spectralsepia

thank you so much for all the thoughts and insight davide. my request was intentionally broad because it doesnt seem like there are a lot of options for underwater-specific inspiration on the art side, so i didnt want anything to be excluded. also because i find it enriching and interesting to see a diversity of different types of communication and expression. even though i know i personally will never want to shoot high action for example, it's still interesting to me to see the way the creators choose to connect with the audience. so im interested in the creative process, even if the outcome is very different to what i would like to make. im the new phase where i want to consume as many different perspectives as possible while i try to develop my skills and a unique way of seeing things. these recommendations were great and unfamiliar to me, thank you again!

i mean exactly all those things. im looking for sources of inspiration for all of those different categories, so yes definitely interested in resources from the terrestrial world. i've contacted my filmmaker friends on land about this too, but was hoping there would be underwater-specific content about creating beautiful underwater stories. in terms of creative technique, i think blue planet ii is the best camera work ive ever seen, and i was wondering if there were accounts for people doing work with similar levels of artistry in the community that aren't famous, or if there are videos or tutorials on developing these qualities.

thanks, ive found a lot of the technical resources and have a decent working knowledge of the technical aspects. im more interested in content on the artistic side. will check out your site though, thanks!

oops sorry, missed the first link with all the accounts you follow. super great info, thanks again!

thank you so much for all the ideas! gonna start working through these. any companies or individuals that have work you love? just watching other people’s footage gives me a ton of ideas at this newbie stage.

hi all, i've been shooting video in a half-assed way for a few years now, and have just upgraded my system and would like to take this hobby a little bit more seriously in the future. do you have any recommendations for good resources to learn with? either excellent social media accounts for inspiration, online tutorials/guides/workshops/courses, books, anything. i'm specifically interested in composition, creating/editing scenes, and storytelling, but can benefit from information on technical things too. would love to hear what everybody uses to educate themselves and improve their work! thanks in advance!

Hi all, I would like to rehome this thing because it's not totally useless, but I can't in good conscience sell it. If you're new to underwater photography and want an inexpensive entry into the DSLR world, it might be worth your time/monies! Full specs can be found online. The good ::. .: This housing has never let any moisture in or flooded in many hundreds of dives .: All the buttons still button .: It's free The bad ::. .: You only get manual control over one parameter (either shutter or aperture, not both, which was fine for me since I shot video) .: There are no interchangeable ports. The 60mm macro works great in there, as does my 35mm, and I'm guessing everything in between. It's designed for the 18-55mm kit lens and has a zoom gear but all autofocus. .: The buttons stop working at around 80 feet. Too much pressure, and they no longer work. At least it doesn't flood? I've taken it pretty deep with no flooding issues, but this one drives me the most crazy, as I invariably find the coolest thing at 81 feet. You cover shipping from Canary Islands and it's yours. I'm also selling the camera and lots of lenses at market rate, if you need the camera!

yup, that’s what i decided on! now that it’s all settled im actually getting excited! thanks for the help! i def would’ve made a bad mistake without you all haha.

Please ignore my previous gear request posts! I changed the gear I thought I was going to upgrade to multiple times after input from others, and have now settled on the GH5. Unfortunately no post delete button. Looking for either a whole GH5 setup or any components as I'm kitting up from scratch. I have lights, but would consider having less crappy ones if the price makes sense. Please check Backscatter or similar for current retail prices! I keep seeing used equipment for sale for more than brand new and also a lot of setups for sale for a very long time. Believe me, I've lost a lot of money on camera equipment and it doesn't feel good, but is also part of the deal with this hobby. There is a GH6 on it's way and all of these setups will depreciate even more when that appears in a few months. Thanks for any leads!

thank you, yes hes a friend! and strongly discouraged the d850 for video haha. thanks for all the input all - i decided to go with the gh5.

I realize with the Canon full frame I then run into the issue of needing a 60mm lens to be able to get really close, which is why I was considering the switch to Nikon instead of getting a 5D mark IV because there isn’t a full frame version. Apparently still possible with a mod to the 100mm, but not ideal.

Thanks this is excellent info. I almost always use a 60mm macro. It seems like the GH5 might be a better option, or maybe a Canon 90D? I’m not familiar with the latter and need to look into housing options. Is there a reason to choose the 90D over the GH5? People generally seem pretty happy with the GH5.

i appreciate the creative thinking but you carry big lights on blackwaters anyways, and theres really no getting around having the lights on for filming. ive still managed to catch plenty of video with creatures going fast, but my life would be a lot easier with a faster autofocus.

sorry i should have specified that i have a pair of very powerful video lights. but still need very fast AF tracking because the creatures are crazy fast. i understand that video is not nikons focus but the footage is absolutely stunning out of the d850. id love to see some footage from the gh5 looking comparable if you know of any online!

Hi all, I am upgrading from a Canon 70D to a something, and could use some experienced advice. I almost exclusively shoot video, and 75% of the time it's on blackwater dives - open ocean, at night, shooting fast and transparent critters with a macro lens. Because of that, my main considerations are :: :: smart and fast autofocus that can find and track the subject :: stabilization :: image quality (of course) I want to shoot in 4k because my world intersects with documentaries often, but I'm not trying to be a professional, I just really want to show people all the weirdos down there in their full beauty. Maybe occasionally have some of my footage in b-roll for real productions. I know I love the footage off the d850, but the GH5 is much more affordable, and I think I like the footage but it's also hard to tell from online test videos. I'm okay with the image quality being slightly less than the D850, but if its substantially less, I think I'd rather spend the money and work on my manual stability (I read that the Panasonic has stabilization and can shoot 60fps for more stabilization flexibility). Any thoughts or guidance are appreciated, especially from anyone who happens to have used both! I'm also open to other options, but I'm a beginner at color grading so I have a strong preference for makes/models that give good colors out of the camera. I tend to not love the image quality out of the mirrorless cameras, but I've seen some pretty non-blackwater footage with the GH5. Thanks in advance for any and all help!