Family beach day
Mar, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at Baby Beach in Poipu, Kauai.Time
The hardest part of photographing small children is whether it's before or after the morning nap. I was lucky to get everyone at the beach before the sun rose too high, I believe it was around 9 am.Lighting
I wasn't using underwater strobes for this photo shoot so I had to find a balance between bright light in the water but not too bright outside. I love how the sun made the ripples into shadows on everyone's skin and the sand.Equipment
My favorite underwater gear consists of a Nikon D750 with 16mm fisheye in a Nauticam underwater housing with dome.Inspiration
I love taking over/under shots. I had spent the morning taking pictures of the older boy swimming underwater, he had just started becoming a good swimmer. His little brother hadn't yet learned how to keep his head above water, but he wanted to be a part of the swimming shots, so riding on his mother allowed him to participate.Editing
I shoot in raw, so all my pictures go through Lightroom. The day was so beautiful I didn't need to do much to this photo - just sharpening and cropping.In my camera bag
For underwater photo shoots I generally have to pack the entire passenger seat of my truck, not just a bag! My Nikon D750 plus various lenses, Nauticam housing and strobes, and GoPro as a backup camera are the basics. Add in goggles, fins and weight belt, or possibly a scuba setup, and its an intensive bit of equipment to care for and keep track of. But being in the ocean looking for beautiful creatures to photography makes it all worthwhile.Feedback
I'm not sure I'll ever take the perfect over/under picture, so all I can say is keep practicing. The ocean is an unpredictable environment to shoot in, and sometimes I get a few great pictures, sometimes I don't like a single one. The more you use your gear, the better the chances of finding those perfect moments.
