Buddies and Photography

[cardzard]

Well I have a different prespective I guess. My wife is my dive buddy/critter hunter and as a team I feel we are as good as if not better than most buddies with no camera. We share the same goals and it enhances the photos since she also remembers any given photo and know she was part of the process. I rarely dive with anyone else and my camera. I have however on occasion with some close friends and with THEIR blessing brought my camera. All have told me they enjoyed the hunt. It also showed them slow and steady means more than speed and distance. I guess my experience is somewhat different since my buddy is also my best friend forever.

 

[justleesa]

I wish I could enjoy a nice dive like that with my forever buddy...alas on his days off we don't dive

 

[RonFrank]

Actually it sits in a locked closet. With its two strobes it is a royal PITA to use unless someone is paying me professionally to use it. My P&S is on my desk and I'll have a housing by August for my new D200.

Yeah, I'm hoping to have a housing before my next trip to FL for my D200.

I know totally off topic, but it is interesting that you have been loving the nice small footprint of your PnS (and so do I) yet you are getting a housing for that DSLR.

I REALLY enjoy my S70 UW, and will carry that camera on every worthwile dive (diving where I do is often an excercise in training, and nothing more), but I am NOT completely happy with just having that UW.

 

[RonFrank]

Well it's true. We DIR divers are the best at everything all at the same time.

So what is the DIR standpoint on buddies with cameras? I'd think that just would not fit in at all....

 

[RonFrank]

Well I have a different prespective I guess. My wife is my dive buddy/critter hunter and as a team I feel we are as good as if not better than most buddies with no camera. We share the same goals and it enhances the photos since she also remembers any given photo and know she was part of the process. I rarely dive with anyone else and my camera. I have however on occasion with some close friends and with THEIR blessing brought my camera. All have told me they enjoyed the hunt. It also showed them slow and steady means more than speed and distance. I guess my experience is somewhat different since my buddy is also my best friend forever.

Ahhh, you are an UW photographer! Off topic, when RU diving in FL. I would likely try and make sure I'm on at least a boat with you at some point. I am about to book my dives!

 

[Diver Dennis]

Dennis that leads me to next point. When buddy awareness becomes second nature, then one can task load and still be aware at all times. This form of buddy awareness is a bit like the sleeping dog with one ear always up and aware. If you can't see or feel your buddies presence at all times you immediately take notice.

Those of us who worked on our buddy skills to make them second nature before picking up a camera, find that it is very easy to conduct our dives without losing our buddies.

Exactly and it's not only buddy skills but the awareness of your own situation. I've read posts about photographers that don't watch their gas consumption as well. Second nature is an excellent way to describe it. It is something you just do, checking you depth and gas situation, it doesn't matter if you have a camera or not it is ingrained so you do it naturally.

 

[RonFrank]

I dive with buddies and photographers who are DIR trained. What I find is that no matter what we may be taking pictures of, we always are very much aware of where each other is at all times. It is rare for us to get more than 15' apart in good vis. While I'm composing my shot, my buddy may also be shooting something nearby or waiting his turn to take photos of my subject. If I'm composing a shot and I see my buddies strobe go off in quick succession then I go over and see what cool thing has been found.

Bottom line is that you can be an excellent and attentive buddy with another photographer and still take great photos. If you can't then you need to examine your buddy skills and awareness without a camera.

I agree with your argument, however I think it would have been much better presented without the word DIR. Lack of DIR does not a bad buddy make, and DIR has little to do with UW photography IMO.

I dove last Summer with my Cuz who has been diving since the early 70's (never heard of DIR BTW). I am a relatively new diver. We did a lot of diving together, and both had cameras. We were within 10 feet of each other most always, and while we were both taking photo's we worked out very well as a buddy team and we remained tight.

This has nothing to do with DIR training, but rather the decision to stay together regardless of vis (which was great), photo OPS, or personal desire to go off to see soemthing. If I wanted to go somewhere, I'd wait until she was done with a shot, grab her attention, and we would both go.

This is what being a buddy is about, and while I do think that having a camera can be a bit distracting, if she had gone OOA, I was never more than a few feet away, and a quick pull of the fin, or tap on the shoulder, and the OOA sign would have prompted air exchange.

 

[cardzard]

Ahhh, you are an UW photographer! Off topic, when RU diving in FL. I would likely try and make sure I'm on at least a boat with you at some point. I am about to book my dives!

My list Ron
on Republic VII
Friday PM - Spiegel Grove*
Saturday AM - Eagle*
Saturday PM - Duane*
Sunday PM - Conch Wall

Garys boat is hard to beat

 

[Diver Dennis]

Well it's true. We DIR divers are the best at everything all at the same time.

Up, that is a good one.

 

[Diver Dennis]

Hawaii.. somewhere in Hawaii.

Maybe there is a difference in the attention paid to dive buddies because of environment. We dive in cold dark low viz water. You dive in warm light clear water.

What do you think?

Good point. It is totally different diving in 50'+ vis. That's where I dive almost exclusively and I know that it is far easier keeping track of one or more people or diving on my own, which is my usual MO.