TGoss-TheSaladBar
Nov, 2012Views
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heathermcfw
June 07, 2014
This is a stunning shot , just love the POV and the second one in the back really makes the shot.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
Part of Punta Vicente Roca, which is in the northwestern area of Isla Isabella; Galapagos Islands.Time
About 1:10pm PST; I don't adjust the camera to different time zones.Lighting
Very shallow waters here, so lots of good sunlight filtering down; the trick of course is to balance the ambient with enough strobefire for color & detail, but being very careful about backscatter - there's a LOT of debris and bubbling in the water here, with the pounding of the waves on the rocks close by.Equipment
Nikon D300 w/Nikkor 12-24mm, Aquatica housing & 8" acrylic dome, Sea & Sea YS90 strobes on Ultralight arms & clamps. I've since moved over to the much sharper Tokina 10-17mm fisheye, but framed improperly the distortion can get weird.Inspiration
We're so shallow here that the air remaining in our tanks from the overall dive lasted for quite a while; I was following the turtles around for at least 30 minutes I'd say. There were a lot of them around - along with stingrays, and a few sea lions - so I just had to try to steady myself in the churning wave surge and try to frame up a few critters before they got tired of me or I lost my grip on the slippery rocks.Editing
I did just a little refining with sharpening and color temp, and I might have done a little spot-removal (can't recall, but I usually have to do some spot removal...). Otherwise I was pleasantly surprised at how bright, colorful and defined everything was, given the water movement. Lucky shot!In my camera bag
Out & about, just the iPhone. Traveling, I have a 50-pound Pelican case with the underwater rig, and two Nikon D300 bodies in my backpack, along with the Nikkor 12-24, 18-200 (for dry-land stuff), and the Tokina 10-17. I might bring the 105VR macro, but it depends on space.Feedback
Patience, and good diving skills! Don't compromise your dive profile just to get a shot, you could hurt yourself (or worse). Underwater light changes dramatically depending on tiny adjustments of the camera angle, so be sure to get your settings right for exactly what you're framing - it takes a LOT of trial & error.
