In the October post I discussed my first rule of underwater photography – maintain your o-rings. This month, I’ll delve into my second rule which merges nicely with good diving practices – swim slowly and use your buddy as a critter spotter.
Swimming slowly, painfully slow to the non-photographer, provides you an opportunity to discover the most elusive creatures on a reef. The key word in the sentence is “opportunity” since creeping along a dive site does not guarantee you’ll find any interesting marine life. The unique critters may simply not be in the immediate area or you may be plagued by the dreadful “camouflage cataracts.” Numerous friends can tell you how I regularly fail to see fish right in front of my face, throw my hands in the air and yell “where” through my regulator. A prescription mask is not the solution. In Fiji, my buddy and a dive guide had to practically put my finger on a ghost pipefish two feet away. I protested over the tiny size of the pipefish, but I didn’t have any excuse for almost bumping into a cantaloupe-sized frogfish in Sulawesi. The trick is to focus on finding shapes, mouths and eyes. Knowing the types of coral preferred by specific creatures can be found by perusing Paul Humann’s fish identification books.
Swimming at a deliberate pace not only assists you in finding nudibranchs and other wonderful creatures, but it conserves your air supply. The downside to swimming very slowly, though, is certain dive buddies may become inpatient. You can overcome a buddy’s frustration by sending them a little bit ahead in a scout role and announcing their discoveries to everyone back on the dive boat. Dive buddies can also fulfill the role of underwater “goon & light boom.” A strategically positioned partner can either keep less than courteous divers from wrecking your shot or illuminate an area from an interesting angle with an extra flashlight. I’ve found spending a few dollars to enlarge an image for a buddy after a trip is a great way to secure their help in the future.
The best scenario is to pair-up with another photographer, agree on rotating the first shot and allow your respective buddies to act as spotters. I swam with another photographer in Sulawesi while his wife and my three friends scoured the volcanic muck for marine life. The four pairs of eyes we had in front of us found a tremendous amount of weird creatures. At the end of the dives I was exhausted from racing between photo-opts.
Swimming slowly, painfully slow to the non-photographer, provides you an opportunity to discover the most elusive creatures on a reef. The key word in the sentence is “opportunity” since creeping along a dive site does not guarantee you’ll find any interesting marine life. The unique critters may simply not be in the immediate area or you may be plagued by the dreadful “camouflage cataracts.” Numerous friends can tell you how I regularly fail to see fish right in front of my face, throw my hands in the air and yell “where” through my regulator. A prescription mask is not the solution. In Fiji, my buddy and a dive guide had to practically put my finger on a ghost pipefish two feet away. I protested over the tiny size of the pipefish, but I didn’t have any excuse for almost bumping into a cantaloupe-sized frogfish in Sulawesi. The trick is to focus on finding shapes, mouths and eyes. Knowing the types of coral preferred by specific creatures can be found by perusing Paul Humann’s fish identification books.
Swimming at a deliberate pace not only assists you in finding nudibranchs and other wonderful creatures, but it conserves your air supply. The downside to swimming very slowly, though, is certain dive buddies may become inpatient. You can overcome a buddy’s frustration by sending them a little bit ahead in a scout role and announcing their discoveries to everyone back on the dive boat. Dive buddies can also fulfill the role of underwater “goon & light boom.” A strategically positioned partner can either keep less than courteous divers from wrecking your shot or illuminate an area from an interesting angle with an extra flashlight. I’ve found spending a few dollars to enlarge an image for a buddy after a trip is a great way to secure their help in the future.
The best scenario is to pair-up with another photographer, agree on rotating the first shot and allow your respective buddies to act as spotters. I swam with another photographer in Sulawesi while his wife and my three friends scoured the volcanic muck for marine life. The four pairs of eyes we had in front of us found a tremendous amount of weird creatures. At the end of the dives I was exhausted from racing between photo-opts.
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