AN UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHER’ S GUIDE TO THE MALDIVES
Tips and Techniques
NOVICE MANTAS AT CLEANING STATIONS Stay back from the cleaning station until the mantas feel comfortable, and always stay below a manta’ s flight path. Don’ t chase them – let the mantas come to you, and don’ t forget to look behind you from time to time. Agree in advance to keep your whole group on one side of the cleaning station, and choose the side with the sun at your back for easier exposures. Upward angles and strobes work well in shallow cleaning stations, especially if the animals get close. Change your diving schedule if other boats are on a station. Too many people may spook the mantas, making good images difficult.
SOFT CORAL Soft coral needs current to bloom, so even though it’ s a stationary subject, decide on an approach strategy. Set your camera to f / 8 and about 1 / 160s, ISO100 – 200. Pull the strobes back and up, behind the handles and above the midpoint of your housing. The strobes should be as far from the housing as the subject will be from the port. Swim a little way upstream and fire off a few shots as you drift back towards the subject. Review and adjust your settings, and repeat the process.
10 Massive walls of soft coral are some of the most forgiving subjects Equipment & settings: Nikon D300, Tokina 10 – 17mm fisheye lens, dual Sea & Sea YS-250 strobes, f / 11, 1 / 200s, ISO200
11 A huge number of black-finned anemonefish in a single anemone Equipment & settings: Canon EOS-7D, Tokina 10 – 17mm fisheye lens, dual Sea & Sea YS-250 strobes, f / 11, 1 / 30s, ISO160
12 A beautiful soft coral garden teeming with fusiliers Equipment & settings: Nikon D300, Tokina 10 – 17mm fisheye lens, dual Sea & Sea YS-250 strobes, f / 8, 1 / 125s, ISO200
EQUIPMENT CONSIDERATIONS
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COMPACT CAMERAS: Compact users will need some help from thirdparty accessories for wide-angle work. The stock lens of your compact camera, generally about 24mm or 28mm at the widest setting, will require that you mount a fisheye conversion lens to the front of your housing. This will yield around 150 to 165 degrees of coverage, depending on the camera and lens choice, allowing you to get nice and close to your subject while maintaining a wide field of view. In terms of lighting, two strobes work best for wide-angle work, allowing creative lighting opportunities and enough light to fill the frame.
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