Grantjpthomas 16 Posted May 16, 2016 Hey Guys, I came from the world of topside photography and since going under the surface with my gear i haven't looked back up! I am a PADI dive instructor working on Tioman Island, Malaysia. I shoot with canon 5d mkiii, ikelite housing. This was taken with my canon 16-35mm mkii lens and natural light (sunset time) Post production tweaks in lightroom. (exposure, lens disstortion, colour correct, detail) I like the image but i feel it's missing something or maybe has too much of something else. Which is a general feeling at the moment with a lot of my images. Any constructive criticism's would be much appreciated! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KeithG 21 Posted May 16, 2016 the "above" background is great. the "below" background is distracting. imho... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
troporobo 237 Posted May 16, 2016 The dappled light on the turtle and the slanted sun rays are great, but the shadows on the head and front flipper detract quite a bit as the eye is drawn to the shell and not the animal. The turtle is also swimming obliquely away from the viewer which isn't ideal either. Of course you might not have been able to do much about either factor! Bu tif you had the time to work with this "model", getting a little lower and more toward the front, and watching where the light hits as it moves, might have given different results. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grantjpthomas 16 Posted May 17, 2016 Thanks guys! I definitely agree with both your comments. I do find it tricky trying to get the perfect natural light fall on the subject im shooting. If you have any tips on shooting in these kind of conditions i would love to here them! I have included a couple more shots below, if anyone would be kind enough to critique i would love to hear your opinions! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TimG 62 Posted May 17, 2016 Hey Grant I think you caught the light nicely on the second pic of the turtle. As troporobo said, while not easy, it's generally better if you can shoot upwards - rather than downwards - especially when you have a background which can be distracting. Sure, not easy! The bubble-circle is fun. If you blew it and then took the pic, well done! Not sure there is much you can say about it - other than, if you fancy a real challenge, get a diver in the pic too up in the light to give the image context. But, hey, counsel of perfection? The over-under is well done especially as I can't see any signs of water drops on the "over" bit. That can be tricky to achieve. If you want to get it better, I'd suggest stopping down more to get greater depth of field - thus trying to get the shoreline more in-focus too. And then maybe looking for something a bit more attractive than the slightly scraggly mooring lines. But, like I say, counsels of perfection - and the dangers of asking for critiques. They're nice images. Well done. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grantjpthomas 16 Posted May 18, 2016 Hey Tim, Thanks for the great comments i really appreciate your advice! I was considering trying the bubble ring again and trying to line it up to encircle someone swimming at the surface (might take a few attempts...)! For my split shots i usually spit on the dome, focus, dunk and take a burst shot then select my favourite. Not sure if this is the best technique or not, maybe someone could advise otherwise? With regards to Aperture settings as i am fairly new to underwater photography i am still getting my head around some things. I notice a lot of guys are stopping way down to say f16 or more. On land the "sweet spot" on my canon 16-35mm is usually f8 to f11 to give good depth of field and minimize diffraction causing a loss of sharpness. Does this theory then differ for underwater photography? Thanks again guys for your helpful comments! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TimG 62 Posted May 18, 2016 Hey Grant I use the same technique as you for over/unders: spit, dunk, shoot. If you poke around these forums you'll find folks who use other techniques including some sorts of car windscreen fluids. As for apertures, yeah, use the sweet spot especially for WA. With macro it depends how quickly the resolution falls off with a particular lens. It's very tempting to slap it down to f32 if shooting a very tiny critter with minimal depth of field. But, generally, you are losing a bit of sharpness. It's worth testing it out - as it sounds as though you have done already with WA. I don't think there's much difference between topside and u/w. But others will know more than me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flavitie 3 Posted May 24, 2016 I like the photo of the ring, somehow I feel it looks better if you turn it vertical (leaving the ring on top and the small bubbles below) Second turtle is much better for its composition and since it has more color on the turtle itself. Agree with stopping down the over-under for depth of field and perhaps I would prefer a bluer cast of the water. ciao,F. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
