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Plankton rich cold water can often result in an overall green cast to your photos. This is because the phytoplankton in the water actually acts as a diffuse green filter. This short article describes how to use the Channel Mixer in Photoshop to remove the green cast to show what's actually there - clear blue water!

From the U.S. Department of State: "A passport valid for at least six months and an onward/return ticket are required. As of February 1, 2004 all American visitors to Indonesia will need to obtain a visa. Travelers may apply for a visa at the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, D.C. or at the airport upon arrival. Visitors may be granted a 3-day visa for a fee of $3 or a 30-day visa for a fee of $25. Both visas are non-extendable, and travelers must exit the country for at least two weeks before they can return. A visitor's visa for business purposes and social/cultural stays of longer duration require a letter of intent/sponsorship from the employer and/or sponsor..."

Other countries who can obtain visas upon arrival include Australia, Argentina, Brazil, U.K., Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, and U.A.E. (info from Cybergoldfish)

Practically, the only real effects that will result from this change are that you will have to pay for a visa when you arrive. Tony Matheis tells us that in addition to the 30 days a visa grants you, you can extend your stay by up to 14 more days without leaving the country.

Yesterday, Sea & Sea Japan announced a housing for Nikon's new D70 digital SLR [automated english translation here]. The web site says that the housing will ship at the end of April, and lists the retail price as being ¥198,000, or roughly $1870 USD.

There is a discussion about this new housing in our forums.

Wetpixel has unveiled a new classifieds section, where registered members can list selling and wanted ad for underwater photography related equipment. Listings are free of charge for private sales.

Now that digital SLR cameras or “DSLR's” have dropped below $1,000 US, many underwater photographers are thinking about buying one, instead of a new “prosumer” camera like the Olympus 5060 or the Nikon Coolpix 5400. I regularly see questions in the Wetpixel Forums about the differences between consumer and SLR cameras for underwater use, so I'm hoping that this article can serve as an “upgrade guide.”

Splash into the world of underwater digital photography at the third annual underwater Digital Shootout in Fiji, May 6 - 15th, 2004! Far beyond a standard photo safari, the Digital Shootout is an in-depth learning experience. Meet fellow beginner and advanced shooters and rub elbows with our team of professional photographers and industry experts for a week long program that includes free digital demo gear with professional assistance and critiques, and hands-on workshops. Experts from Adobe will empower you with the essential skills of Photoshop image control and premiere video editing.

Wetpixel is proud to annouce our involvement in this year's event. We'll be giving a seminar on digital underwater photography, and will be doing a daily webcast of shootout events.

For more information, check out theshootout.org.

PRESS RELEASE: News in underwater photography this week is the announcement of the winners of the UnderwaterPhotography.com photo contest 2003. This annual contest is the longest running online digital photo contest, and gives underwater photographers a forum to show their work and gain recognition, and encouragement, from their peers. Underwater photographers from 50 countries entered digital images online in several categories: topside, over/under, macro, wrecks, natural light, fantasy, divers, and marine life. An international panel of judges has chosen the top three entries in each category entered during the previous year and awarded them gold, silver, and bronze medals respectively. This year a new award has been created – World Champion. This award goes to the underwater photographer who has entered the most consistent portfolio over the year.

The winners will be announced on UnderwaterPhotography.com's website at 12am EST on the 31 st January 2004.

Wetpixel member Peter Schulz got to test the new Ikelite circuitry which translates the camera's TTL metering system signal from an Olympus 5050 or 5060 and sends it to an Ikelite digital Substrobe. Peter dove with an Ikelite 5050 housing with the prototype conversion circuit installed.  To quote Peter:

"The results were outstanding. For the first time ever I got perfect lighting under almost every imaginable condition e.g. shooting under reefs, against the sand, against the sky, with cloudy skies, sunny skies, etc. without changing any camera settings during the dives! This TTL system really rocks!"

Remember to add your favorite underwater imaging-related site to Wetpixel's Web Links section! Your link will show up once we approve your submission.