Underwater Photography

by Ginny Santora

At our November meeting Bill Cleary, owner since 1977 of the East Coast Diving Center in Marlboro, NJ, lectured on the topic of Underwater Photography. Bill has been diving since 1966 in such locales as coastal New Jersey, the Pacific, and the Caribbean. He has also photographed some exotic places, such as Rutan, which is off the coast of Honduras. He is a Master SCUBA Instructor and an instructor of handicapped SCUBA. He also provides Master SCUBA repair of equipment. Much thanks go to Bernie Sorkin for suggesting the topic of underwater photography and for his efforts in arranging for Bill to provide the lecture!

Underwater cameras have changed drastically over the years. At first, there was the Nikonos system. Now there are lots of others as well as point-and-shoot cameras, which are more economical and require a smaller housing. Bill brought samples of the cameras for everyone to see. He talked about the Canon Rebel contained in a housing and the MX-10. Video is also extremely popular now. Maximum well lit depth of field with an underwater camera is 3 to 4 feet, even with high powered strobes. Kodachrome 64 is Bill's film of choice. He uses 16mm or 24mm conversion lenses which can be removed underwater. Wide angle lens get you in closer and will give you a sharper picture.

Bill advises that you make sure bubbles from your breath do not collect on the lens. Underexposing by 1/2 stop makes for bluer water, but you, as the photographer, have to be pleased with the outcome. It is a good idea to bracket 1 stop either way from your preferred exposure. Of your pictures, 75% will probably be throwaways, so do not be afraid to shoot lots of film. Try not to disrupt the bottom as this will cause sand particles to get in the picture. Buoyancy and depth are concerns since you do not want to sink too fast.

Each fish has a different face. Make sure to get the eyes as sharp as possible. Shoot horizontally or at an upward angle. Upward angles provide silhouettes and unique effects. When shooting downward, the subject is lost against the background. The exception is when photographing anemones, which should be shot at a downward angle for the most interesting viewpoint. It is advisable to take both horizontal and vertical shots. Compose your image to keep partial fishes out of the picture. Getting in close and isolating your subject will help prevent this. Stone fish blend into the background and are hard to see. Be careful of putting your hands on them as they have spines on the top of their dorsal fin that can sting.

At night, if a modeling light is unavailable, you can take an underwater light and strap it to your strobe. Contrary to popular belief, eels do not attack, but they do have poor eyesight. If you decide to feed them, remember that they cannot tell where the food ends and your fingers begin. Some wrecks have been sunk to provide an artificial reef. Staircases, shot at different angles, can give you some good views. SCUBA divers have a motto, "Leave bubbles and bring back memories." It is important to leave the underwater environment unscathed by human hands. As well as providing perspective, putting other divers into your picture gives the image more life and interest. Be sure to illuminate the face with flash, but guard against reflections off the mask by placing your strobe at an angle. Be aware some people may be using prescription masks. Split masks are a better choice because they do not show in the photographs. You also may want to use two flashes to eliminate shadows. Keep in mind that small groups of two divers are easier to shoot than larger groups. Shooting divers on the surface also can be interesting. Remember to show the fins, and do not cut off the feet!

The price of camera systems may vary from $99 for a housing for a disposable camera to upwards of $800 for the Nikonos. A Reef Master camera, inside a housing with a close-up lens and strobe, can be purchased for $189. Most cameras have fixed aperture lenses, but the MX-10 which is more sophisticated, has variable apertures. We thank Bill for a great lecture on a very interesting topic. Bill also brought plenty of handouts and information for everyone. Who knows, we may just see some incredible underwater shots in our upcoming competitions!