Underwater Photography Main Page
The Following is a list of pages about Underwater Photography
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 Sea Turtle at 80ft on Eagle Ray Pass, North Wall, Grand Cayman, Nikonus IV with 15mm Lens at f-stop 5.6 and half power on SB102 strobe. Film Kodachrome ISO 64. (Photo Croped Smaller than Printed Version.)
CopyRight 1995, Printed in Houston Chornicle Saturday May 6th,1995. Article on Monte Lee Thornton Scuba Instructor, Photographer and tour guide to Cayman Belize and Gulf Oil Rigs.
Introduction to Underwater Photography.
Photography underwater is the best means of recording memories and showing others what the underwater environment is all about.
Properties of Water which effect Underwater Photography.
Parallaxing and refraction underwater is the biggest problem for photos with half a fish or a persons head missing off a photo. A diver sees one thing and the lens on the camera views it differently.
Procedures for Standard Underwater Photography.
Using standard lenses can result in quality photos if you know some basics for getting the most out of your enjoyment of the dive and simple procedures.
Bracketing for Underwater Photography.
Capturing a mood or expression of a fish or a diver ads to the story a picture will express.
Procedures for Macro Underwater Photography.
Matching the subject to the size of the film being exposed and creative lighting will create award winning images.
Procedures for Wide Angle Underwater Photography.
Wide angle shots create a dramatic effect of the surroundings which include subject matter, background, other actions and a contrast of color of water to the surface or sunlight.
Procedures for Lighting in Underwater Photography.
Effect of natural lighting and highlighting colors of subjects creates dramatic contrast in creative compositions.
Artistic Procedures in Underwater Photography.
Plains of lines, flow of a viewers eye, blending of contrast of light sets certain compositions of images into a special class of art form. Understanding the basics of Artistic composition from an
artist view point will help in learning how to create viewers attention.
Basics for Composition Underwater Photography.
Establishing a foreground, middle ground and background with the placement of the subject will take practice and skill development.
Equipment Selection for Underwater Photography.
Camera selection of a range finder camera or through the lens (SLR) and the configuration of the housing with the dedication of the diver to creating photo's or enjoying a given dive activity
will determine the type of system one might obtain. This can be a simple point/shoot, a housed (SLR), to a range finder camera designed specifically designed for underwater use.
Diving Procedures in Underwater Photography.
Most people who take photos will hold their breath when snapping the shutter. In Scuba diving, divers are taught never to hold their breath and buoyancy control through proper weighting
with equipment can prevent over exertion and avoiding damage to the delicate aquatic life underwater.
Problems with Travel and some precautions.
Transporting camera equipment to dive sites or aboard airplanes or international travel can damage or add to the expenses of safely the camera equipment use.
Presentations of Underwater Photography Slideshow.
Establishing a story line which will emphasis six key points of the subject matter displayed in the photo
series will create a memorable presentation of photos and message being communicated to viewers.
Choosing film and developing.
Determining the end use of the photos, the environment where photos will be taken, the type of natural lighting and subject being photographed will establish the type and speed of film desired for the best results.
Internet Presentations and Copyright Laws.
Underwater Photos are becoming high in use with web site development to convey imagery of information and enhancement of a page design. The misuse of photography can result in three times a $1500 US dollar judgement per
photograph and understanding the configuration of DPI size, the file type and watermarks are means for protecting the use of images on the internet.
Underwater Seminars and Photo courses.
There are many different courses and seminars which are offered by a variety of talent.
Attend as many as you can, each time you will pickup something new or get a new perspective form different speakers.
History of underwater Photography.
The development of recording images from underwater has a longer history than diving. Some which are simple wood or metal boxes with a cover over the glass opening, with just removing the cap for a time exposured picture.
Early issues of National Geographic has pictures recorded in this manner. Underwater Photography has paralleled that of adventure and exploration type photography to today's recording of scientific data, sporting events and has developed into a refined art form of recording images.
Maintenance of Equipment.
Use of any equipment in a wet or moist environment requires special attention to prevent major damage. Salt crystals, sand grit and even a hair can result in flooding of a system. Care in handling equipment is a must at all times. Shutters, electronics and other components can be
damaged easily with a simple jarring.
Storage of film and slides.
Transporting film, changing film and even the developed slides and negatives can be damaged by moisture and sunlight. Containers with sealed lids are best to lower potential damage by water. Always protect from heat and sunlight.
Enlargement of pictures.
The grain of the film will determine the sharpness of pictures in standard sizes and proper choice of ISO film will determine the quality of a 16 X 20 or even a 24 X 36 size print. Also where the print is developed also has a major impact on color correction for underwater images.
Basics of Photography.
Learning the basics of function of a camera box, range of light and depth of field for a given lens and the use of adjusting the settings of the ISO to push for more light or depth of field is a science for each type of camera and lens system. By studying the basics of the system, one can determine a test to use with their own camera system to establish a guide for producing quality and neat images.
Lens Basics of Photography.
Selecting different lens to create different effects can be rewarding, however the properties of lens and what is gained and lose needs to be understood.
Lighting Basics of Photography.
Strobes are used to restore, fill and contrast, the ambient lighting and bring out colors of pigment which is not normally seen unless a flashlight is used. Learning the balance of just enough strobe power is the hardest phase to acquire to prevent over exposure, a balance of the f-stop to achieve a blending of the ambient light and ISO settings.
Flooding your system and what to do.
The worst feeling for a diver is to have a great dive and shoot a series of fantastic images then get on the boat or back to the hotel and find your camera is full of water. Knowing that your next role which you expose could be ruined and being prepared for the event to save your camera system is planning for the worst.
Testing your system.
Learn to test Lighting, depth of field, composition and backgrounds to establish how your system will result in quality pictures in different types of enviroments from white sandy bottoms to the
walls with dark rocks.
Underwater Photography Judging Distance underwater.
Parallaxing and refraction underwater is the biggest problem is to determine an estimated distance to establish the setting on the lens where a subject matter will be a sharp and chirsp image. In establishing a composition structure of taking picture, most key subjects will be at 2.5 feet to 4 feet of seen distance from the camera. However the refraction will result in a measured distance of 25% greater than perceived. This means learning to judge distance is very important for the settings, not a measurement.
Underwater Photography Clubs and email List.
The underwater photo email list is where the community of manufactures, professionals and new underwater photographers meet in an open forum on the internet to help each other on a positive manner.
Photo Contest what they are and how are they judged.
What are photo contest about and what establishes the rules or opinions of judging photography.
Promotion and publications to make money.
What types of photos from underwater get printed in advertisements and in publications. What are the rules of film used and presentation. Where does one begin.
Monte Lee Thornton Texas Gulf Photo Gallery.
A great web page of photos taken in the Texas Gulf around rigs and shipwrecks.
Monte Lee Thornton Photo Gallery
Personnel web pages of photograph.
Underwater Photography Links Pages.
Long list of Internet web site with underwater photography.
Underwater Photography Glossary of Terms.
Underwater Photography Glossary of Terms.
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