 |
|
|
March 2009
Hello again
from Cameras Underwater, that strange and wonderful company full of
strange and...well, just strange really, people that look after your
every underwater photographic need.
Hey, don't tell anyone but it's that time of year again, LIDS time.
That time of year when the diving industry shakes itself out of Winter,
brushes the dust off and heads down to Excel in London for the London
International Dive Show, the first major show of the year. If you've
never been, well, come on, what are you waiting for? It's a load of
fun. If you're a regular visitor you'll know what to expect...except
this year there are some surprises in store. Check out the new dive
simulator and the UK diving zone. There are also top end speakers
including Monty Halls, the very cool Sea Shepard Captain, Paul Watson,
a CUW favourite, this guy really puts it on the line, John Bantin, sub
expert Innes McCartney, the list goes on and on. Also not forgetting
The Digital Clinic with Alex (sigh, sorry I got a bit emotional then),
Saeed and our very own answer to Borat, Paul 'Duxy' Duxfield.
As usual we'll be there en mass with our team of highly skilled staff, we'll also be joined by the lovely Canon girls
Mariam and Mehdia, all of whom will be able to help you with your
imaging enquiries. See us in the PADI Village, stand PV08.
More info on the show at http://www.diveshows.co.uk/events/lids2009/about.shtml
Moving on, in this issue - Richard Peirce, The Shark Trust Chairman
gives us their mission statement. More from Pamela at Gates, she talks
about her first diving experiences. Geoff Sharples, the man in the know
at Sea&Sea, tells us a bit about themselves. The first in a unique
series written by fascinating Rowan Byrne. Like turtles? This is your
man. There's more. Award winning camera man and film maker Jeff Goodman
tell you about a course he'll be running, which may just whet your
appetite. Of course there is always a contribution for our own lovable
staff; Dan rattling on about something, dunno what, I wasn't really
listening (he he, only kiddin, he talks about composition) and
replacing Duxy for a change, Eva, fresh back from Sudan talks about
wide angle decisions.
Don't forget if there's anything you want to see here, or not see for
that matter, just let us know at daveg@camerasunderwater.co.uk
Trust Chairman Richard Peirce explains the Trust's goals.
I am often asked what the Shark Trust does exactly, what progress it is
making, and what shark conservation successes we have achieved? For
eleven years the Trust has, on a daily basis, been fighting the corner
for sharks in one way or another. As a science and fact based
organisation our battles are fought in Whitehall, Brussels, and in the
court of public opinion. We believe that changing perceptions and laws
is the way forward in terms of achieving long-term meaningful
protection for this threatened group of animals. It's not often that
we blow our trumpet but the release of the European Commissions long
awaited community plan of action for sharks (CPOA) is a milestone
achievement to which the Trust has contributed massively.
* The CPOA involves large and meaningful restrictions on shark catches.
* Protection for endangered shark and ray species.
* A more effective ban on shark finning.
The Shark Trust’s advocacy work at the December Fisheries Council
significantly contributed to improved management for Porbeagle which
will benefit from a reduced Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and
introduction of a maximum landing size; the Spurdog will also have a
massively reduced TAC (50%) and a complete closure of the fishery by
2010 and a max landing size, and some species including the Angel shark
will benefit from a mandatory release order i.e. total protection.
Under the CPOA scientific fisheries limits will be set and protection
for endangered species prioritised.
This is not the end, we want more protection for all threatened
species, but it is a huge step involving 25 nations, and there is no
doubt others will follow around the world.
Since the launch of the plan Ali Hood has met the UK government's
Permanent Fisheries Representative to discuss the plan and it's
implementation. The Trust is regularly engaged with the UK government
(DEFRA) on all aspects of shark, skate and ray management and we feel
that changing laws and ensuring their implementation and policing is
the best way to guarantee a future for threatened species.
Thank you very much for continuing to support the Shark Trust. The
support of companies and individuals is a vital component in helping
ensure our existence and by extension a future for sharks, skates and
rays.
With my temperament, and on a strictly personal basis, getting out on
the water and physically stopping longlining would be my choice.
However there is no doubt that isolated actions such as this are
nowhere near as effective as twenty-five countries, that are amongst
the most active shark fishing nations in the world, agreeing new laws.
With kind regards
Richard Peirce
Chairman
The Shark Trust
|
Pamela from Gates shares with us her love of diving.
|
|
Hello from San Diego!
I was down at the beach last weekend watching a group of scuba students
struggle through the surf on what looked to be their first ocean
dives. It brought to mind my own experiences in obtaining that title
“Scuba Diver”.
I have to admit that the first ocean dives did not appeal to me. I
thought I had made a huge mistake in embarking on this diving thing.
Fighting the surf was hard, the surface swim was exhausting, it was
cold down there and the visibility was only a few feet. All I saw was
barren sand, murky green water, and a few nearly microscopic sand
dollars. I tried to remember that this was necessary to learn and that
soon I would be able to experience “real” diving somewhere more
tropical.
Fortunately, for our next and last two dives, my instructor (now
husband!) decided to take the class on a charter boat to some islands
about an hour away. It was a stroke of genius! As we began the dive,
the first thing I noticed was how clear the water was. The visibility
was a good 50 feet and the sun dancing on the water was beautiful. My
spirits lifted! I didn’t have to wait long to see some “exotic” life
either. During my navigational surface swim, I could see a huge red
jellyfish swimming about 25 feet below.
|
And then… Fish! Thousands of them! They ranged in size from very
tiny to over a foot in length. The bright orange Garibaldi seemed
wonderfully tropical and exotic. The rocky bottom was covered with
knobby blue sea stars, beautiful kelp plants, and hundreds of black and
purple spiny sea urchins. THIS was what I had been waiting for. But
then it actually got better. Suddenly I saw a brown blur streak across
my field of vision. Before I even had the chance to panic, it went by
again a little slower. It was a Sea Lion! I couldn't believe my
eyes. A very frisky and inquisitive Sea Lion was circling the group
and pausing on the surface to bark at us. Now I knew what awaited me
under the sea and knew that I had made the right decision to learn to
dive!
Later, when I had time to reflect on that remarkable day, I felt a
sense of awe for this extraordinary, breathtaking world called the sea
and I felt a sense of accomplishment and respect for myself. Ten years
later it is why I get back in the water again and again. I imagine it
is the same for divers the world over. That special world under the
sea beckons with promises of adventure and new experiences. It’s we
sometimes brave cold, murky water and it’s why we travel the globe for
the opportunity to explore new oceans. I hope I have reminded you of
those first thrilling moments when your diving dreams came true and of
all the special and awe inspiring encounters you have experienced since
then. I look forward to seeing you under water!
Until next time,
Pamela Mazey Mertz
Gates Underwater Products
Fresh back from Sudanese waters Eva, our London
store Mafiosa asks the question which lens to buy?
Wide Angle or Fish-Eye?
Or how to avoid panic attack when choosing the right lens for you.
|
There comes a time in the life of an underwater photographer, a time to
choose a wide angle lens, the underwater photographer’s most important
accessory.
Working at Cameras Underwater I often witness on customers faces the
tension that choosing the right lens creates. I had the same problem
but fortunately as I can test the equipment I had the chance to make my
mind up and appreciate the differences between the two lenses for
myself.
To see the benefits that both Wide Angle (WA) and Fish-Eye (FE) click here:
http://www.camerasunderwater.info/photoschool/wideangle.html
I normally use Inon lenses with Canon compact cameras but these
principles apply to all wide lenses. There are two main factors that
you should consider when choosing a lens: what type of subjects you
will be taking pictures of and where you are going to dive. Secondly,
your personal experience as a diver, buoyancy control is critical
depending on the exact type of lens you are using.
Knowing the size of the subject and its behaviour is a key aspect
in choosing a lens.
For small to medium size subjects a WA would probably be the right
choice. As a
WA gives 90-105 degrees view (which correspond to roughly 24mm in 35mm
film terminology), it allows me to keep a fair distance, 50cm-1m,
between me and a small-medium size subject. If compared to a FE, that
on small subject would require a distance of only a few centimetres
away, the WA allows me to approach the fish without risk of scaring
it off. I can obtain an image as the one below, with a nice fish in the
foreground and at the same time a dynamic background.
The FE can still be used on smaller subjects but you need to be able to
get physically close to it.
On big to huge subjects I have to consider instead how close I can
actually get to it.
I recently took a FE to Sudan in order to take pictures of sharks, the
choice would have been correct if sharks weren't such timid animals. As
the FE requires you to get really close to the subject, I could not
achieve the results I wanted as I could not get close enough to the
animals. I probably should have taken a WA. On the other hand the FE
was simply perfect to take shots of the beautiful wreck of the Umbria
and it is fantastic for whale sharks, mantas, huge schools of fish,
like barracudas, my buddy or both.
The dive site is another important factor to consider. In places like
the Egyptian Red Sea, where the water is crystal clear, animals are
friendly and accustomed to divers, any of the lenses would produce
great results, but as soon as you dive in more challenging environments
you must consider other factors. External elements like currents,
suspended particles and really low light environments are all major problems to the happy underwater
photographer.
|
|
For example if you wreck dive in UK (which often implies all of the
element mentioned above) a FE is a fundamental tool. It gives
you the chance to get close enough to the subject and it captures extra
light that definitely comes handy. If you are instead diving
in the Mediterranean where fishes are scared of divers and colours are
not really brilliant you would benefit from the WA and
maybe the help of a strobe.
The main reason good diving skills are so important to taking good
shots is it is necessary to keep as steady as
possible, buoyancy should be neutral in order to allow the photographer
to approach the subject without scaring it or agitating the sand at the
bottom that will diminish visibility.
Also, as water is not our natural element, we have to multi task,
breathing as well as evaluating the white balance, checking the
dive time as well as framing the shot and so on. At the beginning of my
experience as an underwater photographer I found it complicated to
breath steadily or concentrate on the dive while shooting, taking
images totally captured most of my concentration. So it is important to
feel confident and don't take risks.
Furthermore I believe it to be a common misconception to consider the
FE as a simple up-grade of the WA, but as seen above they are two
different lenses for different uses.
The image above, shot with a WA, has been taken using the macro
setting in conjunction with the lens. The wider view allowed me to give
depth to the image and create and interesting contrast of colours.
While the image below, taken with a FE, I exploited the extreme
wideness of the lens to have both subjects into the same frame;
consider that to take the shot I was only a few centimetres away from
the coral in the foreground.
In this case it is possible to see how both portraits
offer a different perspective on the animals. On the top photo I
used a WA to get close up to the moving subject, avoiding to having too
much background in the frame so that the viewer could appreciate the
blue spots and the elegant movement of the ray, while the bottom image,
taken with a FE, points instead to showing the context as well as the
subject.
Ultimately
I believe that the WA is simpler to use but it misses the
possibility of taking 'landscape' shots. The FE is not always the best
option but it delivers great quality image and it is probably more
versatile once you learn how to use it.
For any questions or more advice please feel free to call us.
Thanks for your attention.
Eva Rotondo
|
Under the Sea, a new IMAX 3D movie that is a must see for all divers.
We were lucky enough to be invited to see a pre-screening of the new
Howard Hall film Under the Sea at the prestigious IMAX cinema near
Waterloo Station in London.
Howard has made several movies but this one is by far his his best
work. Set in the Coral Triangle between Australia and Papua New Guinea
this movie shows off the IMAX technology to the full. Viewers are
immediately immersed in a wonderful, vibrant world of colour and
diversity. As divers we have all witnessed this world first hand but it
is still a treat to see it in 3D and filmed In such a dramatic way.
The film is fairly straight forward in terms of story; it sets out to
show you the diversity of life in our oceans and how fragile that
environment is. From beautifully filmed Frog Fish munching on
unsuspecting prey, spectacular Cuttlefish mating to Garden Eels
'dancing' to an hypnotic Arabian Nights style soundtrack, this movie
will appeal to all.
|
Geoff Sharples, a guy with considerable
underwater photographic expertise gives you a bit of background about
Sea&Sea.
Hi Folks,
I thought I’d follow on from the lovely Pamela at Gates and give you a
little background on Sea&Sea.
Founded in 1972, Sea&Sea is one of the few companies who have
consistently offered quality products for all levels of underwater
photography.
They made a name with their “little yellow cameras” such as the Pocket
Marine 110 and MX10, designed to be compact and easy to use. They also
produced the (yellow) MotorMarine II for more serious shooters which
featured manual control and was a real alternative to the Nikonos
system. And for Nikonos owners they made lenses and viewfinders for use
with their Nikonos cameras. In fact, Sea&Sea have always produced
lenses and viewfinders along with other accessories for their cameras
making each model part of a system. For more demanding and professional
photographers, Sea&Sea provided aluminium SLR Housings.
The company produced strobes right from the beginning and today’s
models still carry the ‘YS’ prefix which stands for Yellow-Sub. You
guessed it; the strobes were originally yellow too!
Sea&Sea have produced equipment for other companies such as Sony,
Minolta and Olympus and have a longstanding relationship with Ricoh
going back to 1980.
After merging with Sunpak in 2007, Sea&Sea have restructured and
now precision engineer the MDX SLR housings from single blocks of
aluminium. They have also introduced the entry level RDX range of SLR
housings which are manufactured from a polycarbonate resin and continue
to offer digital compatible strobes for both compact and SLR cameras.
The little yellow cameras have long gone but Sea&Sea still produce
an easy to use entry level compact system plus a fully manual ‘bridge’
camera, with accessories, for those wishing to take more control over
their photography.
Something you may not know is that Sea&Sea have acted as Japanese
distributors for Sea Quest, Mares and Apeks Marine amongst others.
Cameras Underwater can tell you all about the current Sea&Sea range
and for more information about the company see: www.seaandsea.jp/company/index.html.
For those of you who don't know Rowan's work:
Rowan Byrne, Irish Marine & Freshwater biologist has worked with
endangered sea turtles and marine creatures from around the world. He
has appeared in a large number of TV programs and continues to write
educational articles on worldwide issues pertaining to marine biology
and biodiversity and is currently revamping his new website www.marinecreatures.com relaunching in April 2009.
And now a truly moving story from Rowan.
|
|
When researching sea turtles in Caribbean one memory comes to mind
which I wanted to share with you’re readers as it was a once in a
lifetime experience. I received a phone call that an adult leatherback
(Dermochelys coriacea) sea turtle was reported tangled in fish trap and
mooring lines in a marine reserve, South East of Dominica.
The call had come from local police and it was urgent, no matter how
tired I was after just coming in from all night monitoring of one of
the local nesting beaches! Only 4 hours previous I had encountered a
leatherback nesting and watched the whole process from start to finish.
No matter how many times I see it it’s a wonderful evolutionary
process. I arrived with possibly some smoke coming from the vehicles
tyres and saw local fishermen near by. A local dive master (Dave
Fabian) and myself snorkelled out to the leatherback we could see in
the distance flapping about splashing mountains of water either side of
her. She was in about 25 feet of water and in no time at all was just
on the verge of visibility. I could see a substantial frame getting
clearer in the distance. We then assessed the situation. She was in a
right mess with half of her resting on ropes at the surface with one
rope right across her head and she could barely keep her snout above
the waters surface. She was still splashing about trying to free
herself. I have seen many leatherbacks on nesting beaches over the
years and know the substantial power they have in these flippers.
|
I observed the leatherback to be completely snared in anchoring and
fish trap lines, surrounded by floating debris. Just before approaching
the turtle she tried violently to free herself once more, tangling
herself even further. She was considerably tired, barely able to get
her head above the water surface as on one side rope was rapped around
its head across its right eye, reducing its ability to lift it above
the water line.
Dave and I decided to work either side of her. We quickly began to
removed ropes and lines and exhausted she lay still for us, her breath
exhaling onto my face as I cut the ropes away. While trying to free her
at no time did she cause me any great concern for our safety, it’s as
if she knew we were helping. Periodically she raised her head to catch
a breath and her exhalation was so strong I felt it on my face again. I
calmed her down by caressing her skin on her shoulders and started to
cut the ropes. They skin is very sensitive. Leatherbacks in water
generally don’t like to have their skin touched. I guess as I released
the pressure of the ropes from around this area she seamed to
acknowledge this. As she realized she was being released she turned on
her back and struggled more with huge splashing and bubbles cascading
everywhere. After the last rope was released, her head turned to me I
could see her eye within touching distance, she paused and swam off
slowly into the deep waters off Dominica as romantic as it sounds it
did happen like that! |
It truly was an experience I will never forget, to be in the water with
this giant turtle whose ancestors nested on beaches when T rex was
around and to see her swim off to freedom in all her glory was
unparalleled. The chances of seeing this again are more remote then
seeing Bigfoot in my opinion, but this was one chance I wished everyone
could have experienced, it was truly magical. They truly need our help
as each day fewer and fewer are surviving. Leatherbacks are facing
extinction due to human impacts on their nesting and marine
environments and each year during the summer months are regularly found
off the UK coastline.
Up until 2006 there has been 618 leatherbacks recorded in the UK, with
records at sea making up the largest proportion (80%) with the
remainder being stranded animals; in addition 75% of individuals were
recorded alive. On nesting beaches to this day adult females are still
poached, eggs stolen and consumed in many countries worldwide.
Leatherbacks are frequently killed and injured in collisions with boats
while rubbish floating at sea is mistaken for their natural foods,
jellyfish and octopus. Hundreds of leatherbacks are killed each year in
gill nets and longline fisheries while migrating to nesting beaches so
we as divers have a very big part to play in supporting their
conservations and sea turtles as a whole.
|
|
If you have any questions on sea turtles or marine creatures please
feel free to email me and I would be happy to try to answer any marine
biology questions you may have. Email rowan@marinecreatures.com
Next time I will be chatting about Seahorses!
Some Information on leatherbacks you may not know...
The largest leatherback on record (a male) stranded on the coast of
Wales in 1988 and weighed almost 2020 lbs (916 kg).
Leatherbacks can dive deeper than 3900 ft (1200 m)! (Wow, that's deeper
than Duxy or Dan! ed.)
Pollution can affect both adults and turtles in the egg. Scientists
estimate that only 1 in 1500 leatherback hatchlings survive to
adulthood 30 to 40 years later when they are sexually mature.
Dan answers the question "what makes a good shot?"
The ultimate question for a photographer and one that every wannabe photographer must ask themselves. Fortunately the answer does not require the latest kit, nor does it require and array of expensive equipment. It does however require a little bit of vision (all right yes literally as well as philosophically).
A good picture transmits a clear message, usually along the lines of:- 'here is the subject and this is what it is doing!'. So on a very basic level there are two parts to the picture, the subject (which is usually in the foreground) and the context (which is often the background). So you need to consider how these two elements can work together to transmit a message. We all have that picture of a lobster in it's liar, or the blenny looking out from under the overhang!
Next you need to bear in mind the picture is a visual playground, your eyes will wander around the shot, they will be attracted to light areas and rest in dark areas, so a well balanced shot is more pleasing than very dark or overexposed pictures.
Try to keep the points of interest like the eyes and mouth on the 'rule of thirds' guideline as this will allow the viewer's eyes to go round and round the picture without the interest ever being taken outside of the frame. Flashes of vibrant colours and interesting geometry add to pictures as well, anything that catches the eye.
So if you can combine your message with creative lighting and good geometric composition, all while underwater and trying to staying alive at the same time, then you deserve to be proud!
Dan introduces a friend of Cameras Underwater, Jeff Goodman.
Dan passes the buck when it comes to underwater videography!!! (or
buying a round! ed.)
Ever wondered why your family refuse to watch your diving videos again?
Why they seem to be stifling yawns as you show them yet another 45
minutes of head spinning adventure from your weekend. Want to know how
to turn those yawns into smiles? ...To create something that is so
exciting and punchy that even strangers want to see it? Then let
Cameras Underwater introduce you to Jeff Goodman. Working as a wildlife
cameraman for the Beeb, Channel 4, National Geographic, Discovery and
many others for over 30 years, Jeff has a lot of knowledge to draw from
and is now hoping to start courses in underwater videography right here
in the UK! So you no longer need that expensive live a board to
capitalise on Jeff's knowledge!
Jeff has already run courses out in the Red Sea with Emperor Divers and
this year will be starting them in the greenish waters off the Cornish
coast. He'll be working not just on your videography skills,
composition, exposure, lighting etc. and of course not just on your
diving skills, but your editing skills and the ability to tell a story
as well. All of this will amount up to people positively drooling over
your footage, desperate for you to take them with you when you next go
diving! So for a more in depth guide to underwater video than we can
ever hope to give you here, sign up...
The dates and venues are still to be finalised for 2009 but please do
register your interest now for up to date information.
http://www.jeffgoodman.co.uk
http://www.marinecreatures.com/
Jeff Goodman Wildlife and Underwater Cameraman reviews the Ikelite Pro-V8 Led Underwater Video Light for Cameras Underwater.
|
Underwater Video lighting is a fine art and part of the difficulties
lie with equipment that is not up to the job. Hot spots, frequent
leaking, poor coverage, short burn time from batteries all contribute
to an unhappy dive and cameraman
While running my wildlife underwater video filming courses I need a
small compact light that will be easy to handle and give a good even
light with no hotspots. The Ikelte Pro-V8 fills both those requirements
with the added bonus of being fairly well priced at around £209 which
includes vat.
The 3 x 5W high intensity white LEDs give around 350 lumens and with a
full battery pack of 8 x C-cells will last for about 10 hours, which
theoretically is around 10 dives. Which is very good. But, I would have
liked the option of a rechargeable battery pack which in the end would
save on overall cost of batteries as well the additional weight of
spares when flying out on holiday.
Otherwise the light handles well in the water and is robust enough to
take a lot of punishment when handed back into the boat where the nice
man has 5 others divers all hanging on waiting for him to take their
gear.
The method of opening the light to change batteries (and look for
leaks) is easy and very uncomplicated. A dimmer on the on/off switch
would have been a good option but now I’m being fussy. The flexible arm
gives a good option of fitting the light to the camera housing if
that’s the way you like to work.
Good filming.
Jeff
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright © 2010 Cameras Underwater Store
Cameras Underwater Limited, East Island Farmhouse, Slade Road, Ottery St Mary, Devon, EX11 1QH
Tel: 01404 812277
Fax: 01404 812399
UK Registered Company #: 4314607
V. A. T. #: GB 794 6551 81
Directors: Ms J Rosenfeld, Dr D W Knight |
|
