Are you a photographer? Or, a diver who happens to have a camera.

[Dan]

And these:

 

[NorCalDM]

I'm a diver that no longer carries a camera. I found myself not using it because when I did I felt like I was spending all my time focusing on taking a shot and missing out on the dive. I feel like I see way more stuff now that I don't carry one, I take pictures with my mind now.

 

[broncobowsher]

A diver with a camera. GoPro set for a picture every x# of seconds. See something that looks like it might be good, aim, try to hold steady for long enough that there are a couple of shots of it, go on with the dive. Most all of it is pure garbage to be deleted later. Don't let the camera rule the dive.

 

[TMHeimer]

I'm a diver who has a camera who has used it once, only in Panama. Nothing IMHO worth photographing in Nova Scotia (some will disagree).
How do I feel after each dive? Tired. I'm 67.
How do I feel before each dive....same.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I'm a diver that no longer carries a camera. I found myself not using it because when I did I felt like I was spending all my time focusing on taking a shot and missing out on the dive. I feel like I see way more stuff now that I don't carry one, I take pictures with my mind now.

Ditto with me. I didn't find it relaxing--it was an added burden.

 

[Dan]

That’s the reason why I don’t carry a monster camera. Too much trouble. GoPro & Point-and-Shoot camera, as shown below, are good enough for me.

Part of the fun is actually editing the shots between dives, actually I should say; dive-nap-eat-edit picture-repeat during the how liveaboard trip.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I'm a diver who takes a large DSLR rig on every dive. My primary purpose during a dive is to get the best photographs I can that show the life of that particular reef/wreck. I don't always get good photos, but I still try. Even when conditions are bad, I usually surface with some excitement of a new find or an expectation of a decent photo.

Photography changed my diving. I'm perfectly content spending 90 minutes or more in an area smaller than most apartments I've lived in.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

I'm such a bad photographer I might as well be waving around a rock, but I try.

I feel amazing after every dive. Right after I pee and burp.

 

[CanadaDan]

Good question
Thank you

Partially addressed by Dan



When I first got my camera
Like we all know
It's generally rare to capture all you wanted and even more rare that whatever you captured met your expectations

Early on and only on a few dives I surfaced feeling less than wonderful because either I wasted time trying to get the golden shot or I wasted time getting the golden shot

Less than a handful of dives before I reminded myself and came to terms with the idea that I'm not a photographer.
I know how to use a camera on land. Aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focal length, perspective etc etc.
But underwearI, I'm a diver who happens to have a camera.
A weekend diver who happens to have a camera.

Since then I've consciously, during the dive, decided whether I need to spend extra time getting the shot, in liue of wasted dive time or to carry on diving.
Maybe I'll get good shots maybe I won't.

When I've surfaced, what determines whether I've had a good dive aren't the images on the memory card, but what I actually saw. I also tend to jot down experiences on a slate that I later copy to it dive log.
Things like seeing a resident puffer fish has developed a tumor.
Or a funny mantis shrimp fighting the current to get a shell back to it's den.

A hundred dives later and I've surfaced many a times without having even aimed my camera. Because I knew it wouldn't be a good capture.
Either because of external variables like plankton, back scatter, current or internal variables like simply not being a professional underwater photographer with professional gear and abundant dive time.

Since then though, I've surfaced with complete and utter satisfaction regardless of whether my camera was used.

I'm a diver who happens to have a camera.

SLOW CLAP for this… damn. Seriously well said.

 

[Skeptic14]

I'm a diver that takes a camera, albeit photography is a big part of my diving.

I think uw photography improved my diving experience. I'm naturally type-A and underwater that resulted initially in a lot of swimming here and there actively pursuing something that caught my attention. The camera helped me to slow down and see what was in close proximity first and maybe worth trying to photograph depending on the circumstances.

Also, looking at and editing my photos helps extend the diving experience. Instead of cramming as many dives in a day I prefer to dive in the morning, look at and edit photos in the afternoon, see what worked, what didn't and repeat the next day.