Help? My first Pictures

[ScubaDuke]

Suggestions and comments welcome.

These are some of my first pictures taken with my MX-5. I picked the ones I thought were the best. If you go to my website, go to "Other links" and click on Cozumel 2000 you can see them all on a pp presentation format but it takes a while to download. Some aren't worth the wait.

Her are some direct links:

Octopus-night dive
Trade cameras?
Starfish
Toadfish
Toadfish 2
Lobster
Conch
A whatsitsname fish
The End

Better than home movies? Please tell me what I need to improve besides a new camera.

BTW- none of people in these pictures was me! Whew.

 

[Dee]

The whatitsname fish is an adult Spotted Drum.

With the MX-5 you'll always get backscatter (those blurry white blobs) when there is particulates in the water. The internal flash is bouncing off the particles directly back through the lens. You can't avoid it so get used to it!

The two Toadfishes are a good example of distance. If you want a subject, like a fish, to be the focal point of the picture you need to be as close as you can. I don't know what the focal length of the MX-5 lens is but you should be safe between 24 and 36 inches. They are both good pictures!

Get close. And when you're as close as you think you should be, get even closer!

Whenever possible, shot on an upward angle. For instance, the starfish picture was taken looking straight down on it which gives it a flat look. If possible, you could have gotten down on the sand and taken the shot from the side, showing the outline demensions of the star. Does that make sense?

You have some very good pictures with the MX-5, keep practicing! While you'll never get those really close macro shots or impressively wide angled reef scenes, with a bit of practice you'll have some very nice album pictures to show your friends. Remember it's not the price of the camera that makes a good picture, it's the eye behind the lens! Learn the rules of composition, accept the limitations of your camera and you'll have some great pictures!

 

[fergyjohn]

G'day Scubaduke,

The MX5 is limited but if you stick to the old adage"GET CLOSE GET CLOSE", I would try not to take photos of very small fish as they would appear to be washed out in the background, try and stick with subjects over 30cm. Where you can try and shoot upwards using the natural light, again I would say GET CLOSE GET CLOSE.


PS. Film is cheap so when you take a snap of a subject, take 3 or 4 shots and alter you distance and angle a little, when you get your photos developed one of them is usually a pretty good shot.

Hope I was of assistance
Fergy

 

[Rick Murchison]

You hear the theme over and over to "get closer" ... Most UW photographers are reluctant to get close enough - What I suggest is to get closer than you think you should be until you start blurring your shots from really being too close - then you'll know how close is right.
Rick

 

[ScubaDuke]

Originally posted by Rick Murchison
You hear the theme over and over to "get closer" ... Most UW photographers are reluctant to get close enough - What I suggest is to get closer than you think you should be until you start blurring your shots from really being too close - then you'll know how close is right.
Rick

I tried that and got some blurred then backed off. I think some of it is just the limitation of the camera.

What film speed is best for day/night dives? I've used 100, 200 & 400. 200 seems to get the best results so far.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.



:mean:

 

[Dee]

Originally posted by ScubaDuke
....What film speed is best for day/night dives? I've used 100, 200 & 400. 200 seems to get the best results so far.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.
:mean:

I've always been happy with 100. With the MX-5's limitations, 200 will probably work well.

I've never used 400 underwater

 

[blacknet]

GASP!

Never used 400 speed underwater! Why not?? I have used 3200 underwater before and it's awsome!

BTW I just ordered 20 rolls of 400 speed film and will be adding more 400 and some 3200 for my bahama photo shoot in july.


Ed