Paul C

The attached press release trails a new book by Paul Colley that grapples seriously with composition for underwater photographers. Alex Mustard says in the foreword that, "this book will arm and transpire you to transform your underwater photographs, whatever camera you use". UK Diver magazine technical editor Nigel Wade believes that this book is "destined to be the compositional bible for underwater shooters". Initially on limited distribution in the UK from 21st May through this link, it will be on much wider general release from 29th May and available on Amazon. PRESS RELEASE-Winning-Images-with-Any-Underwater-Camera.pdf

Hi Tehuzed. I just spent a year thinking about this kind of thing, and I've just upgraded from a DX to FX for underwater work. What I concluded is that, if you cannot afford to work 2 systems for wide angle and macro, you need to decide on what your mainstream photographic work is and optimise for that. Mine is wide angle and I like the kind of images that typically have a high dynamic range. So I've gone for FX and accepted that I can still do perfectly good macro with a 105mm lens and diopters. In my view, you just cannot beat the many advantages that a full frame sensor brings. It is least limited by laws of physics and tends to give good high ISO performance, which has so many other advantages underwater. I'm not sure if the crop modes help too much, but I've seen plenty of good macro work with full frame. I think that you should go with your main photographic intent, which seems to be wide angle. Then just live with the minor limitations of FX for macro. Paul C

I once worked as an aircraft engineer and changed O-rings on systems that had a very low tolerance for failures of any kind. The systems, hydraulic, oil, fuel...were generally subject to more stress than our housings. Although we would change O-rings according to strict servicing schedules, it was not that frequent (6 months to a year) and only then because we had to dismantle systems for visual inspections. There was a widely-accepted view that if something was working well, you should just leave it alone; there are documented failures as a result of 'over-serving' equipment. And seals need to bed in, after which they are very reliable; the most likely time for a failure is after replacing one. Which is why you should always test the housing minus camera after a service/O-ring changes. On underwater housings, I keep the seals scrupulously clean, but only ever replace them if they show visible signs of wear or start to harden. Keeping them in a plastic bag and out of sunlight will prolong life. A good test for the larger port and housing O-rings is to very gently stretch them in a few spots around the circumference and look for small cracks appearing at the surface, which indicates excessive wear or a loss of elasticity. I've used housing O-rings for up to 2 years with no problems. And I've spotted potential failures by noticing that loss of elasticity. In general, keep things clean, visually inspect after each dive trip, keep them bagged up and out of the sun when not in use and replace them only if you see visual signs of wear. Paul C

What a fascinating discussion, Alex. I've read every opinion and could take the view that everybody is correct, even though some disagree with others. Why? Because images have such a diverse range of motivations, needs and individual perspectives, both when created and when viewed. An image is usually attributed to one person. But thousands and in some cases millions of people can view it. It is impossible to satisfy every individual need simultaneously. Only when bounded by rules, explicit or implicit in (for example) competitions, publishing, ethics, and so on, can one person seek to impose rules upon others. And in adopting a style or fashion of the moment, which we see much of in photography, some people can be motivated by peer pressure, which is both good and bad. I like to be inspired by others and have no shame in emulation. But I also choose freedom to explore. I value the adventurous soul who tries to break free of convention. I wish that I had more courage and time to do so. Exploration should have the minimum number of constraints if people are to discover new things and advance art or science. The minimum constraints are probably somewhere around the boundaries imposed by decency and morality. So whether or not I like a particular image, I am willing to respect anybody who attempts to embrace a new technology if the associated results bring satisfaction to either the creator or viewer of an image. The point is that I'm not the only person who creates or views images; other people's motivations, needs and perspectives matter just as much as mine. Paul Colley

Hi Alex, The attached is a common subject (a Damsel Fish), but it is my favourite this year because of its simplicity. It was taken on a Thistlegorm night dive with a digital compact (Sea & Sea DX8000G with one YS90 strobe). Although I have recently progressed to a DSLR and cannot wait to start working with that, I suspect that this photo will remain a favourite of mine for some time to come. Merry Christmas to you & all Paul Colley