Deep Wreck Photography

[beldridg]

I was contacted earlier this year and asked to give a presentation to the Orange County Underwater Photographic Society on some of the shipwrecks and airplane wrecks in Southern California (many divers have no idea about the wrecks located here - especially those beyond recreational depths).

Since it was a group of photographers, I developed a presentation about some of the challenges of taking photos on Southern California wreck dives that are deep and cold. There are some unique challenges including limited bottom time, a lot of particulate matter in the water, and often dark conditions that are adverse to photos, etc. — not to mention that many times the site is a target and I have no idea what we are going to find.

It also contains some information about photogrammetry as a tool and I developed another presentation on that topic specifically. I will post that next.

Keep in mind that I'm a diver/explorer first and a photographer second.

Below is a link to the presentation and a screenshot of the title slide (which shows the destroyer escort USS Vammen off San Clemente Island).

Presentation : Deep Wreck Photography

I was contacted earlier this year and asked to give a presentation to the Orange County Underwater Photographic Society on some of the shipwrecks and airplane wrecks in Southern California. Since i…

wreckedinmyrevo.com

Any feedback is appreciated.

Regards,

- brett

 

[kimh]

Any feedback is appreciated.

Absolutely amazing. I'm curious about new developments since October. Also curious- a little insight into your underwater photogrammetry workflow?

[Oops- found this]

Photogrammetry - A Primer

I posted to Scubaboard about a week ago about my first presentation to the Orange County Underwater Photographic Society. This is a follow-on presentation that I gave a couple months later that covers the basics of photogrammetry. I also did a live demo during the presentation. I hope this...

scubaboard.com

 

[GDHLEWIS]

Cheers for the share

 

[beldridg]

Absolutely amazing. I'm curious about new developments since October. Also curious- a little insight into your underwater photogrammetry workflow?

[Oops- found this]

Photogrammetry - A Primer

I posted to Scubaboard about a week ago about my first presentation to the Orange County Underwater Photographic Society. This is a follow-on presentation that I gave a couple months later that covers the basics of photogrammetry. I also did a live demo during the presentation. I hope this...

scubaboard.com

Cool, I'm glad you found that presentation. That is probably the closest to what you are looking for that is posted online. It also looks like you found my blog. I regularly post updates there.

In terms of activity since October, I did a second dive on the deep F8F Bearcat to finish my photogrammetry model which won the Underwater Photographer of the Year (UPY) award in the Wreck category.

2023 Winners - Underwater Photographer of the Year

Welcome to the Underwater Photographer of the Year winner's collection 2023.

underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com

The conditions in SoCal haven't been great lately and I took a long trip to Antarctica and did some diving so I've been posting about that.

I do have a few local wreck projects I've worked on recently that I'll publish in the next week or two so stay tuned...

- brett

 

[kimh]

The conditions in SoCal haven't been great lately and I took a long trip to Antarctica

So — nothing much happening.

Thanks for the info!

 

[RedSeaDiver2]

The internet has gone on a go-slow tonight so I will take a look at those presentations tomorrow as they look very interesting and may contain information that is relevant for us when we dive a "new" wreck in 215 feet - many thanks!

 

[beldridg]

So — nothing much happening.

Thanks for the info!

Glad that you found it useful. I'm working on a really nice photogrammetry model of a TBF we discovered last year and should publish it soon.

- brett

 

[beldridg]

The internet has gone on a go-slow tonight so I will take a look at those presentations tomorrow as they look very interesting and may contain information that is relevant for us when we dive a "new" wreck in 215 feet - many thanks!

Let me know if you have any questions.

- brett

 

[kimh]

I'm working on a really nice photogrammetry model of a TBF we discovered last year and should publish it soon.

Not sure if this is the best place, but as a non-technical, non-CCR diver, I'm curious about dive physiology below 100M. E.g. I know things like exercise levels & "work of breathing" are bigger factors at depth. And with structured photography goals at depth (e.g. accumulating photogrammetry coverage), it seems that exercise could easily trend above less structured, exploration dives. Is that a challenge to manage?

 

[beldridg]

Not sure if this is the best place, but as a non-technical, non-CCR diver, I'm curious about dive physiology below 100M. E.g. I know things like exercise levels & "work of breathing" are bigger factors at depth. And with structured photography goals at depth (e.g. accumulating photogrammetry coverage), it seems that exercise could easily trend above less structured, exploration dives. Is that a challenge to manage?

Yes, it does become an issue that you need to account for. WOB (and over-breathing your scrubber) can be a real issue. On really deep dives, there are (at least) three "tools" I use to help avoid it:

1) Scooter - I really don't like the combination of scooters and photography. I like cameras (obviously) and I like scooters, but I personally haven't mastered the combo. However, on deep dives, I either go with a buddy who can help tow me or I take scooter. Especially in areas where there can be current (which is basically all of SoCal), it is critical to have a way to move without a ton of exertion.

2) Helium - I would rather have more helium in my diluent and pay the "helium penalty" than to skimp, save some pennies, and maybe a little deco. I can really feel the difference on deep dives. For a 100M dive, I would normally have something like 7/70 for my Diluent.

3) Research - This is really key IMO. If you get on a 100M wreck and don't have a plan, you are screwed. You just don't have time to "figure out" what you are going to do.

I'm sure there are others, but as a quick thought, those are what I think of.

One last thing: in terms of photogrammetry, doing a model at depth is definitely a challenge. I think the most likely way would be either ROV or, if a human diver were doing it, mount the camera on the scooter and take images as you scoot along. I know people using that method on large wrecks.

Regards,

- brett