finally got some time ...

[haze diver]

thanks Bob. My expectations are for bad pictures on the first n outings. As long as n is not an infinity, I think I'll be able to grin through it

like uw photography, I imagine it will be a long while before I have the kind of bouyancy control that some of you here have... I'm not too bad in my dry suit now that I'm getting used to it, but then I haven't tried hovering two inches from the bottom and taking a picture at the same time

 

[thelawgoddess]

thanks Bob. My expectations are for bad pictures on the first n outings. As long as n is not an infinity, I think I'll be able to grin through it

in addition to the number of outings (like bob mentioned earlier), you should definitely
factor in that the more pictures you take, the more likely you are to get a good one.
for example, here are just a few pics i took of one octopus on a night dive last month:

pretty nice, eh? i have at least 20 more shots of similar "quality" and even though
i took nearly 30 photos, i only ended up with one that was okay in terms of getting
the whole octopus and not being entirely blurry:

i hope i will someday be able to take photos as good as bob's ... or even partway
close to as good. those squid shots are amazing!!! i can't even manage to see a squid -
they always swim away too fast; i don't know how he manages to get a picture of any!

anyway, just be patient, try not to get frustrated, and take lots and lots of photos,
and you're bound to eventually end up with some shots you like.

 

[TSandM]

Thelawgoddess has a point. Anybody who has dived with Bob since he took up the camera knows that, for every lovely photo he posts, he took probably 50. There's a reason I've had time to perfect my back kick

 

[Missdirected]

thanks Bob. My expectations are for bad pictures on the first n outings. As long as n is not an infinity, I think I'll be able to grin through it

like uw photography, I imagine it will be a long while before I have the kind of bouyancy control that some of you here have... I'm not too bad in my dry suit now that I'm getting used to it, but then I haven't tried hovering two inches from the bottom and taking a picture at the same time

Buoyancy/lung control are the keys IMO. When you have those "down", you will be essentially still and be able to hover and hold that two inches for long periods of time. This will assist you in getting pics like the tree worms in the cornucopia pic (as I call it). Most people can't get 3 or 4 inches from Christmas Tree worm without scaring it into its hole. When my patience is in tact and I am not watching over others, I like to just hover and wait until the wildlife starts behaving as though I am not there.

 

[haze diver]

Well, I sure enjoyed trying out the camera last weekend. The visibility wasn't great, so I tried hard to get close.

I've uploaded a couple of the pics that I took to spaces: http://jerryhiggins.spaces.live.com
I can definitely see that this is going to make my dive hobby even more addictive than it already is

As you can see, I have a long ways to go... but it's a start.

I appreciate all the good advice from folks here, it definitely helped on my first couple of dives with the camera!

Another small piece of advice that I would give to new uw camera peeps is: remember to check your RBT once in a while time flies when your snapping pics.

 

[haze diver]

thelawgoddess... what kind of octopus (and where) is that.. very cool!

 

[Missdirected]

The viz was terrible this weekend. I did get some shots of this Leopard Toadfish. I put this one up because it was one I had to hover and wait for for quite some time.

 

[haze diver]

Nice pics missdirected... freaky eyes on that dude

 

[thelawgoddess]

thelawgoddess... what kind of octopus (and where) is that.. very cool!

yeah; he was cool ... and very patient, letting me follow him all over the place to take pictures. unfortunately i was shallow and stuck in a surge, so it was super extra-challenging. i believe it is a "common atlantic octopus" - they are actually very good at hiding themselves, and often look green in photos because of how they react to camera flashes. the photo was taken during a night shore dive in cozumel.

missdirected, that toadfish is cool! where did you find him???

 

[thelawgoddess]

Nice pics missdirected... freaky eyes on that dude

that's weird, because the only picture i have of a toadfish also gave it freaky eyes. i think it must be a toadfish thing!