Help!!!!! @*%ing Red Spots

[lukeinman]

Hi there, I am a new diver but really interested in underwater photography so I bought a Fuji F30 with the appropriate housing and off I went to Sharm only to have most of the photos ruined by red spots all over the place, before I went in I cleaned the lens and the inside of the housing to a spotless finish ( i think ) so I dont know what Ive done wrong. Ive attached a couple of the dodgy images (dont laugh) and I would really appreciate any ideas as to how to avoid this in the future.
Thanks in advance guys

Luke

 

[aquaman87]

Are the original images too dark and then you "lightened" them up with some software? The red spots look like backscatter that has changed to red because of color correction.

 

[lukeinman]

Hi there

The images have been slightly adjusted but no where near enough to alter the colour of the spots this is pretty much the way they turned out in camera.

Thanks

Luke

 

[Hank658]

I have not used this particular camera/housing combination but looking at your photos the red spots appear to me to be reflections, kind of like what happens when you get the sun in your photos and get the circular spots on your image. I noticed that the dedicated housing for this camera has orange/red (couldn't tell from the photo) accents. With enough bright light you might be picking up reflections, or from the camera's built in flash.
If you can would you please post another couple photos for comparison.

Thanks.

 

[herman]

Ah the joys of backscatter. What you have here is a good expample of backscatter, the light from your interanl flash reflected by particals in the water back to the lens. You have 2 options to solve this, either turn the interal flash off and use availible light or add an external strobe and block/disable the internal flash.

 

[Larry C]

Another trick is get closer to your subject. The less water between you and your subject, the less particulate there is to cause backscatter. Likewise, behind your subject. If the subject is in front of a rock, reef, kelp, etc. and you're within a couple of feet, you're less likely to have backscatter issues.
On the positive side, the type of backscatter in your first picture is pretty easy to fix in post processing. If you have photoshop, my favorite trick is the clone tool. Set it for almost the exact size of the backscatter, and alt>click to the nearest spot that matches it in color and texture. Then simply click over the backscatter and voila, no backscatter. With practice, you can make it disappear completely. The second one has more backscatter, so would be trickier. On pictures where the water was silty, and it looks like you've got overlapping bubbles all over your picture, it's pretty hopeless.
Were you using a diffuser (milky looking plastic in front of the flash)? If you weren't, they help some by diffusing the light and softening the reflections.

 

[Nemrod]

That is not backscatter, that is internal reflection within the housing exacarbated by the internal flash. If you notice they have the same hexagonal shape as the iris of the lens.

1) You need to get an external flash and shield your internal flash with something like the Inon Clear Photo System.

2) Reduce power of internal flash and provide some sort of shielding to prevent light from reflecting off the lens port glass back into the lens. My Canon housing has a rubber tube inside the port to shield the lens fromreflections generated by the internal flash, once long ago I fabricated a similar shield for my Nikon/Ikelite SLR when I had similar reflections--then caused by direct sunlight--reflecting off the silver clad Nikon body onto the inner side of the dome port and causing colorful hexagonal reflections that if you looked really close you could read Nikon FMII on the camera body in the reflections.

Again, light is coming from the flash, going through the clear polycabonate lens extension and then reflecting back from the inside of the port glass directly into the camera lens. Camera lenses do not like this sort of thing.

N

 

[jcscuba]

This is taken from the website of joe liburdi. Dive Travel with Joe Liburdi He has been diving for 55 years, most of you know him, he's been my mentor and I've adopted him as my dad. He gives private underwater photo lessons for new photographers, or people that want to improve.


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Welcome to our monthly newsletter designed to keep you informed of the goings on in the wonderful world of Digital Photography and Video. We hope you find this of interest and if you have a topic you would like us to cover in future newsletters, please let us know.

Composition


Photography is an art.Those who do it well are artists.

But not everyone who cradles a camera becomes a good photographer and no one person knows everything there is to know about photography. The majority of the population on our planet owns at least one camera and I dare say that 90% of them are clueless on how to compose a picture pleasing to the eye.

My knowledge about photography stems from trial and error, chat sessions with the pros, and many hours of reading about photography.

Our modern camera systems have all the automatic gadgetry to make life easy for the photographer. But for all the bells and whistles and sophisticated technology, a camera cannot compose the image in front of the lens into a work of art. Art must originate from the human brain. That’s why no two photographers will create a photo of the same likeness.

The basic rules of composition that follow are guidelines and are meant to be stepping stones. With a little bit of practice and honing of the skills, you will become a better photographer, possibly a great one.

We will discuss two of the basic rules in photographic composition.

Fill the frame with a clear description of the central point of interest. Get in as close as possible and frame only the central point of interest. Eliminate any distracting images in the scene that are not pleasing to the eye.
Practice The Rule of Thirds. Mentally divide the frame in thirds both horizontally and vertically. The central point of interest being photographed should be placed either one third across or one third up or down the picture, or where the lines intersect.





FAQs

Q: What’s with the black dots that appear in the same spot on all my digital images?
(personal conversation red dots the same)
A: Chances are, they are dust particles on the camera’s CCD sensor. The electrically charged CCD radiates static energy and the dust adheres to the sensor.

Prevention

Always turn the power off on the camera before changing lenses.
Always change lenses in a clean windless environment. Use extreme caution when changing lenses on a boat or beach. Sea spray and sand are extremely hazardous to the electronics of your camera when the lens is removed.
When using your camera in dusty, windy conditions, always cover the camera between shots. Keep it covered as much as possible.
Cure
Most camera manuals have instructions on how to clean the CCD. Follow the instructions to the letter!
Visit the web. There are many sites with good ideas on materials and instructions on cleaning sensors.
Cleaning a sensor is a delicate operation. If you are not skilled with working with your hands, send the camera into the factory or repair center for professional help.
If you don’t want the hassle of cleaning the sensor, use Photoshop to eliminate the spots from your pictures. However, this is a hassle and is not a really good solution. GET THE SENSOR CLEANED AND KEEP IT CLEANED.

 

[ce4jesus]

Guys this is classic backscatter. Its red because some color correction was done and some of them are the shape of the iris due to light being reflected back through the lens.

Q: What’s with the black dots that appear in the same spot on all my digital images?
(personal conversation red dots the same)

The pattern of spots is different in both photos. One way to tell if your sensor is dirty is to take a photo of a pure blue sky or a white ceiling with flash. DIGIDIVER :: View topic - How dirty is your sensor? [USEFUL READING]

 

[Nemrod]

No, I don't think so. The reflections in those photos are not sediment/debris in the water but multiple reflections from within the housing reflected back from the glass lens port onto the lens. Notice they favor the upper portion and especially the upper rh in the right photo. Anyways, good luck to you.

N