Julian D

Hi.  I took this at Pt Lobos (California) last weekend. I'd like some advice on how to process this image to get the best out of it - I got a nice close up but I want one that shows the environment he (or she) was sitting in. I quite like it but it doesn't quite feel right and I've beenmucking around with it and not getting far Maybe the lighting is just not right to start with? Any pointers of any kind much appreciated.  I've attached the original and my current preferred edit.  Thanks.

Hi.  I'm heading to California in about 10 days time.  Will have a spare weekend to go diving for a day.  I have been out to Santa Cruz on the Peace Boat (Ventura) previously, which was great.  I've also been over to Monterey but the vis was poor so I'm a touch gun-shy about Monterey.  Having said that the great photos of Carmel by another poster are quite encouraging!

 

Can anyone recommend any great locations/dive operators for this time of year?  I'll be in the central valley so can easily travel anywhere from Monterey down to LA (or even further south).  With only one day I am really looking for a relativeIy safe bet with some interesting subjects. A chance to do some wide angle would be great but Id be just as happy with Macro also. 

 

Many thanks.

Hi.  I already have a tokina 10-17 but want to get to get a topside wide angle lens (for my D7000).  It seems a shame not to get one that will also be useful for underwater use one day.

 

The nikon 10-24 looks ideal but it a bit out of my price range at the moment so I was thinking maybe a tokina 11-16 or the sigma 10-20 which would have a mode useful zoom range.

 

Any comments on these two lenses and/or any other recommendations?  I'd like to photograph whales at some stage so I'm really after a lens that could handle that sort of thing too....

 

Thanks

 

 

 

Hi.  I’m just learning. Where I live the visibility is currently bad (3 ft) but I am going out anyway to develop my skills. 

In my earlier attempts I wasn’t really getting any colour and couldn’t get sharp photos and I figured that it might be to do with ambient light (shooting in 3 ft of water).  So this week I took both strobes (DS125’s) and put them on 1/2 power. I am still getting washed out looking photos but after tweaking in lightroom I’m much happier with them.

 

Have read in the underwater photographer that it is better to take the shot overexposed and darken in lightroom in order to get more detail so was kind of trying to do that. To me the actual photo looks way overexposed, but the histogram doesn’t?, and the photo doesn’t seem to have any blown out detail.  My questions:

Am I doing this right? 

Should I be aiming for a better exposure out of the camera?

Is this possibly anything to do with strobe positioning?

Any comments general on how to improve this shot?

I’ve attached the photo as shot, histogram and the photo with exposure/contrast and clarity tweaked but nothing else.  D7000, 105mm lens, 2 x DS125’s.  ISO 200, f16, 1/320^th.

Thanks,

 

Julian

Hi. I’m a newbie and the attached are from my first time out with my new d7000/housing. Not particularly interesting photos I know, but I only had an hour so I gave it a go snorkelling with no strobes.

I plan to return with scuba gear and more time to work on composition etc and maybe add a model. This spot is a freshwater spring (amazingly clear & cold) and is surrounded on most sides with high bush. What hit me was the fluctuation in light levels as clouds came past. And how parts of the spring in shade had really low light levels.

It’s hard to get to this spot and I would really appreciate some input about what kind of light I should aim for eg if I try at mid-day to maximise light is this likely to blow out the contrast/highlights on the vegetation etc? I could try a lightly overcast day for more even lighting but I think light levels will be too low? Is it best to just go for as much light as possible in these situations?

Any thoughts or ideas greatly appreciated.

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