adamhanlon

The photography contest season is here! On this episode of Wetpixel Live, @adamhanlon and @Alex_Mustard discuss why underwater, wildlife, and general photographic contests differ and how underwater photographers should chose their entries to ensure success.

So...in this episode, we discuss mounting dive computers onto strobe arms. For many years, I used a Suunto DX that was perfect as it was small and light. I could wear it as a wrist watch on trips and use it as a computer too. However, my eyesight was struggling to see the display. I switched to a Shearwater Perdix AI, which is excellent, super easy to read and very fully featured. However, it is too big to wear as a wrist watch, so was an "extra" thing to carry I have just started using Shearwater Teric, which has an AMOLED display and is colored. It is amazing and i can read it on my strobe arms with no problem! It also is small enough to double as a wrist watch too...

@kristapsdz is exactly right! If the external strobe is connected and triggered manually, it does not show in the EXIF....The exception would be if the strobe is triggered using a camera's built-in flash. Adam

Night diving offers an opportunity for different subjects and creative techniques for photographers. In this episode of Wetpixel Live, @Alex_Mustard and @adamhanlon provide some practical advice about setting up the gear and honing techniques to maximize the potential for striking shots.

The Maldives are open for business! Adam

We discussed Alex Mustard's workflow in an episode of Wetpixel Live and in this episode, the spotlight gets turned on Adam Hanlon, who explains the steps of his imaging workflow. He discusses with Alex how he wrangles his images in the field, and how he manages them once he returns home.

In today's Wetpixel Live Adam Hanlon admits that he had not noticed two new zoom features in yesterday's release of Lightroom 10 and sets out to remedy this in this short episode!

Hi Bernie... I've had them for about 6 years. Adam

In today's Wetpixel Live Adam Hanlon provides a brief overview of the new features in Lightroom version 10 released today. The key new functionality is the addition of the "Color Grading" pane within the Develop module, which adds cinema-style color wheels for adjusting the hue, saturation, and luminance.

Watch out for magnetic sand. I'm also wary of strong magnets close to electronics and especially memory cards... Adam

Lovely!

I don't use flip adaptors and the reason is that I find they interfere with my lighting. I am typically moving my strobes around a lot, and the flips always seem to be where I want the strobes to be! The alternative is to mount them so that they flip down...but I am also often trying to get my housing as close to the bottom as possible, and they get in the way of this. I have pockets on my dry and wetsuits, and when not in use, wet lenses etc. live in them (in neoprene bags for protection). The only exception is with long dives in very cold water. I typically use dry gloves, and can normally screw and unscrew wet lenses with these on, but if my hands get very cold due to long dives, this can get challenging. Great question!

@adamhanlon and @Alex_Mustard chat about the optical accessories that can be added to the inside of a lens port to achieve different effects. Included in the discussion are extension tubes, teleconverters, adapters, diopters, and filters.

The Cephalopod Citizen Science Project is seeking someone to help write their cephalopod ID guides. It would suit someone with a science background (or involved in a science based degree currently) who has a passion for these amazing creatures. If you are interested, please email for more details of the position. https://wetpixel.com/articles/volunteer-position-cephalopod-id-guide-writer Wetpixel will be partnering with the Cephalopod Citizen Science Project on a variety of exciting projects soon!

The illuminated backscatter you are seeing in the images is due to the "hot spot" put out by the strobe being "seen" in the image. Typically this so because your strobes are too far forward, or are turned up too high (for the water conditions). The strobes project a cone of light, and the part of this light that is close to the strobe is very bright. Any particulate caught in this will be illuminated. As you increase the power of the strobe, this "hot spot" moves further away from your strobe, and hence into your image. The wider your lens (the 8mm is pretty wide!), the further back your strobes typically need to be. I start with mine at least behind the housing handles. With smaller housings, you may need to go further back. Lastly, this advice only really holds when shooting conventional wide angle scenes like the images you shared. If you haven't yet, have a look at @Alex_Mustard's book "Underwater Photography Masterclass." His info on lighting is exceptional... Adam