequent trips
to the Maldives. Bob's favourite 'big-rush' dive is Guraidhoo Channel,
Maldives in the eastern South Male Atoll.
In 1987, Bob returned to the
UK to support his ill Father, diving lessened, work increased. By
1993, he had decided on a new career as a photojournalist and completed
his BA in that profession. Bob ran the high school newspaper, and
regularly contributed photographs and pieces to newspapers and magazines,
especially regarding travel and wildlife.
The ten years subsequent to that
time, Bob was spending his life travelling the world, diving and
taking photographs, writing and illustrating several thousand articles
in magazines, books and for TV narration. Remarkably, Bob has never
been published in the USA.
Bob's most memorable experience
came in October 2000, when he, as part of a small group of three
divers in the Seychelles, became the first humans ever to witness
whalesharks mating. A chance encounter that was recorded in the
article "A Gathering of Giants", (which has been syndicated
by the BBC) remains the biggest selling single marine article and
has been translated into many languages.
He met his wife during the same
period in Seychelles and he has two children, Reef & Alexander.
Bob has homes on Mahe' and in the UK.
Bob regularly organizes and hosts
dive trips around the world, including his beloved Red Sea and frequent
trips to Lembeh to marvel at the world's most bizarre critters.
To quote Bob's philosophy of
diving and the marine environment: "SOPO - State of perpetual
orgasm... "
Bob's biggest regret - "Not
thanking his late Father anywhere near enough."
Bob's article
"A Gathering of Giants" can be
seen on the
website below.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/features/252feature1.shtml
FILM FORMAT
Over/Under Split
Diopter
By Stephen
Frink
Manufacturer - Subal
What It Does - The split diopter
is a useful tool for shooting over/unders, images that incorporate
both a topside and an underwater view on the same frame.
Why You Need It - The over/under shot is best done with a wide-angle
lens on a housed topside camera. The water interface is usually
in the middle of the frame, but the amount of light transmitted
and focus point is different for the above portion than for the
underwater portion. The split diopter corrects for this.
Usage Tips - Using a wide-angle
with a housing requires the use of a dome port to avoid vignetting
and optical aberrations at the edge of the frame. However,
·A
dome port introduces a virtual image. The virtual image typically
occurs at a distance twice the diameter of the dome, and if the
lens can't focus on the virtual image, it can't focus at all. For
example, if an 8-inch dome is used, the virtual image is about 16
inches away. The lens must focus to 16 inches to account for the
refractive index of water and the virtual image. This is usually
too close for the topside portion of the frame. Usually about a
+4 diopter close-up lens is utilized to enable the lens to focus
on the virtual image for the underwater scene and still hold the
distance setting required for topside.
The other half of the problem
is that light is absorbed when it passes through the water, so there
is more light topside than under water. The split diopter solves
this by mounting a neutral density filter (usually two stops) in
the top portion of the filter.
The Subal split diopter comes
in a 77mm filter size, but offers adapters for different size filters.
For More Information, see website
http://subal.com or call 800-480-8333.
The site is in German, but can be translated to English by clicking
on the English flag on the left side of the home page.
ONLINE UNDERWATER
PHOTO MAGAZINES
Underwater Photography
Magazine, based in the UK, is a FREE web-based dive magazine created
to be the top dive publication for presenting new talent & information
in underwater photography. There are dive travel articles, equipment
reviews, and tips on photograhy. Once again, you'll need Acrobat
Reader in order to view the magazines, but it's well worth the effort.
You can even download AR by clicking on the Adobe logo located on
UP Magazine's home page.
Issue #18 has a
four-page article on CoCo View beginning on page 22. Click below
to view this issue in its entirety.
Their web address
is www.uwpmag.co.uk . You can
either click on the email address or the PDF icon below to view
the magazine.
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
HOT OFF THE
PRESS!
News from Macworld.com
Nikon announced
on Thursday an addition to its line of professional SLR cameras,
the D2X, as well as three new Coolpix cameras: the 4800, 8400 and
8800 models. In addition, the company introduced a new lens, the
AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED super-telephoto, which is compatible
with all of its digital and film SLR cameras. Expected to ship in
January 2005, the new lens offers two vibration reduction modes,
a focus mode switch for choosing between manual-priority auto-focus
and manual focus, a silent wave motor and Extra-low Dispersion (ED)
glass. No pricing was announced.
The D2X is a 12.4MP SLR camera
that features the ability to shoot as many as five images per second
in full resolution, with the option to switch to a 6.8MP High Speed
Cropped Image mode that increases the rate to eight pictures per
second. The shutter lag time is 37 milliseconds. In addition, it
includes an 802.11b/g-compatible Wi-Fi transmitter that enables
use of a wireless remote control and file transfer over a wireless
network, support for the sYCC color profile found in many printers,
a new metering system called 3D-Color Matrix Metering that enhances
the exposure of shadow and highlight areas and 11 auto-focus sensors.
The D2X uses a USB 2.0 interface
for transferring images from a CompactFlash Type I or II or Microdrive
card. Its Multiple Exposure function turns up to 10 consecutive
pictures into one and its Image Overlay mode merges multiple RAW
files into one image file. It comes with PictureProject software
for organizing pictures and performing simple editing tasks on them
as well as a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery and a charger.
Nikon also noted that new CompactFlash
cards in development by Lexar will enable file encryption. The cards'
content will only be accessible by someone using the correct encryption
key or password on the specific camera that shot the pictures. Nikon
expects the cards to be available when the D2X ships in January
2005. No pricing was announced for the camera. PictureProject requires
Mac OS X v10.1.5, 64MB RAM (128MB when working with RAW images)
and 60MB of hard drive space.
The Coolpix 8400 and 8800 cameras
are 8MP prosumer models that offer a 24-85mm ultra-zoom lens in
the former and a 35-350mm zoom lens in the latter; both offer Extra-low
Dispersion (ED) glass and vibration reduction technology. Both cameras
also feature In-Camera Red-Eye Fix, which automatically detects
and corrects red eye, 15 scene modes and a "last five-shot
buffer" that enables holding the shutter release and letting
go when the moment is right.
The 8400 and 8800 also include
the ability to shoot video at different speeds and resolutions and
store their files on CompactFlash Type I or II or Microdrive cards.
Pricing will be US$899.95 for the 8400 when it ships later this
month and $999.95 for the 8800 when it becomes available in the
fall.
The Coolpix 4800 is a 4MP camera
that features 8.3x optical zoom, a macro mode for shooting subjects
less than half an inch away, a voice memo function for adding 20
seconds of sound to an image, the ability to shoot video at 15fps
and 15 scene modes. In addition, Best Shot Selector (BSS) and Auto-Exposure
BSS functions enable the taking of up to 10 or five pictures, respectively,
and letting the camera select one with the sharpest focus or best
relative exposure.
The 4800 comes with 13.5MB of
internal memory and uses SD memory cards. Pricing will be $399.95
when it ships this fall.
All of Nikon's Coolpix cameras
ship with PictureProject, ArcSoft's Panorama Maker for stitching
together multiple images into panoramic ones, a USB 2.0 cable, a
video cable, a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery, a charger and a
neck strap. Panorama Maker requires Mac OS X v10.2, 128MB RAM and
30MB of free hard drive space.
Nikon's
new 12.4 meg D2x
Click above
for specs and additional information from Nikonians.org
VIDEOGRAPHY
Shooting Underwater
Videos
Practical Tips
by John Fletcher of Blue Planet
The tips start while
you are still in your cabin. You've cooled the housing, inserted
the camera and closed the door. Now check all of the camera's functions!
It is very easy to undo the door and reset the auto/manual switch
while still in your cabin. It is impossible to do this under water.
Just before you leave your cabin, put lens covers on both the lens
and the viewing port. The lens is very easy to scratch and excess
sunlight, concentrated by the housing's optics, will burn out the
image display. Now enter the water, have your housing handed down
to you, secure your housing to your body with a rope, check the
housing for leaks, and start the descent. During the descent you
must clear all the bubbles from the housing lens, from both sides
of any external filter and from both sides of any supplementary
wet lens. At 9.5 metres, or at the depth you intend to dive if this
is shallower, adjust the white. Since all of these actions will
be done in mid water, total buoyancy control is required. Set the
camera to almost full wide angle and focus on an object about 2
metres away.
You are there, the
camera is switched on, the tape is running, and battery power is
being consumed. If you are new to U/W videography then while around
the reef you can keep videoing all the time - there is always lots
to see and extensive editing will produce an acceptable "My
underwater holiday" video. If, however, you are interested
in big pelagic fishes, then it is probable that for much of the
dive there will be nothing to video. What do you do with your camera?
Switch it to pause, turn it off, or leave it running? Your tape
will last for 1 hour, the same as the dive. How long will your battery
last? You would like to switch the camera off but it takes several
seconds to switch back on; and the best shots with big creatures
always seem to occur in the first 10 seconds of the encounter. If
your camera is switched off, you have lost the shot! The decision
is yours. Things to influence you are that zooming, focusing, steady
shot, and some housing's electronics eat battery power, the number
of tapes you have available, and that you should use a tape for
a maximum of only five times.
Assuming that you
will be using a non-linear, computer based, editing system, you
can build up a library of standard shots to be used somewhere in
your video or perhaps in a number of videos. Examples are: a diver
pointing, a diver holding an anchor line while doing a safety stop,
bubbles rising. Providing you have continuity regarding wet suit
colour, and to some extent, water colour, you can incorporate any
of these into a number of videos.
Similarly, some
coral or rock formations, especially archways and tunnels, will
appear to be particularly photogenic. If it looks good, then video
it and then do it again and again. The repetition is necessary because
a small, unnoticed fish will almost invariably swim into the shot
of what you were hoping to be clear, unobstructed water. This need
for repetition also applies to your shots of divers undertaking
specific actions.
The main tip is
however: wide angle, 12 metres, go diving, be there. But whatever
you shoot, never be tempted to show your footage to anyone, well
maybe your buddy, before you have edited it, and don't be too disappointed
if it isn't quite as good as Blue Planet.
Do checkout
some of the "Cool Links" at the bottom of the page.
Simply click on the address to navigate to the site of your choice.
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