Hawaiian Eel

[alcina]

First time since I have been back to even LOOK at any of the photos I took with justleesa in Oahu! She is wonderful - let me borrow her camera as mine didn't arrive in time. I didn't do so very well with the camera set-up as I was too close most of the time. At least I have lots to redo when I go back!

And I am using some for learning more about control in PS...

Here is an eel - the original and after about 3 minutes of fiddling. It ain't perfect, but I think the colours are fairly normal and not too fakey...whaddathink?

 

[justleesa]

You still find the time? Looks pretty good to me! I know that you took plenty of good pics....so keep on playing!
Alcina, be glad that you're not here now...the water is even colder than it was when you were here, windy and raining on and off to boot. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
Looking forward to your return in warmer weather!
Aloha,
Lisa

 

[Dee]

Looks pretty natural to me, good job!

 

[Gilligan]

Looks like the typical Whitemouth Moray monster to me. Nice pic.

 

[alcina]

Thanks all. It wasn't a tremendous shot and I am pretty sure I was on program mode. I hate the background, but for a holiday snap it is fine. And his eye isn't actually sharp...almost, but not quite. oh well.

Dee - thanks for letting me know it looks pretty natural to you, you seem to have a really good eye for too much lavender, red etc. Sometimes I find after I look at something too much or look at too many changes I lose perspective!

justleesa - DH wants to visit now, too. I'll keep you posted as it may happen yet this year again! Time? What's that? This was done while I was talking on the phone trying to put out yet another small fire! It's the only time lately I have had to do anything fun since I got back

gilligan - thanks for the ID! I haven't started to ID my stuff yet and I will probably be posting and asking lots as I doubt some things are in my books.

 

[Dee]

I hate the background, but for a holiday snap it is fine.

The blue background is what makes it look natural! Your subject is lit, making it stand out against the background. I would have used a faster shutter speed to really darken that background, making the eel really stand out better. One of the big things that makes those 'mandraked' photos unreal to me is there's not a strobe made that will light the background that far away, yet that process takes every single bit of natural blue out of the background as far as you can see. Just not natural. Either that or I've just never been on such a washed out reef!

 

[alcina]

The blue background is what makes it look natural! Your subject is lit, making it stand out against the background. I would have used a faster shutter speed to really darken that background, making the eel really stand out better. One of the big things that makes those 'mandraked' photos unreal to me is there's not a strobe made that will light the background that far away, yet that process takes every single bit of natural blue out of the background as far as you can see. Just not natural. Either that or I've just never been on such a washed out reef!

Sorry, I should have been more specific...I like the blue, I wouldn't have wanted it lit by a strobe anyway! I hate the skanky looking rock stuff! Ahh to have a subject line up with beautiful, but not distracting, stuff in the background!

Had I done more dives with this camera (instead of my huge 2!) I probably would have played with the settings more. I agree, a faster shutter would have been the way to go here - I only hope that this can help illustrate for others I think a bit of care would have been needed here with a faster shutter as his tail was a bit behind him and I wanted it in the picture...as is I am glad that little light hit the tail IMHO makes him look even longer, maybe

 

[Dee]

Yeah...the 'skanky' stuff will nail ya every time! LOL