Into the Abyss
My wife on her way to the bottom. I particularly like this shot because it reminds me of the vastness that can close in around you. ...
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My wife on her way to the bottom. I particularly like this shot because it reminds me of the vastness that can close in around you.
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May, 2015Views
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Awards
Top Shot Award 22
Contest Finalist in The Minimalist Marketplace Project
Contest Finalist in Enter The Void Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Composing with Negative Space Photo Contest
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Contest Finalist in Pushing Limits Photo Contest
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ryansnodgrass
June 26, 2015
Thanks this is one of my favorite! It's actually one of my fears ever time I'm out in the blue with nothing visible.
ryansnodgrass
September 14, 2015
Thanks, I was really happy with the positioning of my wife and the bubble trail. It all just "fit" perfectly I think (o:
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken of my wife on our honeymoon in Bora Bora. She wanted a beach and I wanted diving. We were heading to the bottom and captured this around 60' outside the barrier reef.Time
This in particular was taken late morning which worked well for the lighting since I didn't use a strobe and was further away then normal.Lighting
Since the sun was beginning to get higher in the sky it allowed me to be further away and still have enough natural light. I also loved how it creates a hard shadow on the diver... because of this there isn't as much detail on the diver which I think would have been a distraction. It also eliminates much of the light veining in the water which I normally like but in this case less was more.Equipment
This rig has been modified a few ways 'till Sunday. It's a Sony a65 at it's core with a Sigma 10-20mm, constant aperture, wide angle, rectilinear lens that was modified to fit the port. The lens was picked because it's the best I could afford for lower light. The housing is an Ikelite, 4" dome with a combination of port extentions and modified zoom ring. The port extention length is critical to getting an image which stays in focus.Inspiration
I have always had this fear and awe of being out in the ocean with nothing around... too far from the surface to see it, too far from the bottom where there is only black and nothing else but blue. I knew on this dive we'd find ourselves in that exact situation and I went for it. I only ended up taking a couple photos on the way down and the symmetry jumped out. I really enjoyed how the bubbles cascaded towards the corner frame and angle of the diver in the final composition when I tilted the camera.Editing
There was only a little post processing which cannot be said about many dive photos. By turning it to black and white eliminates much of the backscatter so I just had to tweak the blue levels to get the right amount of contrast.In my camera bag
For diving I normally don't bring a bag... just saying! With me I have a single lens for the day so I don't open up the housing. Few of silica packets, extra battery, two strobes with diffusers and diy filters, as well as extra o-rings and grease.Feedback
The biggest two points I can make are: 1) You can only adjust one thing quickly underwater, maybe two. For that 'one thing' make it your aperture. Set the other settings topside based on what you plan to shoot. If you don't have a good plan just stick to the aperture setting. 2) Get close... then GET CLOSER! Most wide angle photos are taken from just 1-3' away. This was at 10' which often introduces a lot of backscatter/particles in the water. Photos is water are only clear because there is almost no water between you and your subject.
