Underwater Photography Sept/Oct 2011 Issue 62 Striving to improve the experience of amateur and professional underwater photographers through our tireless pursuit of the most thoughtfully innovative of ergonomic solutions.
“...designed to make underwater photography
easier and more enjoyable for the user.” nauticam.smugmug.com Dr Alex Mustard
thought at your ngertips www.nauticam.com
Issue 62/2 www.uwpmag.com 32 Sola 4000 Contents by Peter Rowlands Underwater Photography 4 Editorial A web magazine UwP62 Sept/Oct 2011 5 Readers Lives 8 News, Travel & Events 43 Things that glow 56 Stormclouds over Eden by Alex Tyrrell by Wade and Robyn Hughes
35 Nauticam GH2 housing 19 New Products by Peter Rowlands
50 Snails and slugs 61 Back to the future by Mark Webster by Mark Webster
39 A6M Zero by Chris Hamilton
76 Parting Shot by Kristian Taylor
Underwater Photography 2001 - 2011 © PR Productions Cover shot by Publisher/Editor Peter Rowlands Chris Hamilton www.pr-productions.co.uk [email protected] www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/3 Editorial
Solo diving Pigmy seahorses
For some reason we don’t get The guidelines for pigmy many readers letters here at UwP HQ seahorse photography produced by Dr but it’s always nice when we do as Richard Smith and included on page it confirms that someone is still out 7 of this issue are a timely reminder there. of how delicate marine life can be and Wade Hughes’ response to Alex how clumsy and inconsiderate we can Tattersall’s article on the Solo Diving be at times. SDI course was refreshing in that From very early on in my there are still people out there that can UwP career I took a dislike to the make their own mind up and prefer widespread fascination for these timy to live by their most reasoned and creatures and took a deliberate stance reasonable rules. not to include pictures of them. Don’t Wade’s letter was a great excuse ask me why because I don’t know. I for me to contact Bob Halstead for just did. And don’t ask me to change his opinion. I met Bob on MV Golden my mind because I won’t. That way, Dawn for the first time a few years as hindsight would have it, I’ve been back and it was so refreshing to hear doing my little bit for these cute his views based of decades in the creatures for quite a while. diving industry. As an ex-teacher And if I suddenly take a dislike he has an analytical mind that is to pictures of any other particular not afraid to approach decisions marine creature I will let you know differently and, more importantly, to so that, if you are submitting an stand up and be counted. illustrated article, you know not to Unfortunately it seems the include pictures of them. insurance companies are jumping on the bandwagon rubbing their hands Peter Rowlands in glee that they’ve found another get [email protected] out clause.
Issue 62/4 www.uwpmag.com Readers Lives Attention advertisers More enough We offer rates no print magazine can I really got a kick out of the editorial/ come close to article enough is enough in issue 61. I am also a Olympus e-pl1 owner. I You can rent all of this greyed out agree with your friend. I space for just £100 or less to promote am not looking to upgrade because it does everything your company or products to thousands I have wanted it to do and of underwater photographers its compact. For most of us who do not make a worldwide. living with our camera’s it needs to be about the dive and the ability to record Perfect marketing and share with friends. It is about the memories. Here are two really good UwP is the only magazine in the examples of fun with world that can guarantee you that cameras. The first one Cleaning 100% of its readers are underwater Station was done with photographers. my Canon A95 point and shoot (no strobe just on board flash). The second www.uwpmag.com/?p=advertise was with my pen a ys-01 Although I should point out that strobe and an old sea life 960 (first I don’t think I will go past the PEN.... generation). Both make me happy and like your friend it does what I want or speak to Peter Rowlands my friends think they are cool. Point for the price I like. direct on is it should never be about buying the next cool gadget. It should be about 00 44 (0)1752 863700 enjoying the one you have. When it AJ Genova breaks upgrade! www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/5 Solo thoughts on that point, why this obsession Bob Halstead’s dependant on a buddy even if they with preventing solo diving which, thoughts choose to share a dive with one. Thought the latest edition of in the statistically unlikely event My current thinking goes along the mag was terrific. The SDI (Solo of catastrophe will result in loss of the lines that in my life I am sick and Authorities just love divers to Diving) piece (although padded with single soul, when every day and tired of people in authority telling me too much personal waffle for my own night, solo drivers of all ages and make “risk assessments” before any what to do with my life (The Nanny taste), was a brilliant expose. experience levels driving vehicles dive. I suggest that the “Dive Buddy” State). I like being alone underwater Along with your own editorial from motorcycles to juggernauts roam should be a part of that assessment. A and “One with Nature”. I wear a regarding the puppet tv presenters, our streets, and solo pilots fly over survey I did years ago that revealed completely redundant pony bottle the SDI piece reflects, unfortunately, densely populated cities and suburban that more advanced (my definition = system, have never had a diving the way of the world. There’s a areas? Rockclimbers happily solo, 100 dives +) divers were getting into emergency except when I ran out of cause here that UWP and thinking surfers happily solo, skiers happily trouble BECAUSE of their buddies, film with my old camera (I too now subscribers might want to take up: an solo. Why not divers??? Definitely than were rescued by them. In other have a digital camera about to get wet inventory of personal diving incidents food for thought. words the Buddy had INCREASED for the first time) and I don’t tell other to put diving safety in perspective and Anyway, enough rant. the risk of the dive for the experienced people how they should dive. to challenge some of the group think divers. I still LOVE Diving. Just had a that you refer to in your editorial. Wade Hughes FRGS Any thinking person will realise wonderful 4 week cruise with Captain For example; Since my first that the really important Buddy is the Craig de Wit on MV Golden Dawn scuba dive dive in 1962, I have had Having received the above letter, one in the Dive tender on the surface which included a dive on a Bristol two equipment failures, neither of UwP contacted Bob Halstead for his looking out and able to rescue you if Beaufighter wreck at 62m, a drift them while using scuba, both while comments. Whether he likes it or not, you surface away from the boat. dive at 4 knots, a solo drop off in using hookah, and both while in the Bob qualifies for ‘legend’ status. Unfortunately certifying agencies the Coral Sea well away from other water with another diver, who was In the early 1980’s he built a 20 metre have been stuck with the Buddy divers followed by a swim through a unable to come to assist, and had no live-aboard dive boat, the Telita, to System - and “no-decompression pass in the reef, exploring new dive need to anyway. enable diving adventurers from around diving” (A really stupid concept for sites and, inadvertently, a swim with Of all the divers I have known in the world to join him in PNG. They sport divers who should treat every a large crocodile that nearly bumped that same period, none of them have were able to cruise to the most remote dive as a decompression dive) that into Julian Cohen (who was diving had any scuba equipment failures. of Papua New Guinea’s islands and they inherited from Navy diving by himself). If I had to give it all up Three are dead from diving related reefs. manuals. Now they are reluctant I’m sure I would become a menace misadventure (one shark attack while In 1996 he sold the company, including to change “established practice”. to society, which is food for thought spearfishing, one shallow water MV Telita, and now, from his base in However in the wilds of PNG I can after the British riots. blackout while spearfishing in deep Cairns, he leads adventure dive tours to tell you that solo diving for anyone water-both had partners with them; PNG and the Coral Sea in association who is self-sufficient and wants one drowned in a cave after going in with friends Craig de Wit on board to - photographer or not - is alive Bob Halstead without a line - but with four buddies, MV Golden Dawn, and Alan Raabe and well. We do allow buddy diving www.halsteaddiving.com three of which drowned with him). on FeBrina. He also offers guiding but prefer ALL our divers to be More of my friends are dead services to private Super Yachts. self-sufficient, and absolutely not from motor vehicle accidents. And Issue 62/6 www.uwpmag.com Diving with Gorgonian seafans Threats • Bargibant’s and Denise’s • Pygmy seahorses have the pygmy seahorses spend smallest populations of any Pygmy Seahorses their entire adult life on a known seahorse. single gorgonian seafan, • Their biggest threats are Bargibant’s pygmy seahorse Denise’s pygmy seahorse often inhabiting an area the habitat destruction and Pygmy seahorses are a group of very small (Hippocampus bargibanti) (Hippocampus denise) size of a dinner plate, so impacts from divers. fish, between 1.4 and 2.7 cm in length. Two the survival of their seafan Host Hosts of these, Bargibant’s and Denise’s pygmy home is vital for Code of Conduct Gorgonian seafans of the genus Seven gorgonian and a whip the seahorse. This code of conduct was seahorses, live exclusively on the surface of Muricella coral species are known hosts • Seafans grow very slowly, created from hundreds of gorgonian seafans. The seahorse’s very small Identification Identification reaching 100 years of age hours of behavioural scientific size, fragility and the delicate nature of their • Maximum length 2.7 cm • Maximum length 2.4 cm and several metres wide. research, observing the gorgonian home puts them and their seafans at • Short pug-like snout • Longer, slender snout • Seafans are extremely impacts of diver interactions on pygmy seahorses. risk from damage caused by divers. The Code • Pronounced bumps over body • Body can be smooth or bumpy delicate and easily damaged if touched. of Conduct presented here aim to reduce the • Colours include pink, red and • Colour very variable, including negative impact that divers have on these rare yellow with darker bumps pink, red, white and yellow animals.
CODE OF CONDUCT GUIDELINES Use white balanced natural light Do not touch or manipulate pygmy rather than artificial light for video seahorses in any way, as this can capture to reduce disturbance from easily damage or even kill them bright lights
No night diving with pygmy Do not touch the gorgonian home seahorses - they sleep at night of the seahorse (they are extremely and lights disturb them slow growing and delicate), take particular care of camera position and exhalent bubbles Be aware of the surrounding Do not use a torch/flashlight environment, pay close attention to or camera focus light to fin positioning, so not to damage highlight a pygmy seahorse, this other corals disorientates and stresses them Created with generous support from Wakatobi Dive Resort, Five photo limit per diver using Walea Dive Resort and Murex Dive flash photography, as more can Drawings by Mean Mora-mmoraa.com, Design by VisarkStudio.com stress the animal For more more information go to - OceanRealmImages.com Imageswww.uwpmag.com © Richard Smith or contact Dr Richard Smith - [email protected] 62/7 News, Travel & Events
SY Oriental Siren Workshop with Don Silcock 23rd Aug to 2nd Sept 2012
Don Silcock, renowned underwater photographer and diving journalist, will be joining SY Oriental Siren for her third trip Oceanz Dive Conference & Exhibition 2011 in Timor-Leste in 2012 12/13th November to host a photography Tauranga, New Zealand workshop. Don will be onboard to assist divers New Zealand’s biggest dive to what the police dive unit do for with camera set up, show & photo competition is coming day job.The highlight will be the composition, lighting to Tauranga. Resurrected from the national underwater photography and photo editing. highly popular events of old, the competiton covering a variety of made with all the luxury facilities for As well as giving presentations on event, sponsored by TDI/SDI and catagories and the selected top images the modern diver. For our 10 night underwater photography, Don will New Zealand Underwater Association, will be displayed at the entrance to trip to East Timor we welcome 14 give one-to-one tuition both on the will celebrate the New Zealand the event centre. The current prize guests aboard the Oriental Siren- this boat and underwater, working to diving industry and unique marine pool is worth over $11,000 and with ensures abundant space for all. This individual needs so that you get the environment. The event will comprise images restricted to being taken in NZ trip will be a true dive adventure best results from your camera. of a large exhibition featuring terriority (not just to NZ residents), a led by Don Silcock and will include The 34 metre SY Oriental Siren equipment manufacturers, government great outcome will be the promotion complimentary photo workshops. is built from the finest Asian teak and bodies, underwater photography, of NZ’s marine environment to the Trip runs from 23rd August to ironwood. She is a traditional twin personalities, education, travel and general public. The winners will be 2nd September 2012, priced at 2600 mast junk, rigged with traditional training agencies. There will be larger annoucned at the Gala Dinner, where Euro per person. style sails that are both functional and outdoor displays with a working there will be further presentations and beautiful. Thus she has been custom- recompression chamber on site and entertainment. an area for wet demonstrations. Guest speakers will give presentations www.oceanzdiveconference.com www.worldwidediveandsail.com/liveaboard-diving/timor-leste.html on a variety of topics from marine www.equatordiving.com/east_timor_trip.html reserves to cave diving, wreck surveys Issue 62/8 www.uwpmag.com This is a very special trip we and mentor of new photographers and organized with our friends on the technical divers. Odyssey liveaboard and at Blue We will arrive at Blue Lagoon Lagoon Dive resort. If you have been Dive resort on April 12th and will longing to dive the Ghost Fleet of dive from the Land Based resort for 4 Truk Lagoon and spend as much time days to get all our gear sorted out and as you want exploring and filming the dialed in. Some of the deeper wrecks wrecks then this trip is for you! like the Japanese destroyer “Oite” and This trip itinerary has been “Katsuragisan Maru” will be options customized for extended bottom time for those divers that want to do some and rebreather safety. While open deeper dives or the Japanese “I-169” circuit divers are welcome, we are is a shallow wreck and very unique prioritizing spaces for rebreather being the only Submarine in Truk. users and our diving schedule will be We will then board the live based on extended profiles. Spaces are aboard Odyssey on April 15th in the limited to 11 divers. evening and will have our choice of Russ Sanoian is the product wrecks to dive for an entire week and manager at Backscatter and a can spend the whole day on one wreck freelance underwater and nature if the group so chooses. videographer based in Monterey, All Backscatter trips are California. Russ will be offering educational experiences, but this personalized pre-trip consultations trip is best suited for intermediate to and on-site assistance for this unique advanced technical divers. adventure. Russ is well known in the diving industry as a great educator www.backscatter.com www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/9 Reef Photo Key Largo Weekend Workshop easy to use catalog of images you can 2011-09-16 thru 2011-09-18 use in many different ways. What to bring: Your dive gear. Air tanks and weights are included. Your scuba certification card. Your camera with housing. Some demo camera systems will be available on individual dives. Your laptop computer if you have one. Mac or PC, and how we can use strobes no problem. If you have Lightroom, effectively. Gear will be covered as great, that’s the main tool we’ll use. well, both from the standpoint of what Sessions will be held at the is available these days and how it fits Holiday Inn, Key Largo, at Mile into your shooting style. We’ll talk Marker 100. We can offer a special about basic housing/gear maintenance. $129/night rate at the hotel. Last but not least we’ll cover post processing workflow and how to turn www.reefphoto.com the images on your SD card into an
Join us for an information is included for all three days. packed weekend of diving and $565 includes the seminars learning about underwater still and instruction, 2 tank boat diving photography. This class is perfect for each day with divemaster and photo beginner to intermediate underwater instructor, tanks, weights, free use of photographers and is designed to take demo gear on selected dives, working your imaging skills to the next level. lunch (Friday), and daily critique All different camera systems are sessions. welcome, from point&shoot compacts We’ll cover a wide range of to mid-range interchangeable lens underwater photo topics, starting cameras to SLRs. Don’t have a system with some easy techniques to quickly yet? No problem, rental camera rigs elevate your game. We’ll cover a bit for entire weekend will be available of theory, and some basic topics like at nominal charge. Boat diving on the composition, exposure, and focus. beautiful Key Largo reefs and wrecks We’ll talk about strobe positioning
Issue 62/10 www.uwpmag.com Exploring the True Behaviour of Crocs Okavango Delta THE ULTIMATE IN DIVING HOLIDAYS July 2012
I’ve just returned from two weeks on a Nile croc scouting expedition in Botswana. Brad Bestelink is an extraordinary filmmaker and was my guide on the expedition. Together we’ve launched the world’s first croc expedition worthy of real adventurers. This is the ‘first expedition of its kind’ anywhere in the world. The initial departure, during the third week of July 2012, will be seven days of croc encounters for just two diver/ photographers. The second OUT OF THE ORDINARY departure, during the last INTO THE BLUE
week of July 2012, will GUESS combine five days of croc expedition with an eight- day Big Cat Safari (encountering lions, cheetah and leopards), and is also for only two diver/ U.K: www.divequest.co.uk MARTYN PHOTO: photographers. Contact Amos Nachoum U.S: www.divequest-travel.com because these spots will fill up fast. For the fi nest tailor-made underwater photography holidays and www.biganimals.com group trips worldwide phone U.K 01254 826322 or e-mail [email protected] www.uwpmag.com U.S toll-free1-877-660-0193 or e-mail [email protected] 62/11 “The Techniques of Underwater Photography“ by Alex Mustard GDT Festival, Germany October 28-30th 2011
Dr. Alex Mustard, BSoUP / DIVER Print 32, is an award-winning marine biologist and is Competition 2011 worldwide considered to be one of the most inventive Deadline: Saturday 1st October and creative underwater 2011 photographers. He authors numerous specialist books, The annual BSoUP / DIVER which have been translated Print Competition is scheduled to take in various languages. place at the DIVE Show National Alex writes regularly for different Exhibition Centre, Birmingham over international magazines about his Alex will finish by discussing the weekend of 22-23 October 2011. special techniques of underwater some of the choices for dipping your There is a total of 4 trophies and photography; overall more than 300 toes into underwater photography. 10 individual awards. Oonasdivers articles on marine life, diving and Many subjects can be photographed have generously donated a holiday underwater photography have been while snorkeling and while a DSLR at Marsa Shagra to be taken by 23 published. housing with all the bells and whistles October 2012, which includes flights, In the seminar “The Techniques costs as much as a fast telephoto lens, transfers, 7 nights full board in a of Underwater Photography“ at the there are options for every budget. tent (upgrades available) and 5 days International Nature Photography On Saturday evening (October 29) unlimited shore diving for the overall Festival of the GDT from October Alexander Mustard is giving a special winner. 28 – 30, Alex Mustard will explain highlight with his presentation “Why Further prizes will be announced the advantages of working beneath underwater?” - a treat for dedicated as and when they are confirmed. the surface and discuss the similarities underwater photographers and and differences from shooting everybody else enthusiastic about www.bsoup.org wildlife on land. He will share some images taken in aquatic habitats. of the more advanced techniques and specialist equipment he uses, with www.gdtfoto.de examples from his portfolio of images from around the world.
Issue 62/12 www.uwpmag.com Emperor Marsa Alam expands to new resort
On 01 October 2011, Emperor with shorter transfer times, guests Divers will open their new dive centre can dive even more southern sites in the Marsa Alam area. Situated in such as Shaab Marsa Alam whilst a brand new seafront hotel, Moreen still enjoying the famous ‘Overnight Beach, the centre is 20 km south of Elphinstone’ trips. the airport, giving the same Emperor Moreen Beach is a 4 star hotel Divers’ experience that guests have operated by Concord Hotels and is come to know and love in Port Ghalib. the ideal venue for divers and non- The added bonus is that there is now divers alike. For divers with family a great housereef and the Centre is and friends who simply want to relax, closer to the Marsa Alam jetty saving then this is the place to do more time when visiting southern sites. half-day trips and lazy starts while The housereef is literally on everyone can enjoy the sandy beach the doorstep and ideal for more and fabulous facilities. experienced divers offering plenty Emperor Divers still offers free of guided or unguided options, day transfers from other hotels; however, and night, as well as regular morning for those staying in Port Ghalib, the and afternoon trips to Elphinstone same renowned Emperor service for those ‘big’ encounters. With the is on-hand where you wake up and Centre being closer than ever to walk to your dive boat or have a short the Marsa Alam marina, Emperor zodiac transfer. continue to offer Dolphin House trips to divers and snorkellers and www.emperordivers.com www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/13 Underwater Photography Guide Ocean Art Photo Competition 2011 Presents
Underwater Photography Guide Nikon P7000 / Fantasea FP7000 is proud to announce it is accepting entries for the second annual Ocean Available Now Art Photo Competition 2011. There are over $75,000 worth of prizes, including over 25 liveaboard and scuba diving resort packages, dive equipment, and much more. This is one of the largest underwater photography competitions held in terms of prizes. The competition has 12 and Bonnie Pelnar. Martin Edge PERFECTION categories, including a Novice dSLR is the author of The Underwater www.fantasea.com | [email protected] category and 3 compact camera Photographer, a top-selling book categories, giving underwater on underwater photography. Marty photographers of all levels a chance to Snyderman has won an Emmy and win a great prize. Unique categories has been published in dozens of include SuperMacro, Cold/ Temperate top publications such as National Water, Nudibranchs, and Divers/ Geographic. Tony Wu is a renowned Fashion. The more traditional underwater photographer and author categories include Wide-Angle, of Silent Symphony. Bonnie Pelnar Macro, Marine Life Portraits, and has been published in numerous Marine Life Behavior. diving and travel magazines, and Winners from each category will conducts photography workshops at be awarded a package at a fantastic tropical destinations around the world. resort or on a liveaboard. Winners will Photos must be submitted before be able to rank the prizes they would the deadline on November 20, 2011. like to receive, making it far more likely for winners to receive a prize www.uwphotographyguide.com they want. Judges include world-renowned underwater photographers Martin Edge, Marty Snyderman, Tony Wu, Issue 62/14 www.uwpmag.com WildPhotos 2011 21-22 October 2011 Royal Geographical Society, London
It’s countdown to WildPhotos Dykinga’s keynote session ‘The 2011... an extraordinary gathering Power of Images – from Damnation of the world’s leading wildlife to Celebration’ and learn how and environmental photographers, photography can ultimately change providing a unique mix of our intrinsic values. photography knowledge, art and Breaking with tradition, inspiration. WildPhotos 2011 welcomes two Taking place on Friday 21 and compères this year. Saturday 22 October 2011 at the Chris Packham, TV presenter, Royal Geographical Society, London, photographer and author returns as WildPhotos 2011 is the UK’s largest compère for Saturday’s sessions; with nature photography symposium. Mark Carwardine, zoologist, active The first ten delegates who conservationist, award-winning writer, register at http://www.wildphotos. TV and radio presenter and widely org.uk/delegate-registration will published wildlife photographer, receive free entry to the Veolia opening the first day of sessions as Environnement Wildlife Photographer Friday’s compère. of the Year 2011 exhibition* at We’re thrilled Mark and London’s Natural History Museum Chris are your hosts for this year’s (opening 22 October 2011). WildPhotos, as the duo are currently We are delighted to announce our in high demand for their work both in keynote speaker for Friday 21 October front of, and behind, the camera. – world-renowned and celebrated Our compères bring a wealth of American landscape photographer experience and industry know-how to Jack Dykinga. the proceedings, with second-to-none A Pulitzer Prize winner, Jack presenter skills – putting WildPhotos Dykinga fuses a photojournalistic, 2011 delegates in expert hands over documentary approach with large- the two days. Download our online brochure format landscape photography, to promote a focus on environmental www.wildphotos.org.uk HERE issues through his work. Prepare to be moved by www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/15 Worldwide Dive and Sail and Eco Divers Resort, Lembeh
sites on offer. Equipment rental and nitrox fills are included at both the Eco Divers Resort and aboard SY Mandarin Siren. Accommodation is in a double or twin bed cabin / guest room and offered full board inclusive of soft drinks, tea, coffee Worldwide Dive and Sail and and beers. Our chefs cater to special Eco Divers Resort, Lembeh are to requirements and all meals are freshly team up to offer 3 fabulous 14 night prepared to order. Transfers from/ to dive-safaris to bring you the ultimate Manado airport are also included in in diving North Sulawesi, Indonesia. our deluxe package. Guests will spend 7 nights aboard Trip Dates 13-27 July; 21Jul -04 boutique liveaboard SY Mandarin Aug; 30Jul- 13Aug 2012 Siren to dive the northern Sanghie Prices start at 2995Euro per Islands of Ruang, Siau and Bangka person based on 2 people sharing and a further 7 nights at the Eco a twin or double bed cabin / guest Divers Resort, Lembeh to dive the room* critter hot spot; the Lembeh Strait. For a limited time only you can Departing from Lembeh, the receive 14 nights for the price of 12!! 14-night trip gives divers 12 full days Book by 31st December 2011 of diving with up to 4 dives offered and pay just 2500Euro for the full 14 per day. Dive times vary between 50 night package. and 80 minutes to allow you plenty of time to explore the variety of dive www.worldwidediveandsail.com www.eco-divers.com Issue 62/16 www.uwpmag.com VIP Winter Dive water clarity in the winter makes this an exceptional time of year Package at Capernwray for underwater photographers to capture those award-winning images! Described by no less an authority than Alex Mustard as “ one of the finest venues in the UK for underwater photography”, Capernwray is THE place to come to hone those wide- angle techniques; you could even get the mighty sturgeon full frame, if you are lucky! This special package, from 1st November to the end of March next year 2012. Already garnering rave reviews one of our best diving destinations? from previous guests, ‘Clearwater’ Not only is this an ideal venue for www.dive-site.co.uk is a stunning, luxury modern ‘eco’ all standards of diver, the stunning holiday home on the cliff top above the water at Capernwray. Built to the highest standards and clad in local stone, Clearwater sleeps up The good people at Capernwray, to six guests and features a stylish, the scenic inland dive centre on contemporary interior. Features the edge of the Lake District, are include discreet lighting, under floor offering a very special package for heating throughout, a central vacuum divers this coming winter. Already system and satellite TV and DVD famous for its crystal clear water, players in each of the three bedrooms. great underwater attractions, amazing There are also two glass- fronted and fish life (including huge trout and covered balconies looking over the monster sturgeons!) and easy access water, with a gas barbeque provided from the M6 motorway, this year, on the main balcony. for the first time, Capernwray are Why not make the most of offering weekend winter packages the safe, benign environment at for visiting divers, based just 50 yards Capernwray by spending a long from the water in their luxury on-site weekend this winter and enjoy superb ‘eco’ house, ‘Clearwater’. diving in the crystal clear waters of DSLR Housings for DSLR Housings Canon Ikelite digital SLR housings offer top-of-the-line professional grade features in a contoured, 5D Mark II durable and corrosion free case. A clear view of the camera and o-ring seals is an added 7D advantage during both assembly and operation. Thoughtfully placed controls put important 40D, 50D camera functions within comfortable reach. 60D Our proprietary circuitry remains the most accurate and reliable TTL on the market today. 450D Rebel XSi And because we feel that TTL exposure is so important to underwater photography, we build it 500D Rebel T1i into every digital SLR housing. Enjoy perfect exposure in every shooting scenario when used 550D Rebel T2i with compatible Ikelite DS Substrobes. 600D Rebel T3i 1000D Rebel T3 • Four Port Locks • Top Accessory Mount FUJI • Tripod Mounting Point S-5 PRO • Pro Video Lite 3 Battery Pack Mounting Points • Video Trigger Control for Cameras with Video nIkon D80 D90 D300 D300s D700 New Handles & Tray DS161 Movie Substrobe D3100 The DS161 Movie Substrobe combines all of the functionality D5100 of our renowned D7000 DS160 with a powerful 500 lumen olympUs LED video light. This strobe is E330 everything you need for stunning sony photos and video. α33, α55 SLT
DS160 Substrobe The Substrobe DS160 has quickly made its mark becoming the favorite of underwater photographers.
Underwater Systems • 50 W. 33rd. Street • Indianapolis, IN • 46208 • 317-923-4523 www.ikelite.com New Products The Home of Innovative U/W Gear Backscatter Custom GoPro Housings UFL-MR130 EFS60 Underwater Micro Semi-Fisheye Relay Lens The GoPro is an awesome camera, but it can’t focus underwater. Our custom lens ports solves this problem! The Backscatter Custom GoPro Hero Underwater Housing is the perfect accessory for using your MRS Port GoPro HD Hero camera underwater. Magnetic Rotary System The Backscatter GoPro Housings solves the critical problem of the housings that ship with all models of GoPro cameras - the dome port on the stock housing does not allow the camera to focus underwater. The Backscatter GoPro Housing uses high- quality glass or optical acrylic for its flat port, which will yield razor sharp video underwater at 1080p video of the housing. EACH and every resolution. The housing also includes Backscatter Custom GoPro housing is a user-installable red filter, to improve pressure tested at 180 feet (54 meters) the colors of your video at depth. The for 1 hour. filter is easily removable when not A 3D version is also available needed. with flat optical acrylic ports which Keeping the housing that comes allows you to combine two 1080p HD with your GoPro camera for topside HERO cameras into a single housing use, and use the Backscatter GoPro to record 3D video and photos while Housing underwater in the best way to simultaneously recording in 2D. go. The Backscatter GoPro Housing 45°Viewnder Unit Coming soon... is also compatible with the GoPro www.backscatter.com BacPac by just replacing the back X-2 for EOS60D www.inon.jp DSLR Underwater Housing www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/19 Nauticam Olympus EPL2 housing
The NA-EPL2 housing from II kit lens and the Olympus M.Zuiko Nauticam delivers the advanced ED 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6 wide angle functionality of the E-PL2 in style and zoom. with the ergonomics that people have The port system for NA-EPL2 come to expect from Nauticam. expands upon the existing port system This is a very compact and for the NEX-5 housing, adding lightweight housing, with all of the additional ports for the Olympus E-PL2 camera controls available from m4/3 lenses. Panasonic Lumix m4/3 the ergonomic grip sculpted into the lenses and Leica m4/3 lenses can be side of the housing. A choice of hand used with this camera as well, further strap and left/right handle means the expanding the lens choices. shooter can customize the housing to The E-PL2 supports manual, meet their specific needs. program, aperture, shutter speed, The same Nauticam patented auto, scene and art exposure modes. locking port release system used Metering is accomplished via a TTL in the popular Sony NEX-5 and capable Digital ESP 324 zone multi- Panasonic GH2 housings has been pattern system. Several white balance incorporated, allowing easy and modes are available including custom secure port changes. Ports are white balance. available for the major lenses that are useful underwater, including the www.nauticamusa.com Olympus M.Zuiko 1442mm F3.5-5.6
Issue 62/20 www.uwpmag.com Ultralight GoPro accessories
Ultralight have announced several new products. The:TR-GPD, double tray for Nauticam Olympus GoPro, allows you to utilize two lights XZ1 by adding two handles to the tray. TR-GP3D, double tray for the 3D housing, allows you to hold the camera much steadier and add two handles to the tray. GP-3D-Cage, cage for the 3D housing (cages are designed for shooting situations that might cause the tabs on the bottom to break off, cages do not use these tabs. The 3 cages we have now are the one for “Total control” the regular GoPro, one for the LCD This camera and housing installed on the GoPro and this latest package offers complete control one for the 3D housing. and image quality of an SLR system with the ease of use www.ulcs.com expected of a compact system. Controls are simple but well thought out, with familiar push buttons for quick access to functions like macro mode, flash mode, etc. Dual control rings immediately access frequently used manual settings like ISO, F-Stop, and Shutter Speed. With a dedicated movie start/stop button recording 720P / 30fps video clips is only a pushbutton away.
www.nauticamusa.com www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/21 Fantasea Eyes - Upgraded Underwater Optics
Fantasea Line releases a new line of underwater optic accessories, featuring an upgraded design, which enables installing color correction Nauticam Olympus filters inside the various lens accessories. This innovative feature E-PL2 allows photographers to produce underwater vivid and colorful images or videos while making use of wide angle and macro lenses. camera to focus on short distances for creating super sharp images. RedEye (red filter) and PinkEye (magenta filter) are color correction filters used to restore the red color absorbed by “Top of the Class” blue or green water. In shallow depths, E-PL2 shooters now have these filters can serve as an attractive the option of stepping up to the alternative to artificial light sources. durability and functionality of a Fantasea BigEye Lenses are rugged aluminum housing for their patented wide angle lenses which camera. The NA-EPL2 housing from Nauticam delivers the advanced are perfect for shooting seascape, functionality of the E-PL2 in style divers, ship wrecks and schools of and with the ergonomics that fish, without moving further away people have come to expect from from the subject, thereby still taking Nauticam. full advantage of water clarity and This is a very compact and lightweight housing, with all of the artificial light sources. The BigEye EyeDaptors are lens adaptors E-PL2 camera controls available Lens recovers 100% of the camera designed for mounting different lens from the ergonomic grip sculpted lens optical properties underwater. accessories, such as the SharpEye into the side of the housing. A SharpEye Lenses are accessory Macro Lens with a 67mm thread, on choice of hand strap and left/ macro lenses designed for shooting right handle means the shooter a wide selection of compact digital can customize the housing to meet close-up images of fish, corals, housings. their specific needs. textures and more. The macro lens magnifies the subject and enables the www.fantasea.com www.nauticamusa.com
Issue 62/22 www.uwpmag.com INON Micro Fisheye Lens UFL-M150 ZM80
Nauticam NA-NEX5 Sony NEX-5 housing
Underwater Micro Fisheye Lens [UFL-M150 ZM80] / [M27-LD Mount Converter for UFL-M150 ZM80] installed on Canon [WP-DC38] + “Back to the future” INON [28LD Mount Base DC38] INON INC. released new Subject/shooting distance : Raggy The Sony NEX-5 provides DSLR “underwater insect-eye lens” for scorpionfish (approx.20cm/7.9” in image quality with the full HD video of a camcorder in a compact size. a compact digital camera and its length)/approx.5cm/2.0” adapters to attach on their Mount Equipment : Canon PowerShot S90/ The Nauticam NA-NEX5 extends that capability with a form fitting Base. WP-DC35, INON UFL-M150 ZM80, This new lens provides 150° aluminium housing and a full range S-2000 x 2 (S-TTL) of ports from fisheye to macro. ultra-wide angle fisheye imaging even Photo data : 1/30, F5.6, ISO80 (*Zoom But the most innovative twist is shooting distance as close as 0cm, by position wide end [28mm](35mm film simply attach the lens to the INON a port adaptor to use Nikonos equivalent)) lenses from the pin sharp 15mm Mount Base and setting the camera’s Photo by : F. Torii (INON INC.) at UW Nikkor to the super macro zoom position to approximately “Bitagane” Atami, Shizuoka, Japan combination of 35mm and 80mm (35mm film equivalent). extension tubes. Zooming out will create a Subject/shooting distance : Perch For decades the Nikonos range of circular fisheye effect. sculpin(10cm/3.9” in length)/ lenses were world leaders but the approx.1cm/0.4” advent of digital saw them put on the shelf. Now we can use them Equipment : Canon PowerShot S90/ www.inon.co.jp (*Zoom position [85mm](35mm film all over again to benefit from the WP-DC35, INON UFL-M150 ZM80, equivalent)) past with a camera for the future. Z-240 x 2 (S-TTL) Photo by : F. Torii (INON INC.) at www.nauticamusa.com Photo data : 1/250, F8, ISO100 “Wannai” Osezaki, Shizuoka, Japan www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/23 Gates External Monitors On Nikon AW100/AW100s Aquatica Camera Housings
important reasons to make Reef Photo and Video your choice Nikon Corporation is pleased to for underwater photo and video announce the release of the AW100/ AW100s, the first model in Nikon’s new COOLPIX AW series of compact We are divers and photographers digital cameras suited not only to Everyone on our friendly staff is an underwater photographer. We use the gear that we sell, and we keep up with the latest normal shooting situations, but also imaging products for both underwater and topside. equipped with a number of features and functions that make them fun to U/W photography is our only Gates can now install the EM43 use in a variety of outdoor situations. business External Monitor on the Aquatica 5D The AW100/AW100s, Nikon’s We’re not a dive shop and we’re more than a camera store. MKII Underwater Camera Housing. first compact digital camera with We concentrate all of our energy on the constantly changing world of underwater imaging. The Gates EM43 External waterproof, shock-proof and cold- Monitor is a big 4.3” / 110mm color resistant specifications, is a high- Selection and Inventory active matrix LCD to assist with performance model with an effective pixel count of 16.0-million pixels. It Our huge inventory from over 58 manufacturers means that framing and focus - even in bright we probably have what you need in stock. Orders for sunlight. Sophisticated features like offers not only basic camera features in-stock items placed by 4pm EST ship the same day! power-on and auto-format sensing such as a backside illumination mean no worries about accidental CMOS image sensor and functions for Service After the Sale battery depletion or different capturing still images with superior Our in-house technicians are experts in repair and service worldwide formats. A low battery image quality and recording full-HD of your equipment. In addition, our custom shop can fabricate light tell you when it’s time to change movies with the same superior picture those ‘outside-the-box’ parts that you may require. the 8AA cells, which can be alkaline quality, but is also equipped with a (recommended, NIMH, NiCad or number of new features including Free Ground Shipping! GPS support, an electronic compass Lithium. Orders over $200 qualify for and a map display. FREE www.gateshousings.com domestic Ground shipping via UPS! www.nikon.co.uk www.reefphoto.com Tiger Shark Diving Expedition In the Bahamas on a Live Aboard Our comfortable 26 meter vessel leaves from West Palm Beach Florida Scuba with Tiger, Lemon, & Hammerhead Sharks without a cage Join professional photographers Gregory Sweeney & Takaji Ochi on this thrilling adventure photographing predators Amazing Photography! www.TigerSharkDive.com January 7 - 13th 2012
Underwater Camera Housing for SIGMA DP2 / DP2s / DP2x / DP1 / DP1s / DP1x
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Underwater Housing for SONY NEX-5 and NEX-3 APSO-NEX5APSO-NEX5 APSO-NEX3APSO-NEX3
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Issue 62/26 www.uwpmag.com INON X-2 housing for Panasonic GF2
INON INC. has launched a lightweight aluminum body housing X-2 for GF2 for Panasonic’s digital SLR camera LUMIX GF2. The LUMIX GF2 is Panasonic’s signature mirrorless DSLR model with compact and lightweight variety of INON lighting arms and body yet supporting professional high quality optical glass ports photography, high quality full HD to enhance LUMIX/LEICA lens movie and 3D still imaging with its performance underwater offering full- world’s first 3D interchangeable lens. blown underwater equipment in total. The INON X-2 for GF2 housing The X-2 for GF2 housing enables is built not only to concentrate you to enjoy high quality and creative on downsizing but engineered to photography/footage better than point pursue stress-free handling, intuitive and shoot compact digital cameras. operation, reliability and durability Optional Leak Sensor is available after we got back to the basic shooting at a time of housing order. underwater, and supported by wide
www.inon.jp/products/housing/x2_gf2/top.html www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/27 We manufacture trays for your digital camera & video housings and arms to add a strobe or light.
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Made in “Often copied, the USA www.ulcs.com never equaled” Issue 62/28 www.uwpmag.com UK Germany GoPro housing Underwater Camera Housing for SIGMA DP2 / DP2s / DP2x / DP1 / DP1s / DP1x
Underwater Camera Housing
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UK Germany have announced an aluminium housing for the GoPro camera to enable it to be used down to 100 metres. The LCD BacPac can be used in the housing and the flat port enables sharp Coming soon! focus underwater. and ACQUAPAZZA APSG-DP2x,DP1xwww.uk-germany.eu http://acquapazza.jp/en NEXT UP Optical Ocean Sales, LLC in Seattle
Optical Ocean Sales, LLC is proud to announce it has expanded into a retail sales center conveniently located on Lake Union at 1800 Westlake Ave North, Suite 201 in Seattle, thus continuing it’s 8 years of service to the diving community. We are the only dedicated underwater education, travel information and photography equipment store in the first-rate personal service, crucial northwest. Optical Ocean’s new retail when dealing with such complicated location gives the community the systems. opportunity to put their hands on the most popular brands. In addition we www.opticaloceansales.com strive to be a center for continuing http://acquapazza.jp/en www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/29 Diving & Snorkelling Guide to Tropical Marine Life of the Indo-Pacific Region by Matthias Bergbauer and Manuela Kirschner Outdoor Photographer of the Year The Indo-Pacific Deadline 25th September 2011 region includes the major diving destinations of the Outdoor Photography’s annual photography Red Sea, the Maldives, competition, Outdoor Photographer of the Thailand, Malaysia, the Year, showcases the very best outdoor images Philippines, Indonesia, from around the globe, from both amateur the Great Barrier Reef, and professional photographers. This year, the Melanesia, Micronesia and competition is even better, with bigger prizes, a new Polynesia and accounts for category, plus the exciting news that the winning 92% of the world’s coral images will feature in a London exhibition. reef. With categories covering everything from This handy pocket guide enables divers landscapes and wildlife to travel, adventure and and snorkelers to identify more than 270 of the environmental issues, the competition looks most common species of marine life likely to be to reveal the very best of British and overseas encountered in and around the coral reefs of this photographic talent in the natural world. region, including fish, reptiles and amphibians and Entry for this category is now FREE this year, invertebratres. Each species featured is illustrated to help encourage the next generation of outdoor with a colour photograph, accompanied by a species photographers. There are over £10,000 worth of description covering nomenclature, size, habits and Now available on Kindle for great prizes up for grabs! distribution. just £0.86 The competition will be judged by leading Publication date October 2011 £12.99 224pp figures in the outdoor photography world. The 192 x 130mm http://www.amazon.co.uk/ stakes are higher than ever…and in January 2012, Whales-of-Sao-Marco-ebook/dp/ someone will be crowned the Outdoor Photographer www.johnbeaufoy.com/diving.html of the Year. Could it be your moment? B005HBJC9M/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-tex t&ie=UTF8&qid=1314248474&sr=1-1 www.opoty.co.uk
Issue 62/30 www.uwpmag.com www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/31 Light & Motion Sola 4000 By Peter Rowlands
As with all emerging operate underwater where is an almost technologies, specifications improve infinite source of heat sync – water – year on year and this is certainly true to dissipate the heat generated by this with LED lights and especially so small 16 bulb array. The generation for video lights where wide angle of such heat creates problems on land coverage and power are desirable. and the Sola 4000 should ideally not The invention of LEDs (light be used on land or, if important to emiting diodes) promised to eclipse check it, only for a very few seconds traditional methods of lighting such indeed. They generate that much heat as halogen and HID bulbs but the that the LED array could be damaged. journey has taken longer than most Indeed if one was left on on land there expected as manufacturers had to is a strong possibility that it could solve the problems that needed to cause a fire. be overcome, mainly in the heat With that in mind, Light and dissipation department. Motion have gone to significant West coast of America lengths to build in not one, nor two manufacturer Light & Motion have but actually three safety devices The majority of the blue aluminium front plate is milled for maximum surface been at the leading edge of underwater to eliminate the possibility of any contact to give improved cooling. lighting (and also bike lighting, as potential problems, especially in it happens) for decades and their the baggage compartment of an Once the 48.8 Li-ion battery pack is Sola 4000 represents the widest and aeroplane. Indeed the Sola 4000 is fully charged all the LED lights turn brightest handheld LED light on designed to be disassembled for air green. the market today. This development transport so that the battery pack is follows the Sola 600 and 1200 which, totally isolated from the light array. in a very short space of time, have Charging a Sola 4000 is become the lights of choice with simplicity itself with the multi voltage underwater photographers, mainly as fast 5 amp charger. The 4000 has spotting/aiming lights. two through hull bulkhead contacts The Sola 4000 is testament to the with a polarity pin for safety so no fact that LED output has come of age disassembly is needed. Once the 6 cell for filming and we are lucky that we Li-ion battery is fully charged the rear Issue 62/32 www.uwpmag.com Your advert could be here for just £25 or less
With the front retaining www.uwpmag.com/?p=advertise ring unscrewed, the LED array plate can be or speak to removed, turned round Peter Rowlands and the retaining ring direct on screwed back again for safe flying. 00 44 (0)1752 863700
Before diving, turn the top switch 90° anticlockwise so that it is pointing at the diver decal and the lower switch 90° to unlock it. Slide the switch fully forward to activate the light and toggle this to go up or down the 7 available power settings. To turn the light off pull the switch fully back and hold for 3 seconds. We can build adverts for you free of charge LED array goes fully green and you of light output is super smooth with time you use it for it will improve have 7 levels of light output available enough power to act as very useful the quality of your images beyond www.uwpmag.com/?p=advertise to give a burn time varying from 240 fill in with wide lenses and more than recognition. If you are serious about minutes down to 60 minutes. enough power to make you stop down your filming, the Sola 4000 will be or speak to The Sola 4000 has a chunky feel your lens for macro shots. The Sola seriously good for you. Peter Rowlands to it being 85mm in diameter and 4000 is operable to 300ft (90 metres). 140mm long and there is provision At $1599 no one can claim that direct on Peter Rowlands 00 44 (0)1752 863700 for either a 1” ball adaptor or LocLine the Sola 4000 is cheap but you are [email protected] knuckle in the base of the light. I was getting top of the line lighting in a loaned a beta light and underwater neat, self contained, unit. It is the it is all but neutral and the quality sort of light that will repay you every www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/33 FULL FRAME
©Eric Cheng
Dear UwP Readers:
Get ready for an exciting new era in underwater imagery. Along with a complete redesign, Wetpixel.com is launching an exciting new photo essay feature called Full Frame. Along with stunning large-format images, photographers will tell their stories through extended captions and interviews.
Look for our launch in late spring/early summer 2011.
Come join us online: www.wetpixel.com Issue 62/34 www.uwpmag.com Nauticam NA-GH2 for the Panasonic DMC-GH2 By Peter Rowlands
There’s no doubt that since their debut about 3 years ago Nauticam have captured a major slice of the market by producing well designed, ergonomic housings at competitive prices. In addition to the obvious Nikon and Canon ranges they have gone Nauticam are to be congratulated on their design out on a limb and produced housings for cameras for this is not an easy nor a conventional camera to which only have a limited demand such as the house but they have done a marvellous job. Nauticam NA-645DF housing for PhaseOne 645DF and Mamiya 645DF cameras with Phase One P+ My first choice lens is the 8mm fisheye for both video for a DX size sensor similar to most SLR cameras. Digital Backs. and stills in UK waters and Nauticam offer a nice Now that’s not too complicated, is it? Another Now I’m not saying that their new NA-GH2 compact acrylic dome for use with this lens. genre of camera neatly slotted in between a housing for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 compact and an SLR. Then what happened started will have limited demand, it’s just that Nikon and needed. It was developments in this power and blurring the gap with the arrival of Mirrorless Canon account for the vast majority of the potential chip technology that allowed camera manufacturers Interchangeable Lens cameras such as the GH2 and market. However, since it’s arrival, the Panasonic to produce mid size sensors at mass produced Sony Alpha range. In truth they had always been GH2 has been responsible for creating an almost prices and this led to the arrival of what are around on the edge of the market and, in theory, new genre of camera and I, for one, am delighted known as EVIL cameras - electronic viewfinder, offered the speed of an SLR in a smaller body that Nauticam decided to design a housing for it. interchangeable lens cameras which offered much without a mirror box. I think it’s fair to say that the Before going into detail about the housing let’s improved picture quality (over a compact) from a early models of the cameras, the Panasonic GH1 try and put the camera into context. Traditionally small package with the ability to use different lenses and early Sony A series were either too expensive there have been compact and SLR cameras with and have the ability to add an external electronic or not really good enough, certainly as far as the an obvious gap between the two in terms of viewfinder. Let’s call them compacts on steroids electronic viewfinders and autofocus speed were specification and performance. Compacts had and they provided a very attractive option to those concerned. small chip sensors and SLRs had much bigger ones who felt limited by a traditional compact capability. Then came the Panasonic GH2 and it made including up to full frame 35mm. Obviously the Sony and Olympus were/are the market leaders with people sit up and take notice for several reasons. bigger the sensor, the more it costs both in financial Panasonic linking up with Olympus to concentrate Firstly the electronic viewfinder performance was terms and in the corresponding processing power on the 4/3rds format EVIL camera while Sony went hugely improved as was the autofocus speed helped www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/35 by the arrival of new lenses built from the ground up with speed and silence in mind. All of a sudden there was a really credible alternative to the more expensive and heavier SLR. The problem was that the new lenses were quite expensive so a multi lens outfit wasn’t a whole lot cheaper but, for today’s traveller, the whole outfit offered a significant saving in weight. Why have I gone into so much detail? Well I think that it is important to know and appreciate it when reviewing the Nauticam NA-GH2 housing The Nauticam acrylic dome port for this lens is because I suspect that most people’s route to the naturally larger than the 8mm one and changing GH2 will be as an upgrading compact or even EVIL ports is very simple with the Nauticam design. user (as I was) rather than an SLR user wanting a lighter outfit and this is important. As soon as I read the spec of the GH2 I could hear boxes being ticked in droves, especially The Nauticam NA-GH2 handles really well as a coming from my compact direction. It is a very hand held camera fast, responsive camera, produces lovely high ISO images and both the video and stills image quality Loading the camera requires a base plate to are of a very high standard indeed. Ergonomically be attached to the tripod socket of the camera. This it was instantly familiar on land and the electronic plate also incorporates an intermediate control lever viewfinder made surface shots on bright days a for the lens release which is fine but if you want breeze compared to having to use the LCD screen. to change batteries you have to remove the base The camera slides in and hits a stop with a reassuring The lack of a flipping mirror reduces vibration and plate. With the base plate fitted, the camera slides click as the locking lever on the right hand side most of the lenses have Mego OIS (optical image into position once the AF Area/Mode and Mode/ engages. The camera is now held very precisely and stabilization) which extended the shooting range in Drive knobs either side of the cold shoe have been all of the controls fall into line which is what you low light. lifted up. The camera slides in and hits a stop with expect from a Nauticam. As soon as I heard that Edward from Nauticam a reassuring click as the locking lever on the right was working on a housing, I made the commitment hand side engages. The camera is now held very with black internal parts – it’s not easy to see where and sold my existing Sony NEX-5 outfit. precisely and all of the controls fall into line which the camera tray is in relation to the corresponding I have now had the NA-GH2 for over a month is what you expect from a Nauticam. This is a very track in the housing body. Black on black needs a and only dived it in UK waters but each dive tricky camera to house but they have done a really well-lit room or holding a small focusing light in something new settles in, if you get my drift, in good job. one’s mouth to help guide the camera home. I will terms of handling and operating. It is a housing that If I’m allowed my first niggle at this stage, admit to having (and using) an elasticated forehead takes time to get to know rather than one which is I’ll take one but it’s not one about Nauticam in mounted LED light but I’m really not comfortable obvious from the start. particular - it’s actually about all black housings Issue 62/36 www.uwpmag.com with too many people knowing this but it does work a special effect, having the ability to use 3200 is a very well. dream come true. With said camera now positively fixed in the The Nauticam NA-GH2 handles really well front housing body, the AF Area/Mode and Mode/ as a hand held camera but it also has available a Drive knobs can be dropped down into position neat base plate and handle assembly to which can and the single O ring groove and mating surfaces be added ball sockets for strobe arms. The base of checked (once again a light at this stage is very this can be adjusted quite precisely to get your hand useful) following which the hinged rear door is and triggering finger in exactly the right place for closed and secured with Nauticam’s trademark you. A lot of thought has gone into providing the rotary control closure. It has a very positive feel components for this system and a lot areas have indeed. been machined away to reduce the weight but at the My first choice lens is the 8mm fisheye for cost of rigidity as there is a slight flexing movement both video and stills in UK waters and Nauticam when the weight of a strobe is added but this is not offer a nice compact acrylic dome for use with this a major problem. The rubberised handles are very A 10mm ball adaptor is available to mount spotting lens. This small combination is a pleasure to use for comfortable and this is something that Nauticam lights and there is a cold shoe adaptor on the top of available light work even in UK waters where the have always been very keen on because the handles the housing. camera’s excellent high ISO performance comes are an important link to the camera controls and a into its own. Finally, and at the risk of hearing comfortable hand position is the best start. howls of derision, I can’t help but believe that the Strobe triggering is via fibre optic cables down from an SLR. Moving up from a compact and addition of a GreenWater Magic filter makes this triggered by the camera’s pop up flash which is you will be impressed with the large viewing port an unbeatable combination for such available light easy to open and close. There is an external push for the 3” LCD screen. Unfortunately the electronic shots. fit adaptor incorporating 2 holes for Nauticam fibre viewfinder is not really useable with one’s eye My other lens is the 7-14mm which provides a optic cables and 2 for bare ended ones. Personally I displaced by even the lowest volume mask and there versatile very wide to semi-wide zoom range which would have preferred this to be retained with screws are no optics available to improve this situation and is especially useful for video. The Nauticam acrylic for security but having said that I haven’t lost it yet! that is why someone moving down from an SLR, dome port for this lens is naturally larger than the Unfortunately the output of the built in flash on the having got used to a 180° or 45° optical viewfinder 8mm one and changing ports is very simple with the GH2 is not controllable so there might be a problem will quite rightly be disappointed. Nauticam do Nauticam design. Indeed so too is changing lenses with battery drain on a long dive using strobes all produce 2 optical viewfinders but this housing is not which can be done without removing the camera the time but I haven’t got there yet. designed to accept them. from the housing. All of the important controls fall easily to Personally, as an ex-compact user, that’s not I was initially concerned about the lack of a hand, especially when handholding the housing, and a problem for me and I am just happy to be able manual focus control but in reality the GH2 has Nauticam are to be congratulated on their design to use such an excellent camera underwater in a surprised me with virtually no ‘hunting’ even in for this is not an easy nor a conventional camera to housing that, for me, gives me exactly what I want. quite dark conditions under a wreck in UK waters house but they have done a marvellous job. and using ISO 3200 gives smooth, noise free I’ve left the final part of the review to the Peter Rowlands results. Coming from where I do when even 400asa viewfinding because your opinion will depend on [email protected] was grainy and 1000asa was so bad it was treated as whether you are moving up from a compact or www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/37 Issue 62/38 www.uwpmag.com Mitsubishi A6M Zero by Chris Hamilton
On Boxing Day in 1943 a lone he scrambled out of the cockpit and Japanese pilot in a Mitsubishi A6M headed for the jungle shoreline. Zero made an emergency landing off 68 years later, the body of the the jungles of Papua New Guinea that plane still rests in fifteen meters almost 70 later has become one of the of water, solid and unbroken, the most unspoiled and intact aviation propellers still straight and intact, wrecks in Asia Pacific. even with some guns in place. The fate of pilot Tomiharu Descending from the surface it is not Honda has never been determined. difficult for divers to imagine what He may have lived to old age as an she must have looked like on that adopted villager, or wasted away in morning in 1943. wretched solitude and starvation in The Mitsubishi A6M Zero the mountains. He may have met his is accessible to divers today from end as a ceremonial feast for a head Walindi Plantation Resort in Kimbe hunting tribe. All that can be known Bay, New Britain by day charter or with certainty is that he never again live aboard. It was through the resort saw Japan, and the craft he left behind that the wreck first became accessible, has become one of the best-preserved and most fascinating wrecks to dive in Asia Pacific. The rusted old Zero body is also a testament to his (Top) After almost 70 years in the mud, aeronautic skills; few pilots could the plane is still in remarkable shape. have made an emergency landing – Nikon D200, Subal housing, Tokina that resulted in so little damage to the 10-17 @ 10mm Manual exposure, One plane. It seems most likely that the ikelite ds125 one 1 ds160- F8, 1/100 iso crash was due to fuel shortage. Honda 200 strobes off. must have expertly skimmed the plane over the surface of the water until it (Right) A diver hovers over the cockpit. glided to a stop about 50 meters from – Nikon D200, Subal housing, Tokina shore. As the plane gurgled down 10-17 @ 10mm Manual exposure, One to the shallow muck, one wanders ikelite ds125 one 1 ds160- F8, 1/60 iso what was going through his head as 200 www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/39 after local sea cucumber divers that was thought be able to shift the (Left) A model of a Japanese stumbled upon it in 2000. Completely balance of power during the war. Mitsubishi A6M Zero given to the covered in decades of sponges and The dive is suitable for all owner of Walindi Resort by a Japanese corals and sediment, the odd-shaped experience levels. As she sits so amateur historian. bulge was barely distinguishable near the shore visibility can vary, from a nearby coral bommie. When but the 9.9 meter craft (with a 12 (Above) View from above of the wreck. it had been determined that the odd meter wingspan) is usually entirely – Nikon D200, Subal housing, Tokina shaped bulge was certainly a wreck, visible for photo opportunities even 10-17 @ 10mm Manual exposure, One it was meticulously scoured by avid on murkier days. Marine life hovers ikelite ds125 one 1 ds160- F8, 1/100 iso divers from the local resort. After about the wreck, taking refuge in 320 strobes off. brushing off the excess growth, every concave and crevice; pipefish enthusiasts were flabbergasted to find glide over the body and schools of (Right) The cockpit is shrouded in the complete unbroken plane body juvenile cardinalfish dart to and fro. glassfish. . – Nikon D200, Subal before them. Since that time, divers Behind the pilot seat in the cockpit housing, Tokina 10-17 @ 10mm and photographer from all over the a large anemone houses a family Manual exposure, One ikelite ds125 world have come to inspect this relic of pink anemonefish . The nearby one 1 ds160- F8, 1/80, iso 200 of what was once considered cutting bommie is also a haven for marine life edge technology, a Japanese creation and fascinating for divers to observe, Being shallow, the wreck affords long bottom times and every inch can be (Above) A diver sits where Tomiharu inspected by divers. – Nikon D200, Subal housing, Tokina 10-17 @ 10mm Manual Honda once did. – Nikon D200, Subal exposure, One ikelite ds125 one 1 ds160- F8, 1/80 iso 200 strobes off. housing, Tokina 10-17 @ 10mm Manual exposure, One ikelite ds125 one 1 ds160- F8, 1/80 iso 200 strobes harboring glassfish schools, mantis For more information visit www. off. shrimp, nudibranchs, gobies and all Walindi.com kinds of other critters – one dive in (Left) Diver inspects the nose of the Kimbe Bay is rarely enough for the Photographs by Zero. – Nikon D200, Subal housing, enthusiast. The diving is conveniently Christopher Hamilton Tokina 10-17 @ 10mm Manual located, the conditions are excellent, Text by Leah Sindel & exposure, One ikelite ds125 one 1 the marine life diverse, and amongst Christopher Hamilton ds160- F8, 1/80, iso 200 it all, one of the most mysterious and well preserved wrecks from WWII. To experience a piece of history, Kimbe www.chphotographic.com Bay and the Mitsubishi A6M Zero is a must do for any diver heading to Papua New Guinea. Underwater Photography Your FREE web magazine
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Issue 62/42 www.uwpmag.com Things that glow in the dark by Alex Tyrrell
The term ‘boys and their toys’ the ‘something different’, has spring to mind when I think about my been capturing images of marine underwater photography equipment. creatures that fluoresce at night We all love new camera gear to when illuminated by the correct type play with, whether it’s a lens with of light. The ‘correct’ type of light a different perspective, snoots on being either Ultra Violet, also known our strobes, or even a completely as ‘Black Light’ as humans do not new camera system. I am certainly see this wavelength, or a specially no different when it comes to new blue-filtered light developed by Dr. gadgets! As I do nearly all of my Charlie Mazel. Charlie originally photography where I work, which began building underwater ultraviolet happens to be the beautiful location lights in the mid-70’s as a hobby and of Dauin just outside the town of it eventually turned into research Dumaguete, on Oriental Negros and the founding of NightSea (www. in the Philippines, my portfolio is nightsea.com) who are now the leader not quite as varied as a travelling in scientific study into underwater photographer. Mind you, the diving fluorescence. Over the years here is superb with an abundance Charlie developed his fluro-lights, of macro critters that will appear moving away from UV and onto a on most underwater photographers specially filtered blue light, which wish list. But I am always looking to try something different to give my shots some variety from the normal All shots taken with Nikon D200 in images that you get from the standard Subal ND20 housing with twin Inon macro lenses. This is my justification Z240 strobes set to full power. Nightsea to myself (and my long-suffering BE3 Excitation Filters used on both girlfriend) for the need to continually strobes and BB62 Barrier Filter used purchase new ‘toys’ for my camera. In on lens. Custom Excitation Filter on reality, this is a fairly poor excuse, but LMI Sola focus light. it’s lots of fun trying out new gear and techniques! Lisa’s Mantis Shrimp- Nikon 60mm My most recent venture into ED, f/6.3, 1/250th, ISO 400 www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/43 gives a much-enhanced fluorescent experience. I have tried both the Nightsea and UV lights side-by-side and can honestly say the Nightsea Light is the superior.
What is Fluorescence? So I am guessing you are wondering exactly what fluorescence is and how it occurs? Well, fluorescence is the name for the absorption of light at one wavelength and its re-emission at a different wavelength. Therefore, some things will glow when you shine the right light on them. When we view a marine creature that fluoresces, it usually emits only a narrow range of colours so it appears to glow. This is in contrast to viewing a marine Fimbriated Moray Eel - Nikon 60mm Golden Mantis Shrimp- Nikon 60mm ED, f/11, 1/250th, ISO 640 creature illuminated by white light, ED, f/6.3, 1/250th, ISO 400 which contains all the colours of the spectrum. You may well have seen things off. Bioluminescence and fluorescence record found of an observation of 60’s and even the legendary Captain glow on previous night dives you are both forms of luminescence; the fluorescence of a marine organism Jacques-Yves Cousteau mentions the have done, however this is normally big difference between them is that dates back to 1927. Mr. C. E. S. use of ultraviolet light underwater in from single-celled organisms called with bioluminescence everything Phillips was walking along the shore The Silent World. Dinoflagellates. There are however needed to glow is already contained in Torbay, England, and noticed that More recently David Doubilet a number of other marine critters in the organism, whereas for the anemones in a tide-pool seemed published an article with excellent that can make their own glow, fluorescence, you have to stimulate to be an especially bright green. He fluorescence photographs of corals such as Lanternfishes. The light is them by shining the right type of light collected several specimens and used in National Geographic magazine in produced by a chemical reaction on the subject. a light with a Wood’s glass filter (a 1997. Doubilet used a high-powered called bioluminescence, the same way filter that absorbs visible light and underwater light that required surface that Fireflies and Glow-Worms light History of Underwater transmits ultraviolet) to confirm that power, so he worked off the pier up. Most organisms emit light when Fluorescence it fluoresced under ultraviolet light. in Eilat, Israel, and photographed physically disturbed, so the motion of Underwater Fluorescence is not Further discoveries of Fluorescence specimens that had been collected a diver through the water can set them a new discovery. The first printed were made through the 50’s and from various depths and assembled for Issue 62/44 www.uwpmag.com ightsea Filters: BE3 Excitation Filter fitted to Inon Z240 (side view), BB62 Cuthona yamasui Nudibranch Comparison - Nikon 60mm ED, f/11, 1/250th, ISO Barrier Filter & Custom Sola Excitation Filter. 640 (Fluro) & Nikon 60mm ED, f/11, 1/250th, ISO 640 (normal) his camera. Subsequently, in the April Fluorescent Equipment visible. Without the yellow filter, you slip off even without the use of the 1999 issue of Skin Diver magazine, Some specialist equipment is will not see the true fluorescent effect. bungee cord provided to secure them Jack and Sue Drafahl published an required to view and photograph The same is true for to the strobes. As a secondary benefit, article on underwater fluorescence. fluorescence. First of all, you will photographing fluorescence; you need this tighter fit ensures no leakage They photographed corals that were need either a UV light or a Nightsea a source of UV or specially filtered of ‘white light’ that can interfere naturally fluorescent in daytime, and Light that has their special blue- blue light to illuminate your subject with the fluorescent effect. Nightsea did not use any special lights for filtered LED’s. Using just the blue and a yellow filter for the camera. recommend internal filters for the either observation or photography. To light however, will give an overly- The obvious choice is to use filters camera, and like their strobe filters, get the proper effect on the film they blue cast to everything, so this is for your strobes, which is what I have make them in a variety of sizes, which scanned the images into a computer counteracted by using a ‘blue-block been using and are manufactured fit directly to the screw mount at the and adjusted the colors with image mask visor’, which is a yellow filter by Nightsea. These are available in front of your lens. This means there processing software. that fits over your mask. This filter various different sizes to fit different is no way of accidentally knocking strips out the blue leaving only the strobes. The ones I have for my Inon it off during a dive, which would be true fluorescence of the creatures Z240’s fit very snugly, so will not possible for an externally mounted www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/45 filter. This does mean you are then locked into fluro- photography for the whole dive, but my personal opinion is dedicating yourself to fluro-photography for the whole dive is preferable to aid concentration and should lead to getting better results.
Camera & Strobe Settings Fluorescence can be a fairly weak effect and once the excitation filters have been put onto your strobes, it dramatically reduces the light output. I found that I leave my strobes on full power all the time and adjust my aperture if I get over- exposure. Backscatter, the nemesis of underwater Orangutan Crab- Nikon 60mm ED, f/8, 1/250th, ISO Hermit Crab - Nikon 60mm ED, f/9, 1/250th, ISO 800 photographers, is thankfully not something you 400 really need to worry about in fluro-photography, so direct lighting is the way to go. Edge lighting simply does not provide enough power. will allow you the use of a smaller f-stop to gain and the Tokina 35mm Macro soon, which should Our mantra of ‘get close to your subject’ is more depth-of-field. This will be advantageous for both work very well. vitally important to utilise every bit of light coming fluro-macro imaging. Subjects are not too hard to find for fluro from your strobes. If I need to back off a little to fit As our sole light source is the (filtered) strobes, photography, as when a creature fluoresces, it my subject into frame, I will push my strobes out in shutter speed is not so important as your strobes will generally stands out from its environment in quite front of the port to cut the strobe to subject distance fire quicker than most shutter speeds that you will an obvious manner. This makes finding the smallest down as much as possible. use. of Nudibranch’s possible, even to the untrained A high ISO is also preferable. I have been eye! My favourite subjects so far have been using ISO 800 on my Nikon D200, as if pushed any Subjects Mantis Shrimps (Lysioquillidae maculate, lisa and further the noise is unacceptable. Newer cameras Macro photography will give you the mapia) and Fimbriated Moray Eels (Gymnothorax with better noise suppression will allow you to set best chance of decent results, as the area to be fimbriatus), but there are many other subjects from the ISO higher with acceptable noise levels (I’m illuminated by your strobes is much smaller than tiny Nudibranchs through to Magnifica Anemones looking forward to getting my new D7000 in the in a wide-angle shot. I have yet to try lighting and huge colonies of Hard Corals, where nice water for this when my housing arrives!). I have for wide-angle, mainly due to only having two abstracts in psychedelic colours can be found. In found the Noise Reduction Tool in Lightroom to excitation filters for my strobes and I think I will a tropical environment you will not be short of be great for lowering the noise levels in my fluro- need a couple of off-camera strobes to adequately subjects. Even on muck dives there are numerous photos. light a reef scene for fluro. Plus being able to use a Sand Anemones, Hermit Crabs, Shrimp and As would be expected, based on the previous higher ISO than what my D200 allows would really Nudibranch’s that fluoresce, however, initially you three paragraphs, shooting with a fairly wide benefit for wide-angle. Lenses I have successfully will find a reef environment more rewarding. aperture is required to make the most of the limited used so far are the Nikon 60mm and the Sigma 28- light. If you can set your ISO higher than I can, this 70mm, but I have plans to try the Nikon 105mm VR Issue 62/46 www.uwpmag.com Problems & Solutions camera to subject distance you need on and then be left wondering what Photographing fluorescence to alter the angle of the focus light, you have to do to your camera settings does take a bit of practice; so don’t which I found quite annoying. My to get a decent exposure! expect perfect results on the first solution to this was to have a special dive! You will need to spend a bit blue filter made for my LMI Sola Summary of time getting used to this style of 600P and then adapt a dive computer My ongoing experiments with photography and work your subjects boot to hold it in place. This is a fluorescent photography have all to get the best results. It’s not simply temporary measure until Nightsea been in the tropical waters of the a case of attaching the filters to your send me the prototype of their LMI Philippines, but I am sure there camera system and off you go! From Sola Adapter, which I am planning are many other subjects that this personal experience, the following are on using with the Sola 1200 for technique will lend itself to in problems that I have encountered and additional power. temperate waters. Being based in the the solutions I have found to them: Colour Saturation – as previously Asia my access to temperate water Autofocus – with dramatically mentioned fluorescence can be means a long flight, so I’ll leave reduced light the autofocus on your quite a weak effect in some marine someone else to look into this (plus I camera can struggle to lock onto the creatures, so follow my advice for don’t like the cold!). subject. Newer camera models than strobe positioning and make sure you If you are planning on trying my D200 should be much better at are very close you your subject. Even this out for yourself, don’t expect this, but your lens will still ‘hunt’ at taking these steps, I have found that perfect results first time out. It is a Spawning Magnifica Anemone- Sigma times. Solutions I have found to this a bit of help from Lightroom to boost little trickier than normal underwater 28-70mm at 28mm, f/6.3, 1/80th, ISO include getting a good fluro-focus saturation, increase the exposure a photography and like anything in 500 light (more on this next), use manual little and using the ‘blacks slider’ to life, the more you practice, the better focus if your system allows this, or darken the non-fluro element of your you will get. You need to be patient photos to spice up your portfolio, and lock the focus at the required distance image, will give a more dramatic and able to spend time on a subject. maybe even an image of fluorescence and then rock back-and-forth until effect. You should be very familiar with that is a new discovery! the image is sharp in your viewfinder/ Mask Visor – for us to see your camera controls, as adjustments LCD. Alternatively, you can set your fluorescence we need to use a yellow are normally made in very limited focus with the subject illuminated by mask visor, but when looking through Alex Tyrrell light conditions. Also, you need to be white light and then switch to ‘fluro’ your viewfinder or reviewing your www.atlantishotel.com very comfortable in these low light when shooting. Whichever way you images on the LCD you need to take conditions; this isn’t for anyone afraid choose, being patient and taking your it off. Otherwise, it will look like you Alex Tyrrell is the Photo Pro/Dive of the dark! Perfect buoyancy control time is also necessary. have underexposed the shot by quite Instructor at Atlantis Dive Resort in is also a prerequisite to ensure you are Focus light – my initial set up a bit. So you have to use the mask Dumaguete. Atlantis are the only dive not damaging the marine environment was with a UV focus light, which visor when looking for subjects but operators in the Philippines that offer while diving with minimal light. So certainly worked, but it had some remember to push it out of the way the Fluro Night Dive experience, which for an outlay of approx. $500 you shortcomings. The beam pattern is a when shooting or reviewing. It’s quite can be done at either the Dumaguete or could be capturing some unique tight spot, so every time you change easy to forget you have the mask visor Puerto Galera resort . www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/47 Your advert could be here for just £50 or less. For full details visit
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Issue 62/48 www.uwpmag.com New updated E-Shop! Easier navigation! Lower revised prices! Super fast delivery! Lower shipping rate with Fedex International Economy! Join our Facebook UW Printing services available, paper, canvas, photo book! Photo Contest! Diamond Quality photo paper at ridiculous low price! Prizes over USD $20,000 Affiliate program available! Free entry! Like our Scuba Symphony Page! Aquatica HD Wave Olympus EPL-1/EPL-2
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Most underwater photographers are internet savvy (or you would not be reading UWP!) and are likely be familiar with the website Dive Photo Guide which is full of useful news and tips. One series of articles I enjoyed reading there is by Mike Bartick extolling the attractions of the nudibranch population on his local Californian dive sites. He also made a visit to Scotland and seemed surprised to find healthy populations of similar species there. So, I felt it was a good prompt to make an expose of the nudibranchs and some other slug varieties and the technical challenges for underwater photographers visiting Cornwall or the south coast of the UK. This group of invertebrates includes some of the most exotic and colourful creatures to be found in British waters and they compare well with their tropical cousins. However they are often missed as most are of “macro” size, but once you have slowed down to look for them and learn a little of their habits they become easier to spot and rewarding to photograph. There are more than one hundred species of Flabellina pedata – When breeding this species is Aplysia punctata – Sea hares have acquired their nudibranchs, sea hares and flat worms to be found often found on kelp in pairs and small groups. This common name due to their (some say cute?) rabbit along the English channel and Atlantic coasts. shot is in fact a double exposure on film which is or hare like ears, particularly when viewed head on. Although many are vividly coloured they are easily fun to try on film or with image overlay with a digital Nikon D300, Subal ND2, 60mm micro, Sea & Sea, missed as the colours and patterns often blend in camera. Nikon F90X, Subal housing, 105mm micro ISO 100 f11 1/30. with their immediate environment. Many are found and 20mm with star burst filter, Sea & Sea YS50 flash in similar habitats in shallow waters but each group gun, Elitechrome 100 f22 1/250 and f11 1/125. has its own feeding patterns and habits, which makes them a little easier to track down. These critters are often much less than 12mm Issue 62/50 www.uwpmag.com (1/2”) long so are not only difficult to spot but also can be difficult to photograph as well. Most images are taken with a macro lens and many will need additional magnification to come close to filling the frame or will require cropping. Personally I use a 105mm Nikkor micro (the older version which sometimes focuses slower than the speed of a moving nudibranch….) often coupled with a Inon wet lens when required which gives close to 2:1 reproduction. For greater magnification you can stack wet lenses, dependant on your choice of manufacturer, but obviously the more you add there is a risk of poorer image quality and depth of field Prostheceraeus vittatus – The candy striped flat worm Pleurobranchus membranaceus – The largest sea reduces even further. might look like a nudibranch but it is an unrelated slug that you are likely to encounter is possibly Another option is to add a teleconverter (with worm species. Some marine biologists theorise that closer to a sea hare than a nudinbranch. Found in a port extension) to both increase focal length flat worms mimic nudibranchs for defensive purposes. river estuaries and sea lochs in the north it is quite and magnification, but the down side of this is a Nikon D300, Subal ND2, 105mm micro, Inon Quad colourful when illuminated and can apparently swim reduction in maximum aperture which often affects flash, ISO 100 f22 1/125. like a Spanish dancer! Nikon D300, Subal ND2, the auto focus to such a degree that a manual gear 10-17mm FE, 2x teleconverter, Subtronic Mini flash is needed. You can also consider using dry diopters guns, ISO 200 f11 1/25. on the lens inside the port, which work well but need to resort to manual focus. If you do not have will limit the range of focus of the lens at infinity. If a manual focus gear on your lens the alternative you need yet more magnification then combinations technique is to focus (on anything) to the maximum or super macro mode. The solution is to add a wet of these three options will provide that, but be or the desired magnification and then to lock the close up lens to the housing which then allows prepared to practice with this set up as the depth of lens in this position by switching the camera body good magnification with the telephoto function thus field becomes wafer thin. to manual focus. You can then ‘rock focus’ and increasing the distance to the subject and allowing You can of course use a macro lens with a release the shutter when the subject is sharp. If your good flash positioning. shorter focal length (e.g. 50 or 60mm) and achieve housing does not have this function then you can Flash lighting is essential for these subjects the same magnification but I find that your port try either locking the focus by keeping the shutter and there is more than one solution to successful will often end up too close to the subject to light half depressed or using the AF lock button – some lighting. Quite often your subject nudibranch is in a effectively, unless you are using a teleconverter. photographers assign the activation of auto focus position surrounded by other reef features or marine Focusing on these small subjects can be a entirely to this button for this reason and use the growth, which are good at casting shadows if you challenge due to their size, the narrow depth of shutter button only to release the shutter. are not cautious with your lighting position. I favour field at high magnifications and also due to lens Compact cameras have a macro setting which my Inon Quad (ring) flash which often defeats this hunting when light levels or contrast is low. A on some cameras may once again put you too close problem but you can replicate this flat lighting focus light, either separate or built in to the flash, to the subject to light it easily and some compact technique by positioning your flash guns alongside will help the lens focus and lock on or you may models even disable the onboard flash in macro your port which leaves you to concentrate on the www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/51 composition. Small guns are best for this technique but you can also use larger guns or a single flash to light the subject successfully. Sometimes strong shadows behind the subject or a black background are just what you need to emphasise the colour, pattern or shape of the nudibranch, so keep an open mind on flash positioning and perhaps consider snoots to vary the lighting techniques. UK nudibranchs may be small but they make up for this with variety in their colouring, pattern and appearance. There are two major groups to search for; the Dorids, or sponge eaters, and the Aeolids which feed mostly on algae’s, ascidians, hydroids and bryozoans. Aegires punctilucens – this is a very small (5mm) and Nudibranchs are hermaphrodite (both male and possibly rare species which has excellent camouflage female at the same time) and breeding frequency despite the fact that it contrasts well with red seaweed may vary from every month to once every twelve in this image. Nikon F90X, Subal housing, 105mm months. However, April and May appear to be very micro, Inon wet lens, Inon Quad flash, Fujichrome active months in the British Isles when the rocks Velvia 50 f18 1/125. will be peppered with the egg rosettes and spirals which are often pigmented with the dominant colour of the parent or food source. Once you have spotted the egg clusters it will not be long before you find shape developed to firmly grip their sponge and the parents. reef habitat. They lay their eggs in very attractive The most common of the Dorids is the ‘sea rosettes which vary in colour from pure white to lemon’, so called due to its often vivid yellow bright pinks, yellows and oranges. The spirals will colouring and knobbly texture which it has adopted be seen on the reef surface, kelp stypes, seaweeds to resemble the encrusting sponges which are its and many other stable surfaces. If you are lucky Polycera quadrilineata – These small nudibranchs main food source. Sea lemons do in fact come in then you will find the nudibranch actually laying the (15mm) are often seen singly in early spring, but a variety of colours and textures, from smooth eggs, but if not then search carefully around the area come together in large groups during the summer grey to orange and purple, dependant on which of the eggs and you will soon spot the parent. months to breed. The groups congregate on kelp species of sponge they feed upon. They all rely The Aeolids adopt a different defensive fronds where they lay their egg spirals and feed on on their camouflage as their first defence against strategy and aim to be seen as clearly as possible sea mats. Nikon D300, Subal ND2, 10-17mm FE, predators, but apparently are also able to excrete an by their predators. They come in a quite surprising 2x teleconverter, Inon Z240 flash guns, ISO 200 f16 acidic fluid as well if attacked. Size of this species array of shapes and colours which advertise the 1/25. varies enormously from a few millimetres to 12 fact that they are poisonous, sting or just taste centimetres (1/4” to 5”) and all have a wide flat unpleasant. This group feeds on bryozoans and Issue 62/52 www.uwpmag.com hydroids especially, which have not often spotted. When looking for there own stinging cell system, and this species and other very small occasionally on the eggs of other nudibranchs I normally concentrate nudibranch species. The nudibranch on any white spots on the weed, then is able to ingest the stinging cells look through the lens and quite often and then store them often in the tips will be surprised that it is a slug on of their cerata (the spiky filaments the move. This species has a small on their backs) which they shed internal shell which is covered by the and regenerate if they are attacked. mantle and there are two prominent Some species are also able to graze head tentacles. The tentacles, tail and upon the stinging cells of anemones mantle are almost pure white in colour for the same purpose. These species and all have a textured appearance. are generally quite small, perhaps Similar but much larger is 5-25mm (1/5” to 1”). Pleurobranchus membranaceus I find that looking at the which is perhaps the biggest sea slug preferred food source is often the we are likely to see in UK waters best way to spot these species which and again is maybe closer to a sea are not always obvious despite there hare than a nudibranch as it retains bright colouring. So begin by looking a small shell hidden in the mantle. for colonies of ascidians, hydroids They are supposed to like muddy or and bryozoans and then look closely silty environments and in fact I have Tritonia nilsodhneri – This tiny Lomonatus genei – This is a splendid over a small area. You will also find only seen them in the Helford estuary (5mm) nudibranch is only found on looking quite large nudibranch (40mm) bryozoans growing on seaweeds and amongst the eel grass. The average the orange sea fans found mostly on which is found infrequently but is well the nudibranchs will often be found size of these slugs is 10-15cm (4- offshore reefs. Their camouflage is worth looking for. More often found on feeding here or laying eggs. On 6”) and I generally spot their large excellent and you will need additional reefs which are exposed to strong tidal the reef itself these species are also inflated egg spiral first on the sea magnification to fill the frame. Nikon currents. Nikon F90X, Subal housing, seen when moving between feeding bed and it you look carefully then D100, L&M Titan housing, 105mm 105mm micro, Inon Quad flash, areas and this makes them easier to the Pleurobranchus will not be far micro, Inon wet lens, Inon Quad flash, Fujichrome Velvia 50 f16 1/60. spot and also offer an opportunity to away, but they are often covered by ISO 200 f18 1/125. photograph from a variety of angles. silt unless they are on the move or There are a couple of sea feeding. When illuminated by flash image of one or more of this species varieties are often mistaken for slug species which are somewhere they are quite brightly coloured in together you will need a wider lens, nudibranchs, but they are in fact closer between a nudibranch and a sea red or orange with a white or creamy perhaps a short range zoom like a to their snail ancestry as they retain a hare. One example is Colpodaspis spotted mantle. They can also swim 12-24mm or a fish eye zoom with a small shell on their backs covered by pusilla which is considered rare in like Spanish dancer apparently, teleconverter. a mantle, which also covers the gills UK waters but this maybe because although I have never seen this Sea hares are also very common which are exposed on a nudibranch. it extremely small (5-10mm) and behaviour myself. To capture an and some of the more colourful There are four species of sea hare www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/53 Aplysia punctata – Sea mimic nudibranchs for defensive the extensive number of sea slug hares are close relatives purposes. They are however a totally species that populate the Californian of nudibranchs but different species and are more closely coastline, we do have enough variety We’ve got you covered! retain a small shell related to the thread worms and here to keep our cameras and macro under their mantle. segmented worms. The most common lenses productively employed. There are three or is the Candy Striped Flatworm Each breeding season can produce four species found in (Prostheceraeus vittatus) which are variations and different species so you the UK and they are seen in profusion during spring and can never be certain what you may generally much larger summer. These animals normally see.The hunt for nudibranchs and their than their close cousins. between 25 mm long and 12 mm wide relatives requires a slow and focused Nikon D300, Subal (1” x 1/2”) and have two ‘horns’ at approach but is very rewarding when ND2, 10-17mm FE, 2x their head end. They are so thin that you succeed and they are fantastic teleconverter, Inon Z240 they seem to glide, sometimes quite colourful subjects that demonstrate flash guns, ISO 200 f11 1/50. quickly, over the surface of the rocks the diversity of the marine world. and sea weeds as they search out found around our coasts which all Sea hares feed on seaweeds tunicates to feed on. Mark Webster So, although we might lack have a large pair of tentacles which almost exclusively and are often www.photec.co.uk look a little like rabbit ears which found on the red varieties. They leads to the common name. Colour have very strong jaws and are able and pattern varies markedly and is to shred and ingest even the toughest often affected by the food source, of green seaweeds. Once again these but some also have extremely good animals are hermaphrodite and have camouflage and blend well with the the unusual habit of mating in chains colour of the seaweeds. The average of individual animals, each fertilising size is between 2cm to 12cm, but the one behind, which in human terms there are occasional visits by larger might be described as an orgy. They species from warmer waters. During then lay clusters of several million 2007 the late summer and autumn had eggs wound in a tortuous ribbon been very warm and unusually calm around the base of seaweeds and on and there was an invasion of hundreds the reef. These animals also carry of the large (up to 30cm) sub tropical a toxin (opaline) which they will species Apylsia depilans. Whilst release in a dark purple coloured ink if these monsters were not particularly disturbed or stressed. colourful it was an impressive sight to Flat worms are another very see the seabed so well populated with attractive little reef animal which them and their large coils of pink and are often mistaken for sea slugs orange egg strings. and it has been suggested that they Issue 62/54 www.uwpmag.com We’ve got you covered!
Magic filters are now available in 3 options. Original Magic for use in blue water with DSLR and compact cameras with Manual White Balance, The Auto-Magic formula is Auto-Magic for compact cameras in automatic now available in a Plexiglass point and shoot mode. filter that can be added or GreenWater Magic for use in green water with removed underwater. DSLR and compact cameras with Manual White Balance. Prices start at just £19. www.magic-filters.com www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/55 Stormclouds over Eden by Wade and Robyn Hughes
Thunderclouds, and the first extermination of the sea’s essential pelting raindrops of a tropical deluge, apex predators. systematic destruction blocked our view as we approached of the marine web of life on which the islands of Raja Ampat in the they depend - and on which so many Ceram Sea. people depend for food. Ignorance Ahead, in this eastern-most and poverty are perpetuating the region of Indonesia, awaited reefs that impoverishment of people, and the comprise more than 500 species of marine environment. corals - more than 60 per cent of all But, at Misool, in the islands of known coral species on Earth. Raja Ampat, the clouds are lifting. Around 1100 species of fish Often, what is perceived as are known to inhabit these reefs. an Earthly paradise is simply a Likely, more are yet to be discovered. picturesque mask, shrouding from Countless other life-forms bejewel view the impoverishment of the Trawlers at Sorong, on the western tip of Papua, reflect the realities of life in the underwater eco-system. The area underlying eco-system. Such is the developing economies. is truly a sea of Eden. But for how case globally as humans everywhere Scant resources are available for securing the basics of life for the people within long? change, exploit, and extract from the these economies. Little or nothing can be devoted to improvement in the quality of After the United Arab Emirates, natural environment the resources we life, and the development and maintenance of the knowledge, skills, infrastructure this is one of the world’s major need for nourishment, shelter, and and systems necessary for supporting it. Inevitably, as a consequence, the sources of shark-fins. Fuelled by material advancement. How much environment suffers as it sinks in priority against the more urgent need to provide the ignorant belief that shark fins are we should take is often a question food. somehow nutritious, hold magical left to Nature. When there is nothing Just four hours by boat from Sorong, Misool, has created an economic base on powers, or are even flavoursome-none left to give, we move on in search which local communities can restructure their small society to sustainably exploit of which is true-Asian markets pay of easier pickings. Picture postcard their environment, create a role model for similar initiatives elsewhere, and work high prices to middle-men who in turn views of cherished landscapes – for towards a better future for themselves. We are all part of the environmental pay subsistence wages to reward local examples, the Norfolk Broads, the problems confronting planet Earth. fishermen who scour their reefs for New Zealand Alps, Australia’s South At places like Misool, for the time spent there, it is possible to start becoming part sharks and rays. Dynamite fishing - West, the Greek Isles, Chesapeake of the solution. wasteful, catastrophic and inefficient Bay, and the idyllic islands of the adds more relentless pressure to the Pacific and the Caribbean – all serve reefs. to distract us with their sunlight and The result is mindless gloss from the painful reality that their Issue 62/56 www.uwpmag.com Surveying the past; swimming into the future: big-eye jacks patrol over what was once a productive staghorn coral reef demolished by dynamite fishing. (Right) Chain link fencing, an inexpensive, effective means of stabilsiing dynamited such rubble-slopes and encouraging regrowth of corals. While Robyn (Bottom right) swims over a test bed designed to monitor establishment and regrowth rates of hard and soft corals. Under, and around, the test bed, fish and invertebrate marine life gather in dense profusion. Altogether, this simple tableau offers a degree of reassurance that, given a place to call home and respite from over exploitation, the natural fecundity of the sea is capable of generating substantial recovery and repair. natural abundance has been denuded. now an exclusive resort, bringing At Misool Eco Resort, in the to the local economy a steady archipelago of Raja Ampat, Western stream of employment, revenue, and Papua, Indonesia, the pattern of opportunity previously unavailable exploitation is changing. What to the islanders. The resort lies in was a shark-finners’ beach camp, is the heart of a 1200 square kilometre www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/57 Baby black tip reef sharks, like excited, ambitious, but uncoordinated puppies, dash about, snapping up scraps left by jack-attacks on schools of baitfish in the shallow waters off Misool’s protected beach. Whelped here, in the relative security of the bay, the sharks will spend a year, growing in the company of their siblings, before heading for the open reefs. There, they will hunt and swim, without rest, for their entire lives. (Below) Robyn (153) plays Gulliver to the Lilliputian sharks.
Designed to conserve and recycle resources, while offering comfort and privacy, and enviable access to prolific coral reefs, the Misool Eco Resort justifies its claim to being sustainable development. Constructed largely from sustainably sourced and recycled material, the resort even captures and recycles nutrient from human waste through garden beds integrated into the architecture of each individual Water Cottage. marine sanctuary, leased from and some of the most prolific marine life Snorkling in the lagoon is a delight in facing planet Earth. We all consume policed by, the locals themselves. in the world. Serious divers can come itself. natural resources, and exert pressure The motivation is simple and here and enjoy reasonably priced, Although a turtle swims in on the natural systems that create and effective: the marine life is worth and very well managed diving. Boat search of food across an area of reef provide them. At places like Misool, more alive than dead. dives rotate through a variety of once devastated by dynamite fishing, we can become part of the solution, After four years’ operations, interesting and spectacular sites. But even areas such as this are beginning and thoroughly enjoy doing so. the effects of this commitment to, the house reef, an easy swim from to heal. It is a clear sign that humans, an experiment in, economic, social, the steps of most of the private Water with the will and imagination to do Wade and Robyn Hughes and environmental sustainable Cottages is capable of supporting so, can prosper in the midst of the development, are already strikingly weeks of studious exploration and biodiversity on which we all depend. evident. Misool’s reefs are alive with and photography in its own right. We are all part of the problems
Issue 62/58 www.uwpmag.com Underwater Photography Your FREE web magazine
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As you know, the current issue of Underwater Photography is free to download but all of the previous issues, going right back to Issue 1, are still Buy back issues available to download for just 99p per issue. It’s a fantastic reference library chronicling all that has happened in here underwater photography over the past 10 years. www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/59 Issue 62/60 www.uwpmag.com Back to the Future by Mark Webster
Some people say that you should recalled that I had in fact first dived it never re-visit your past as often things commercially when it was complete are never quite as you remember and operating in the southern North them and inevitably you are likely to Sea, when it was covered mostly suffer some level of disappointment. in heavy growths of mussels, and This philosophy can easily be then secondly when it had recently applied to popular dive sites which arrived in Plymouth and I was taking once discovered can suffer from the NDT (Non Destructive Testing) increased diver traffic which can take assessments. My recollection of its toll changing the appearance and the second visit was of barren steel quality of the marine life inhabiting rusting tubulars and, although I the site. There are many in the Red expected some marine growth since Sea which I can recall first diving in then, I was somewhat doubtful of the late 1970’s which are now a mere our revered editor’s enthusiasm and shadow of their former glory. assurances. I should of course have (Above) HMS Scylla – there are many So where are these musings known better! different species of fish on the wreck leading to? In fact they lead to our But firstly a few comments and some like this Pollack do not show revered editor who now operates a about the boat and the operation their normal wariness of divers making boat charter (MV Magic) in his spare in general. You can of course get them perfect foreground subjects. time for obsessive UW photographers the full technical low down on MV Nikon D300, Subal ND2 housing, 10- like me. He recently invited me to Magic from the website (www.magic- 17mm FE zoom, Inon Z240 flash guns, dive a special site called the Crown charters.co.uk) but from a practical ISO 250, f8 1/25. Jewels in Plymouth Sound which he point of view the boat is well laid assured me had spectacular marine out for small groups (max five) with (Right) HMS Scylla – shooting up from life on it. A little detective work plenty of room on the deck for kit inside the wreck against open water revealed that this site is in fact a and a warm dry cabin for camera helps minimise the effects of the silt portion of a former gas production preparation or just to get out of the and having a cooperative and graceful rig (WE platform from the West Sole weather. The deck is level from bow model to pose for you completes the field) which was decommissioned to stern which makes movement image. Nikon D300, Subal ND2 around 1980 and had been placed around the wheelhouse very easy housing, 10-17mm FE zoom, Inon near the Breakwater Fort to be used and allows the group to divide and Z240 flash guns, ISO 250, f11 1/80. for commercial diver training. I use both areas for kitting up. There www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/61 MV Magic on the pontoon at Dry Stack Marina. Peter Rowlands – MV Magic skipper, UWP veteran, Nikon Coolpix S3000, auto. guru and model. Nikon Coolpix S3000, auto. www.magic-charters.co.uk is all the normal navigational and communication During my absence things have of course changed equipment plus 240v power for laptops and batteries and one of the additions is HMS Scylla which was and even a fridge for chilling drinks or in our case sunk as an artificial reef in Whitsand Bay just a chocolate biscuits due to the warm weather! There twenty minute steam from base on the MV Magic. is a stern platform to drop in from and an open rung So in order to build my anticipation for the second ladder that you can climb with your fins on at the dive at the Crown Jewels we dived here first in end of the dive. The boat operates from Dry Stack near perfectly calm surface conditions and bright marina which is easily accessible without passing sunshine. The Scylla was the last Royal Navy through the centre of Plymouth and has plenty of Leander class frigate to be built at the Devonport free parking. Either through innocence or ignorance dockyard in Plymouth and so it seems suitably the name of the marina meant nothing to me until poignant that she should also become the first I arrived to find that the boats here are literally dry artificial reef (wreck) to be sunk in the UK close You will find the white species of dead men’s fingers stacked on two or three levels in large warehouse to her home port in 2004. The wreck sits upright (Alcyonium digitatum) all over the wreck with the structures. When you want your boat it is lifted on a on the seabed and has been well prepared for diver occasional colony of red men’s fingers (Alcyonium very large fork lift and delivered to the pontoon for access prior to sinking, so it is easy to swim in and glomeratum) which stand out amongst the others you to board in a matter of minutes - all very high out of various parts of the wreck. It would take a and seem to extend and feed during slack water tech. few dives to become familiar with the layout, so conditions. Nikon D300, Subal ND2 housing, 10- Although I used to dive in the Plymouth area ideally your first dives should be with someone 17mm FE zoom, Inon Z240 flash guns, ISO 250, f11 frequently I had not done so for perhaps ten years. familiar with the layout of the wreck. The visibility 1/125. Issue 62/62 www.uwpmag.com The walkways on the lower deck of the frigate offer Breakwater Fort Plymouth Sound. The Crown Jewels a good opportunity to frame a diver and include lies a few metres from the fort wall in the centre of the some receding perspective. Nikon D300, Subal ND2 picture. Nikon Coolpix S3000, auto. housing, 10-17mm FE zoom, Inon Z240 flash guns, ISO 250, f8 1/25. on the wreck is rarely stunning due to the soft idea to dive the wreck with another photographer silty seabed conditions in Whitsand bay which are and you can then alternate posing for each other. further exacerbated by dredging spoil from the I was particularly lucky to have a cooperative and Plymouth docks also being dumped in the bay. We graceful model for my dive who also knew the had perhaps 6m of visibility during our dive with wreck well. a heavy green cast due to a plankton bloom which Following a civilised lunch break on the gave the wreck and resulting images a moody foredeck we moved on to the Crown Jewels location atmosphere. The wreck is now completely covered which is adjacent to the Breakwater fort at the in marine life, predominantly dead means fingers entrance to Plymouth Sound. The fort itself was The Crown Jewels – although the water can be quite (soft corals) and plumose anemones which were built as part of the coastal defence system proposed green here, particularly during a plankton bloom, mostly closed during our dive due to slack water by Prime Minister Lord Palmerston in 1860 and was the structure is shallow enough to see the sun on conditions. Nevertheless, the impression is one of operational in 1875 and completed in 1880. Military the surface on a good day to add to the composition. lush growth and colour and there is a good variety use of the fort ceased in 1976 and from 1978 it Nikon D300, Subal ND2 housing, 10-17mm FE of fish life on the wreck which are very accustomed was used by Fort Bovisand and Plymouth Ocean zoom, Inon Z240 flash guns, ISO 200, f11 1/25. to divers and therefore excellent subjects for Projects for commercial diver training. During that photographers. There are endless photographic period a number of structures were placed on the opportunities on the wreck particularly if you have seabed including the section of production platform a diver to pose for you in the shots. It is a good mentioned above. www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/63 The Crown Jewels – there are healthy colonies of sea fans (Eunicella verrucosa) The Crown Jewels – this shot from inside the structure shows the complex array of around the structure growing alongside a wide variety of other filter feeding horizontal and diagonal braces which opens up a variety of unusual compositions marine life. Nikon D300, Subal ND2 housing, 10-17mm FE zoom, Inon Z240 not normally seen with plumose anemones on the reef. Nikon D300, Subal ND2 flash guns, ISO 200, f11 1/125. housing, 10-17mm FE zoom, Inon Z240 flash guns, ISO 200, f11 1/30.
Many local clubs and dive also that any disturbed silt will clear now covered with colourful plumose I spent most of my dive working operators dive in the shelter of the quickly for the next shot. The bottom anemones, jewel anemones, dead my way around the structure looking breakwater when conditions are depth at high water is around 12-15m men’s fingers, sea fans (gorgonians), for the best angles to include the too rough outside the sound and and the structures stand between 3-4m hydroids and sponges. The structure marine life, structure and a splash of consequently do not see this area at its proud of the seabed. At the end of the comprises vertical, horizontal and sunshine from the surface. I could best. Peter’s philosophy is to explore dive you can ascend slowly up the fort diagonal tubulars which provide have spent the whole dive here but the structures when the weather is wall where there are also numerous numerous compositional choices with I wanted to also explore another good and thus enjoy the best visibility subjects, so the dive profile is close to a wide angle lens when visibility cylindrical structure at the foot of which of course is exactly what we perfect. is good, or you can concentrate on the fort wall which is covered in sea desire for our photography. Having Approaching the structure I the smaller life with a macro lens. fans (Eunicella verrucosa). These a little bit of current running here is could immediately see that things The dense growths of hydroids are gorgonians are more frequently seen also desirable to ensure that all the had changed dramatically since my apparently very good for nudibranchs in deeper water, perhaps 15-20m filter feeding marine life is out and last visit here. The entire structure is in the springtime as well. and beyond, so it was a real surprise
Issue 62/64 www.uwpmag.com to see such a healthy collection of slow ascent up the fort wall which has dive it is safest to surface by the fort (Left) There are healthy colonies of colonies in such shallow water. In fact numerous subjects in addition to the wall to check for boat traffic and make sea fans (Eunicella verrucosa) around they are growing as shallow as 5m sea fans on the west side. The large sure that your own boat has seen you the structure growing alongside a wide on the western wall of the fort which granite blocks of the fort wall have before swimming out for pick up. variety of other filter feeding marine I can only assume is due to darker deep fissures between them which So was our revered editor life. Nikon D300, Subal ND2 housing, conditions due the shadows cast by are ideal homes for tompot blennies, correct in his prediction and does the 10-17mm FE zoom, Inon Z240 flash the fort for most of the day. Perhaps shannies, squat lobsters, prawns and MV Magic measure up as the ideal guns, ISO 200, f11 1/60. a marine biologist out there can small crabs. There are also healthy platform for photographers and film (Right) this structure started life as a enlighten me if they read this. I spent colonies of fan worms (Bispira makers? You make suspect a certain part of a gas production platform that some time also looking closely at the volutacornis) which seem to be degree of sycophancy as I have known was decommissioned and now offers a sea fans for the Triton nudibranch unusually tolerant of a close approach our RE for quite some time and write fascinating combination of shapes to (Tritonia nilsodneri) and false cowrie by a noisy UW photographer. As often for this magazine. However, compose around the marine life. Nikon (Simnia patula) and would have you progress towards the surface the I have tried to be as objective as D300, Subal ND2 housing, 10-17mm returned with a macro lens but I was kelp canopy starts to dominate mixed possible and in my professional life I FE zoom, Inon Z240 flash guns, ISO out of luck or their camouflage was with ascidians and sponges which assess all sorts of marine operations 200, f11 1/125. too good! provide cover for small scorpion fish for efficiency and safety and on that You can finish your dive with a to ambush their prey. At the end of the score would have no doubts if you www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/65 are considering a charter on MV Dive sites are not normally Magic. As for the two sites that we like fine wines improving with age, visited I would say they offer fantastic but artificial structures are often an opportunities for photographers and exception to this rule. Although I videographers and you could happily did not see the Scylla when she was spend several days on each. But first sunk, she certainly started her Plymouth as a base offers so much final life as naked steel and has been more a little further offshore when quickly colonised and transformed as the conditions are good with sites an artificial reef. The Crown Jewels like Hands Deep and the Eddystone is also an exception to the rule and I a relatively short run from shore with was amazed at the variety of life now a fast boat like MV Magic. So if you on the structure. I will certainly be are keen on temperate diving then you making a return to both with a few can build a very varied itinerary for a shots planned! few days or perhaps a week or more and have the great advantage of being Mark Webster able to return to a site with a different www.photec.co.uk lens or technique in mind.
(Above) MV Magic on the pontoon at Dry Stack Marina. Nikon Coolpix S3000, auto.
(Left) Breakwater Fort – the wall of the Breakwater Fort also has very healthy colonies of sea fans (Eunicella verrucosa) which can be as shallow as 5m when the tide is low. Nikon D300, Subal ND2 housing, 10-17mm FE zoom, Inon Z240 flash guns, ISO 200, f11 1/60.
Issue 62/66 www.uwpmag.com Underwater Photography Your FREE web magazine
Just 99p per issue
As you know, the current issue of Underwater Photography is free to download but all of the previous issues, going right back to Issue 1, are still Buy back issues available to download for just 99p per issue. It’s a fantastic reference library chronicling all that has happened in here underwater photography over the past 10 years. www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/67 Don’t settle for 2nd best
Digital cameras have opened up new possibilities to underwater photographers. For available light photography manual white balance is an invaluable tool for restoring colours. But when you use it without a filter you are not making the most of the technique. You’re doing all the hard work without reaping the full rewards. These three photos are all taken of the same wreck in the Red Sea. The left hand image was taken on slide film, which rendered the scene completely blue. The middle image is taken with a digital SLR without a filter, using manual white balance. The white balance has brought out some of the colour of the wreck, but it has also sucked all the blue out of the water behind the wreck, making it almost grey. The right hand image is taken with the same digital camera and lens, but this time using an original Magic Filter. The filter attenuates blue light meaning that the colours of the wreck are brought out and it stands out from the background water, which is recorded as an accurate blue.
Issue 62/68 www.magic-filters.com www.uwpmag.com Guidelines for contributors
The response to UwP has been nothing short of fantastic. We are looking for interesting, well illustrated articles about underwater photography. We are looking for work from existing names but would also like to discover some of the new talent out there and that could be you! UwP is the perfect pubication for you to increase your profile in the underwater photography community. The type of articles we’re looking for fall into five main categories:
Uw photo techniques - Balanced light, composition, etc Locations - Photo friendly dive sites, countries or liveaboards Subjects - Anything from whale sharks to nudibranchs in full detail Equipment reviews - Detailed appraisals of the latest equipment Personalities - Interviews/features about leading underwater photographers If you have an idea for an article, contact me first before putting pen to paper. E mail [email protected]
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To keep UwP simple and financially viable, we can only accept submissions by e mail and they need to be done in the following way: 1. The text should be saved as a TEXT file and attached to the e mail 2. Images must be attached to the e mail and they need to be 144dpi Size - Maximum length 15cm i.e. horizontal pictures would be 15 cm wide and verticals would be 15cm. File type - Save your image as a JPG file and set the compression to “Medium” quality. This should result in images no larger than about 120k which can be transmitted quickly. If we want larger sizes we will contact you. 3. Captions - Each and every image MUST have full photographic details including camera, housing, lens, lighting, film, aperture, shutter speed and exposure mode. These must also be copied and pasted into the body of the e mail.
www.uwpmag.com Issue 62/69 Parting Shot 4
Canon Rebel t1i, 55mm, 1/250sec, f8, Ikelite DS-51 strobe
immediately began adjusting my for another shot. This back-and-forth camera settings as I approached the dance went on for several minutes burrow in anticipation of getting a few before I finally gave up and left in When I look through the pictures a story behind them. The two images good shots. However, as is often the hopes of finding something a little I’ve taken on a dive, I always try to below fall into that category. case in underwater photography, this more photogenic. be critical and only post the very best Let me provide the necessary did not work out as I had planned. ones. Although it is difficult to play background to allow you to appreciate I was only able to get one or two Kristian Taylor judge, jury and executioner with my these shots. On my last dive in Riviera shots of the mantid up and out of his SD memory card, it’s essential when Beach, FL, I saw what can best be burrow because each time he came each dive yields upwards of 200 described as some commotion on the up he would throw a perfect sphere Do you have an interesting shot images. seafloor. Going down for a closer look of sand and mud at the dome port of with a short story behind it? Although I think it’s important I saw a large peacock mantis shrimp my camera. (In the first picture, you If so e mail us and yours could to be critical of your own work, there (Odontodactylus scyllarus) clearing can see his ammunition, ready to be are many times when I have pictures out a burrow. Always interested in launched. The second picture is his be the next that I would love to share, not because reef invertebrates I was excited to projectile in motion.) I would then “Parting shot”. they are ‘good’ but because they have find such a large, active mantid. I pull back, clean it off, and go back in [email protected]
Issue 62/70 www.uwpmag.com