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Hints
for the innocent
by
Bob Halstead
Reproduced
from in focus 64 (February
1999)
It
is all very wonderful to see beautiful underwater photographs
published in Asian Diver, but it is about time someone confessed!
Sorne of the younger readers might not understand the suffering
and sacrifices necessary to get those images, and end up with
entirely the wrong idea. I've seen grown men cry. I've seen
others, in a frenzy of frustration and rage, smashing their
cameras and strobes on the rocks. It is not an uncommon occurrence
for me to offer comfort to some sad soul staring in total
shock at a dripping mess when, after spending hours cleaning
and greasing "0" rings and studying instructions,
the diver's camera filled with water on its first dive.
Once
I shot 6 rolls of film with a Nikonos 15 mm lens just back
from a $450 overhaul, these were some of my best shots of
swimming with Silvertip Sharks. As I lived on a boot
in Papua New Guinea, I sent my slides to Melbourne in Australia
for processing and was at sea continuously during this period.
It was two months later that I saw the results ... guess what
... all the pictures were out of focus. The lens had been
assembled incorrectly. So what did I do? ... I LAUGHED! Yes
the Gods of underwater photography got me again!
The
most important thing I con tell you about taking pictures
underwater is "IF YOU CAN'T TAKE A JOKE, DON'T TAKE UP
UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY".
If
you are really worried about your cameras and strobes filling
with sea water you should sell them as soon as possible because,
have no doubt about it, THEY WILL. It's very depressing for
everybody else on the dive trip having to listen to you moaning
about how much you paid for it all, and how few dives it has
done, and how careful you were, etc. SELL IT ALL NOW,
One
of the most important facts that most people do not realise
is that "IT DOES NOT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE HOW CAREFUL
YOU ARE". There are no gold stars awarded for cleaning
"0" rings after every dive, in fact the Gods just
love these conscientious types. You are setting yourself up
for the fall! Logic has nothing to do with underwater photography,
this is warfare, and if your strobe has its number up nothing
you can do will prevent it from filling with water. Just take
the view that it is a good thing that it is the strobe that
is full of water and not yourself.
Now
if you take the other extreme of not servicing your cameras
at all then, of course, that also is tempting fate ... although
it does have the advantage of not having wasted so much time!
If cleaning "0" rings is your thing then go for
it (personally I find it incredibly boring). Just as long
as you don't think you are scoring points and that it will
have any effect at all as to how long your camera will repel
the deep. What method do I use ... I believe that you should
"CLEAN 0 RINGS WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE IT".
As
a professional teacher for many years and a full time diving
instructor for many more years, I've ended up teaching just
about everything that I know, and a few things that I do not
know, at one time or other. I have resisted, however, teaching
courses in underwater photography. I'm quite happy to give
the odd tip and some friendly advice e.g. NEVER LEND YOUR
CAMERA GEAR TO ANYONE IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. (this is the Gods'
absolute favourite, the gear is certain to stuff up), but
have never taught a full course in underwater photography.
I have started a couple of courses, but no one could pass
the first lesson. To be able to take underwater photographs
YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO DIVE WITHOUT USING YOUR HANDS. So my
first lesson consisted of a dive where the diver's arms were
strapped to his/her sides with a spare weight belt. I was
quite happy to supervise but never had any takers.
Even
when your strobes are not full of water they have the habit
of firing perfectly on the surface but failing when under
water. I use a technique that I thought of after reading "Zen
And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance!'. It's got nothing
to do with the book but that is when I thought of it so I
call the technique "ZEN AND THE ART OF GETTING YOUR STROBE
TO FIRE". Basically the technique calls for intense concentration
and split second timing. As you are composing the picture
and all the elements of composition are combining to perfection,
you must totally focus the power of your mind on the strobe
so that at the instant the shutter is released you send a
massive pulse of energy to the strobe commanding it to FIRE!
I have found this to be very successful - although once I
must have overdone it as the whole strobe exploded!
Please
do not think that just because you have descended to the bottom
and fired off a couple of successful test shots that you can
look forward to a whole roll of gold medal-winning exposures.
I well remember a dive with master photographer Carl Roessler,
who had been having a few strobe problems on previous dives.
Meeting him on the bottom he gave me a confident OK sign and
pointed to his camera. About two minutes later a grey reef
shark, anxious for a change in diet, come up to him and bit
his strobe cord in half. THINGS ARE MOST LIKELY TO G0 WRONG
WHEN EVERYTHING IS WORKING PERFECTLY.
EXPERIENCE
DOES NOT HELP. On one cruise with ten members of an Underwater
Photographic Society (that had a total of 112 years of experience
taking underwater photographs) I witnessed the drowning of
five cameras and four strobes. I also saw 36 frames shot with
no film in the camera, a camera opened before rewinding the
film; a diver take a camera down with one shot left to shoot
fifty minutes of close shark action; a diver try to take photos
with no battery pack in his strobe; a whole roll shot at 1/2000th
of a second; a lost close-up lens; and a roll shot with the
strobe turned off. Someone also left their land camera on
the sun deck overnight ... yes, you're getting the idea, OF
COURSE it rained.
One
very bad mistake I made was letting my favourite model buy
an underwater camera. NEVER ALLOW YOUR MODEL TO TAKE UNDERWATER
PICTURES. Since then she refuses to model for me as she is
too busy taking her own pictures. This is how I got into fish
photography.
Since
fish come in all sorts of shapes and sizes the question arises
as to what lens should be on the camera for a particular dive.
I get asked this question a lot. I wish someone would give
me the answer. David Doubilet of National Geographic solves
the problem by taking down eleven cameras, each with a different
lens, on every dive. WHATEVER LENS YOU SELECT FOR A DIVE IT
WILL BE UNSUITABLE FOR THE SUBJECTS THAT ARE FOUND. Understanding
this will prevent a lot of disappointment and make those dives
where, by mistake, a creature passes by that can be photographed
with the lens that you have on, occasions of absolute joy.
When
asked by a fellow photographer as to what exposure I used
for a particular image, my response is usually "the right
one". Discussions as to f-stops and shutter speeds are
almost as boring as cleaning "0" rings. THE BEST
WAY TO GET THE CORRECT EXPOSURE IS TO GUESS. Being lucky is
a great help for a budding underwater photographer. If you
are not so sure of your luck and your uncle owns Fuji, you
could try another technique. I once overheard a diver ask
Australian Kevin Deacon what exposure he used to produce one
of his perfect prize-winning shots. "All of them!",
was the reply.I've been taking underwater pictures for nearly
30 years, and have had success using Nikonos model two. I
have eight of them, all but one bought second hand. This means
that I always have one or two in good working order while
the others are being repaired, I think this is the main reason
for my success. I've used al I sorts of strobes but my
favourite manufacturers are selected not because their product
works better but because they provide excellent repair service.
A good rule of thumb is that you should have ONE COMPLETE
SET OF CAMERA GEAR FOR EVERY THREE DAYS OF DIVING YOU INTEND
TO DO. This gives one day to get it working, one day to shoot
some pictures and one day for it to screw up.
Underwater
photography is a tough game to play, but if you are determined
then GOOD LUCK TO YOU. I have to admit that some of my most
exciting moments in the sea have been looking through the
viewfinder at the incredible images that are forming. Capturing
them on film is something else ... in fact sometimes you can
get so excited that it is impossible to control yourself and
the camera, and you miss the shot. This is why I advise budding
underwater photographers to PRACTISE BY TAKING EXCITING PHOTOS
ABOVE WATER. The more exciting the better. Pick subjects that
make you shake the same way you would if you turned round
to see a fifteen foot great hammerhead five foot away and
you know you have two seconds to get that perfect shot before
the beast either swims away or bites you. Personally I use
this argument to justify to my wife why it is necessary for
me to take photos of other beautiful women in skimpy bikinis.
Darling! ... please put that strobe down ... Ouch!
I
finally bought myself a very expensive professional land camera
with a cast aluminium housing. It is a beautiful machine but
I worry about it filling with water. Perhaps it is time to
take up golf.
This
article has been reproduced with the kind permission of Rob
Halstead. Bob is an accomplished writer and has been taking
underwater photographs since 1969. He lives in Cairns Australia,
where, he says, "he is trying to sort out all his slides".
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