Beefer

Well, I got my first 200+ UW photos while snorkeling in the Bahamas, and overall, I'm fairly pleased with myself. It was a bit of a chore to stay somewhat still while being on top of the water, so many of the shots were a bit blurry. Most of them are a very green/blue, as I wasn't using my external strobe (not really sure how much it would've helped). I wanted to enjoy myself, and just get a feel for using a camera in the water, and I found myself fumbling around enough just taking snapshots (they are a far cry from the word 'Photographs").

I don't have Photoshop, but I do have the Olympus Master 2 photo editor, and I was playing around with color balance, RBG saturation, etc., and noticed I could get the pics to look better. YAY!

I need some help in getting the basics of color balancing. As the pics are blueish/greenish, do I remove blue and green, and add some red? Is there a standard/basic rule of thumb in doing this, as in how much to remove/add of each? I played around with some pics for an hour, and while they got better, some colors just didn't seem right. As an example, I am having trouble keeping a natural silver on fish after making adjustments. Tips from you pros (and non-pros) are appreciated. Thanks!

I really hate being a newbie. I have a kajillion questions, and feel like 99% are too basic to ask/answer.... On that note;

I have 2 UW cameras, a SeaLife D300, and an Olympus C-5000Zoom with housing. I also have a ReefMaster/Sealife SL960 strobe.

I have NEVER taken an UW picture in my life, and for the last 20 years have been nothing more than a family picture-taker. I used to be into photography when I was in my late teens/early 20's, but life took over and I lost touch.

I'll be diving in the Bahamas first weekend in Jan, and want to have some photos for memorabilia, and possibly a couple of shots of the creatures I'll be encountering. I don't expect anything close to the fantastically amazing photos I see here. I'm just hoping for semi-decent shots.

I'm guessing the Oly would be the better of the 2 cameras, coupled with the 960. I was able to rig them together, and the 960 acts properly as a slave unit.

My main question is, is there a basic set of camera settings I should preselect before diving to get the most out of my pics? I'm trying to figure out which setting on the dial I should use, or manually adjust stuff for an all-around shoot.

I think this is probably one of the most basic things I could ask, that may result in a few cool keeper shots.

Thanks!

Can I use a SeaLife SL960 (?) on an Olympus C-5000zoom/housing? What do I need to be able to do it?

I can't wait to dive in (pun intended) to underwater photography, but I haven't even gotten my dive certification yet. I'm wondering if I'd be putting myself in a precarious position by not only familiarizing myself with breathing/being underwater, but trying to take photos at the same time. Any comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks from the

Hi -

Figured I ought to introduce myself. I'm new to diving, and have a great desire to do some UW photography. I'm in West Central Florida (Tampa area), and plan on diving mostly in the area other than the all-to-infrequent vacation. That's about it. Oh, thanks for this website, and all of you members! Ive learned alot in my short time as a lurker!