Underwater Photography

[Reach]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Very cool. I'll look closer next time. How did you get in so close?

Thanks. I get as close as possible with the camera w/out touching anything. Sometimes use the optical zoom, sometimes crop the photo afterwards or both.

The previous two shrimp pics were cropped from these original photos, for example. Using spot focus keeps the subjects sharp when cropped.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Reach, I just love your close up shots. They reveal a whole new world that isn't seen in such detail with the naked eye.

SWL

[Ocean Girl]

Love the pics Reach! My favorite sea critters are the ones you can easily overlook :-) it's amazing how the closer you look at a spot in a reef, the more critters you see .

When I have better Internet I'd love to get more detail about settings on the olympus T G that was discussed earlier.

[Kenomac]

Noelex posted the Olympus underwater settings on one of the last two pages of the "photos of Anchors " thread. I switched to his settings, saved them on C1 and now the wide angle shots look great. The most significant changes are turning the auto flash off and adjusting exposure to -.3.

I use two Sealife Dragon lights instead to provide 4000 lumens.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

When I have better Internet I'd love to get more detail about settings on the olympus T G that was discussed earlier.

Photographing anchors, my settings are close to Noelex's, although I rarely use multiple shots, as the camera does not refocus between them.

These are the settings:
Flash: off
Timer: off
Exposure: -0.3
White balance: Underwater
ISO: Auto
Shutter button: Multiple shots
Quality: 12 Mb
Aspect: 4:3

- In weed or dark spots, the exposure needs to be shorter, sometimes substantially.
- If my subject is staying reasonably still, following Reach's suggestion I have been trying a spot focus.
- If the subject is close I use the LED Illuminator in dark spots. I find the general flash produces a result that is too uniform and I prefer not to use it.
- I have had little success using the macro mode, as the camera needs to be very close and this has limited the light dramatically. Exposure time is then too long and camera shake becomes an issue.

SWL

[Madehn]

wreck of big twin engine drug plane in the Bahamas

[Madehn]

some more from the Bahamas

[Ocean Girl]

Great wreck shots, where in the Bahamas (near what anchorage).
Thanks for the camera setting info, will try it out!
Thanks
E

[Reach]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

When I have better Internet I'd love to get more detail about settings on the olympus T G that was discussed earlier.

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Noelex posted the Olympus underwater settings on one of the last two pages of the "photos of Anchors " thread.

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Photographing anchors, my settings are close to Noelex's, .

These are the settings:
Flash: off
Timer: off
Exposure: -0.3
White balance: Underwater
ISO: Auto
Shutter button: Multiple shots
Quality: 12 Mb
Aspect: 4:3

SWL

I use a Panasonic Lumix TS5 so may not translate to Olympus, but will check out Nolex's thread to see examples of benefits.

[Seaworthy Lass]

I have been playing with an octopus again today .

This one may have been a little shy at first, but she proved to be an extrovert . It is such a awesome experience interacting with these wonderful creatures.

First dive down she was mostly hidden in a little burrow beneath a subsurface rock. She instantly retreated even further in a little flurry of sand particles:




Curiosity eventually got the better of her and she started to cautiously emerge:




Each time I dived down she would slide out further until she was well above the seabed:




Out almost fully. Is that a smile I detect?




We saw a Mediterranean Monk seal at sunset last night cavorting just a few boat lengths behind us. They are a critically endangered species with numbers perilously low now. It was too dark for photography, or I would have been overboard instantly with the camera . Good thing he didn't spot this octopus or I would not have had a playmate today.

SWL

[Reach]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

I have been playing with an octopus again today .

She is BEAUTiful! That last photo is very pleasing to the eye showing off her shapes and curves.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Reach

She is BEAUTiful! That last photo is very pleasing to the eye showing off her shapes and curves.

Definitely a female .

SWL

[Ocean Girl]

Fantastic pictures seaworthy lass :-)

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Madehn

wreck of big twin engine drug plane in the Bahamas

At Norman's Island?

[Seaworthy Lass]

First time I have spotted ragworms bearded fireworms (ID thanks to Reach).

Freshwater ones are used in northern Vietnam to make fried cakes with mandarin rind added to disguise their smell . Greeks don't seem to be the least bit tempted to try reproducing this dish (or to use them as bait), so these "centipede-like" creatures have one less predator to worry about here.

These two I spotted had very different coloured parapodia (at least I think what the little tufts are called) - coral pink on a luminescent grey body in the first case and the palest of green on creamy white in the second. Setae were pure white in both cases. Different age or gender or species? Anyone know anything about them? I can't find much info online.

Both these were about 10 cm (4") long.
I didn't know worms could be this beautiful:






SWL