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| Interestingly enough many Technical divers keep
a wide birth when it comes to the subject of stills photography
preferring instead to take the pathway into the world of video
& moving images. Both formats here are a bind when added
into the equation of a deep technical dive lets face it as if
the dive itself isn’t task loading in the first place.
Several video systems appear hard built as if made for the harsh
environment of deep wreckin with few operating controls and
virtually instant results, the glamour of video becomes obvious.
Stills photography is a completely different story, copious
amounts of varying controls, switches and precious |
Italian Maria Pia Pezzali using medium format
|
| dome ports that cannot be missed are simply not made for
boats packed to the brim with tech divers. With a stills camera
comes a long tedious apprenticeship, what do I mean by this
well 5 years on since first picking up a camera system I still
find myself studying the craft in every format. This is not
a game that will happen overnight, with stills come an immense
amount of knowledge dedication and practice to make it work.
The chances are your first attempt will result with the lot
in the bin, so straight away your inspiration will drop through
the floor. However having said that for those that are prepared
to 'dig out blind' and by that I mean gritting your teeth and
sticking with it the rewards are better than you will ever imagine.
Your expedition is going to need images from the sharp end to
make it stand out a little special. Can you imagine the results
of your hard earned expedition having dived some fantastic wreck
with little to show other than your mate jumping in with a ton
of gear and the support diver waving at his mum? Photography
in all mediums is moving fast, technology building itself on
a |
| daily basis and with this in mind
many find difficulties in just where to begin. Asked on a regular
occasion why I am not using a digital format system I always
answer I am! Although I still load film, the results are then
scanned to a high resolution that is of standard for publication,
therefore I have a digital image to work on and the 35mm can
be used with an affordable projector for presentations. The
best of both worlds. Publishing companies still request material
in 35mm format to produce quality final results. Digital hasn't
surpassed me and it’s a subject that I am closely monitoring,
Nikon are currently working on the D2x to supersede the D1x
(5.47mega pixel), which is expected to be the first 8-mega-pixel
camera. |
Above; F5 &F100 Aquatica
housings rated to 330ft depth are made
for serious deep wreck photographers, note the large ports
to
take the 16mm lens. |
| What does that mean you say, well simply put
8 mega pixels will in theory be of equivalent quality as film
itself, i.e. capable of producing images for high-end editorial
work such as covers. Nikon keep quite on the D2x front but when
and if a unit as such comes out that would be a personal choice
for me added to a custom sea cam housing, you could guess that
there's going to be a hefty price tag with it as well. The point
I'm trying to put across is that in the current climate I feel
there's nothing wrong whatsoever in sticking with traditional
35mm systems that are affordable and produce results. Lets stick
with the subject of traditional 35mm for now |
and concentrate on digital in a later edition.
My form of Deep photography is in theory no different to any
other underwater photography the only difference is the equipment
is a little more heavy duty than those you may have seen in
the red sea. We'll look at the equipment required and while
I'm not biased towards particular manufactures this article
will based around basic methods and more so an introductory
to deep equipment.
Cameras & Housings
Cameras for underwater photographers come in two formats Amphibious
and land based SLR's. Both Nikonos and sea & sea produce
amphibious cameras with external interchangeable lenses, the
Nikonos v is no longer in production a camera long regarded
as 'THE' tool. Both of these units are depth rated no
|
Aove; Nikonos RS Amphibious
camera which
is no longer in production was the choice
of professionals for a number of years. |
Aove; The Nikonos was priced at approx
£2000 and strobe unit at £950 which put the unit into
a serious
price bracket for even the most serious contender. Today these units
are still sort after and fetch high
prices even on the second hand market.
| deeper than 60m max, in theory they should go deeper and
if the o rings are doing their jobs the seals should get better
with depth. As pressure increases on the controls any slight
movement could result in an instant flood rendering the camera
useless. As we want to take at least 24 frames if not 36 when
we are on the wreck these particular models are perhaps not
the best choice. Housed land SLR's present perhaps the better
choice, when I say SLR this refers to 'single lens reflex' basically
meaning a set of optics within the camera that enables you to
see exactly the image you will shoot through the view finder.
High Street compacts have |
Above;
Aqautica pro 90 housing for the Nikon f90x as used by Leigh
Bishop to capture many of the results on this website. |
an offset viewfinder that is slightly off what
the end result represents. Nikonos did at one time manufacture
the Rolls Royce of cameras an amphibious SLR called the RS,
depth rated to 100m this was a special tool but it did have
a hefty £2000 price tag a few years back. Certainly a
system to look out for on a second hand market if that is someone
is prepared to part with such a gem. Aquatica in Canada manufacture
a housing specifically designed for the Nikon F70 & F90x
and the older f801 SLR models, housings incidentally that are
depth rated also to 100m. Each of the Aquatica's controls that
penetrate the housing shell is double o-ringed and if that’s
not enough for you there's the option for an extra leak detector
kit that illuminates with the slightest water congregation.
I've had |
| one of these hosing down to 135m on the Transylvania with
no problems at all. But don’t take my word for gospel.
Many systems have exceeded there ratings but there's always
a day when the worst will happen, and you don’t want to
be living with that 'maybe it will be ok' each time you dive.
The pro 90 model is designed specifically for the F90x which
allows total control of all the required functions the camera
offers for a wide range of photographic opportunities as well
as the option to fly it manually which is a great bonus when
it comes to photographic work in British waters. Often the great
many suspended particles in our temperate waters cause an automatic
focus system to continuously hunt for a focus fix, with this
in mind I always focus manually, which automatically takes any
time wasting out of the equation. Remember at depth time is
of the essence so snap judgements and fast operation is in order.
Sea & Sea also produce a superbly engineered housing for
the F90x SLR but again sadly is only rated to 60m. |
 |
Left; I have attached a bracket
to my aquatica so I can secure a locking carrabina from the
unit to my harness in an effort to prevent loss of the unit
whilst I'm decompressing.
Above; A small dab of flouresent paint helps
line up controls at depth when conditions are poor and dark. |
Above;
Look after your camera eqipment and in the long run it will
serve you well, always use a specifically designed carrying
case if your travelling abroad. After each dive make sure your
housing and strobes are free of salt water. In an effort to
prevent the salt from drying after a wreck dive why not drop
the system in a crate of seawater until you get back to port. |
| I've mentioned suspended particles in the water and one of
the key factors in underwater photography is to reduce the amount
of water between the camera and your subject. Its often been
said that ultra wide angle lenses are the work horses of shipwreck
photographers, a quote that could not be more true. The wider
the lens the better as the diver is able to become ridiculously
close to subject matter with it still being in the frame, in
doing so the water column is significantly reduced and hence
visual clarity is stronger as well as less chance of eliminating
suspended particles known as back-scatter that degrade an image.
A true Nikkor or Sigma 20mm wide lens is regarded acceptable
for general wreck photography although the ultra wide-angle
16mm fisheye becomes the choice of many professionals. All the
cover images I have shot for 990 are with a 16mm f/2.8D Nikkor
lens. |
| Many deep wrecks lie in complete darkness and
so to shoot an image from the wreck we are certainly going to
need some form of artificial lighting, life couldn't be as simple
as snapping an image on the surface could it. Cans of light
known as strobes are carried by virtually all underwater photographers
even in the shallows but at depth you will need some big mothers
to capture the light just on the correct exposure. Strobes work
in conjunction with the camera using a flexible sync cord attached
to the top shoe of the camera a little like a standard flashgun
on a land camera. Each strobe used has to be at a reasonable
distance from the lens for correct exposure against the angle
spread of the wide lens, a simple arm attached to the housing
overcomes the problem. On the surface these are a pain often
falling just where you don’t want them but underwater
they are neutrally buoyant and are suspended in the water without
trouble. |
Above;
Lubricants is the answer to a cameras life not to mention
its sealing capacites. Lube up orings before each dive with
the manufactures specified lubricant. Note the sea & sea
oring remover at the bottom right of the above picture. Take
care of your orings and monitor them for any cuts or wear. |
| Aim your flash gun (strobe) from the side at an acute angle
or above so the reflected light from particles doesn’t
direct back to the lens instead controlling the direction from
which subject matter is lit. A simple trick as such results
in an apparent improvement in water clarity of the final image
as well as reducing that snowstorm effect caused by backscatter.
The choice and combination of strobes depends on lens coverage
conditions in which you intend to shoot and the type of subject
matter. Currently I'm running two guns on split sync cord both
working in TTL (through the lens) if only to give me the coverage
that the fisheye demands. Using a single gun directed central
results in a spot light effect blackening the outer scope of
the final image. |
Above;
Strobe choice is as important as the camera and housing itself
and remember at depth you going to need some pretty big mothers
to eluminate huge areas of wreck. For deep wreck photography
choose a strobe with a large guide number practically the biggest
you can afford. Dont be tempted to buy the cheapest you can
as you will soon find out your images are are part eluminated
when you start to back off in order to capture larger areas
of wreck. Dont worrie about depth rating these sea & sea
units above have been twice as deep as the manufactures depth
specification. The big Ikelite to the right I now as a slave
unit for specific assignments. |
Another tip while engrossed in this particular
subject is to make sure that as you shoot a portrait image that
the ultra wide lens does not incorporate the strobe actually
in the image frame. Pull the gun well back as not to interfere
with the image composition. Depth rating on strobes is neither
here nor there and manufacturers rarely specify such details,
I spent ages scanning the small print as to such information
without luck. Several people have different ideas but in general
a depth of 60m often crops up, thinking about it though manufacturers
don’t waist their time designing strobes for depth as
99.9% of their customers use them in less than 15m of water.
Sea & sea strobes are rated to 60m although I have had these
well over twice that depth without problems, the way I see it
is strobes are a little more expendable than thef90x within.
The YS 350 is the |
| largest gun the company manufactures with a guide number of
32. The higher the guide number the more light energy the strobe
produces over a given area, based on a standard set of land
conditions by a manufacturer. Flashguns are not always physically
linked to the camera-housed system and can be fired manually
by an assistant or by means of slave sensor technology. An independent
strobe is placed hidden within the creative scene and is triggered
instantaneously by the main strobes, basically your shutter
opens when you press the release, TTL in conjunction with microcomputer
determines the correct quench required for exposure which triggers
the sensor on the slave to operate the slaves quench, all in
a split second. |
 |
In an environment such as wrecks in complete darkness
this technique has all the bonuses for some great photography
but the down side is setting the entire system up with such
precious little time at depth. Professional cave photographers
like Martin Farr & Gavin Newman use this system to great
benefit; the shallower depths and darkness of European caves
are blessed for the benefits of slave work. I have tried the
method in the deep wreck environment with my big guide numbered
Ikelite sub-strobes, and while the method works at lot of patience
is needed. |
| Getting the exposure (correct lightning for the subject) right
is the backbone of successful image making and is all done by
determining the correct shutter speed in relation to the aperture
as well as lens distance to subject! Phew that sounds complicated
even to me. As I say a fair amount of homework and practice
is in order to master this although both exposure calculation
tables and TTL operating ranges can be stuck to the sides of
strobes & housings to refresh your memory when your scaling
your image up at 130m! |
| Doesn't sound too flamboyant deep photography does it and
you soon begin to realise why you can count on one hand the
amount of people that actually do it! Of course you could attempt
to take advantage of ambient light as a means of lighting your
subject but conditions have to be spectacular and a tripod in
conjunction with ultra long exposures will be needed. |
| If your going to be using a camera
on a deep wreck your obviously in for some serious drift decompression
so make sure your entire system is secured to your harness safely.
Imagine accidentally dropping the unit in mid deco, that’s
a pretty barren seabed below you; develop some sort of securing
method and land yarn for piece of mind. (see pictured bracket)
Remember to look after your system like a baby and it will pay
you back time and time again, be ultra strict with your o-rings
clean & lubricate them before and after every dive. Oh I
also forgot to say being a photographer is similar to a drummer
in a band being the last to finish at the end of the day. On
an expedition after each evening of gas mixing and kit preparation
there's no time for the wicked your camera needs all your loving
care and attention. On a dive boat I leave the entire system
inside a gear gulper of its own, that way it's not going to
get stamped on by someone in passing who cares little of your
equipment. After each dive pass your camera up to the boat asking
your helping hand to put it straight in your crate. Another
tip before the boat finally leaves the dive site is to fill
the crate to the brim with seawater in doing so if the sun breaks
out your system doesn’t dry out causing salt crystals
to form, which can lead to all sorts of problems around the
controls. When you get your crate home your camera |
Aove;
The classic F90x which is no longer manufactured. This camera
works well with the pro 90 housing from aquatica. F90x units
can be brought readily on the second hand market. |
| should still be wet, then before your strip it down make
room for it in your bath with you then only strip it down after
its dry. And remember to keep your gear well protected in a
case especially if you have children at home or your flying
abroad. |
 |
You don’t know it but you may well have
a ton of information on underwater photography right in your
house now, have a look through all your old diving magazines
and you'll be surprised at what's been written over the years.
Its all there those Scooby Red Sea features that you've flicked
on past have a wealth of information that can be directly
related to deep wreck photography and even cave photography
if that’s your chosen field. Those Scooby's may ponce
around in 6m of water but they sure as dam it know a heap
about snapping a great picture, if your like me before you
know it you'll be studying images of puffer fish trying to
work out what exposure the guy went with!
Further reading The New Guide to Sea &
Sea by Joe Liburdi &Cara Sherman. Images Below by Chris
Howes, basically a manual of dry caves photography, which
is perfect basic learning material that can be adapted for
underwater use.
Left; In the top right of
this picture you can see the strobe unit that is actually
attached to the camera system I am using to take the actual
image. This is beacuse I am using a 16mm wide angle Nikkor
lens which is so wide I have accidently caught the strobe
in the picture. Once you begin taking photographs little things
like this will become apparent in many of the rolls of film
you will first go through.
Bruce Dunton with a double redundant rebreather after a dive
to Lusitania 300ft depth.© Leigh Bishop 1999
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Article words and pictures by Leigh Bishop
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