Hopefully Future Diver wondering about Photography

[scubadada]

Please become a competent diver before taking on photography.

 

[Darnold9999]

All great advice. I like the idea of taking something into the water for an entire dive and holding on with both hands before taking a camera diving. You really do need to have great buoyancy skills and the ability to fin backwards (without using your hands) to get good pictures underwater without destroying what you are trying to take a picture of. Underwater photography is significantly different from land photography. A little like taking pictures after the sun goes down on land. Light becomes critical as the ambient light is low and the colour of what is available changes as you go deeper. Another interesting aspect of underwater photography is Nitrogen narcosis, I find my problem solving ability is significantly impaired and therefore figuring out what settings I need to use is much more difficult at depth. Everyone's susceptibility to this is different, but until I started taking pictures I would have said I was unaffected. I would have been wrong.

 

[Kimela]

You really do need to have great buoyancy skills and the ability to fin backwards (without using your hands) to get good pictures underwater without destroying what you are trying to take a picture of.

Or what the diver behind you wants to take a picture of. I've gotten to my spot in line to take a picture only to discover the critter has become dislodged and is floating away - no kidding. It's a delicate practice. I shudder to think how many shots I have ruined for other divers earlier in my diving, and I try like heck to be courteous for the next diver. Buoyancy is super, super important.

 

[EdwardMH]

LOL, I can only repeat one more time I will learn scuba skills FIRST I am not wanting to take a camera down on day one lol. I am RESEARCHING for the future to understand what I need prior to getting to take a camera and if any additional skills are needed to be considered beyond OW certification. and buoyancy.

 

[Marie13]

LOL, I can only repeat one more time I will learn scuba skills FIRST I am not wanting to take a camera down on day one lol. I am RESEARCHING for the future to understand what I need prior to getting to take a camera and if any additional skills are needed to be considered beyond OW certification. and buoyancy.

That’s what some might say, but then the next thing you know, they have a camera in hand while they’re kicking up the bottom!

 

[EdwardMH]

I try to care for where I go, If metal detecting I keep fertilizer with me and also dig up the trash and take it with me put a bit of fertilizer in every hole, and such. I HOPE to be as curtious when I learn Scuba.

 

[hilljo88]

Regardless of official certifications or number of dives, you need to develop skills and a comfort level on a pace that will be unique to you. Things like competency with your gear, buoyancy, gas management, situational awareness, "etiquette", etc. I've seen new divers with only a dozen or so dives be like fish in the water, and others who have been diving for many years still have a frightening lack of skill or attention. At some point you will feel comfortable enough in these skills to slow down and look at something that you wish you could get a photo of. Many divers then add an easy to use camera like a GO Pro or point and shoot. As you are an experienced photographer, you will likely want to move on to use your interchangeable lens DSLR or mirrorless, but the added expense and task loading are things you can put off for a while.

Take your time, enjoy the journey. You have many years ahead of you to enjoy combining these two hobbies.

 

[kmarks]

At this time I have no thoughts of diving deeper than the Open Water certification and any safety and medical classes I might need to be helpful, unless I need the AOW to see corral reef, turtles, wildlife and such. While wreck diving sounds cool and educational I do not see it in my current desires. I am still trying to decide between the huge SSI (Diventures) or the smaller 5-star PADI (Diver’s Oasis) dive schools here in Springfield, Mo. my main hope is learn to safely use metal detector in local lakes a d since I do Astrophotography and land based wildlife photography I thought underwater photography would be a logical addition to my hobby once I am a safe confident diver.

You will not need anything more than OW in order to see coral reefs, turtles, wildlife and such. It sounds like you might be interested in classes like Stress and Rescue (which includes self-rescue) and DEMP - DAN's Dive Emergency Management Provider, which is what Diventures is switching to in lieu of SSI's React Right (First Aid, CPR, AED, and O2) because it is more dive specific.

After some practice and comfort, you'll be able to bring your camera with you. Your OW certifies you to 60 feet without an instructor with you, but there are no scuba police that are going to check for your Deep Diver card before you go to 61 feet. Like you, I enjoy wildlife photography and I took a camera (a crappy point and shoot that I have long since upgraded) on maybe my 5th ocean dive and have had a camera on every dive since.

Whether you get certified by SSI or PADI really makes little difference until you decide to become a professional. You can even hop back and forth between the two for different certifications if you like. I will put in a plug for Diventures, though, since that's my shop. I'm actually in North Liberty, IA, but Springfield has some excellent instructors, including Andrew, Anthony, Kevin C, Ryan, and Don Peterson, an absolute diving legend in the midwest and holder of the rare SSI Instructor Certifier rating. I strongly recommend them. After you certify, we have a club, the Landlocked Scuba Club, that does local and Diventures-wide events.

 

[dmaziuk]

LOL, I can only repeat one more time I will learn scuba skills FIRST I am not wanting to take a camera down on day one lol. I am RESEARCHING for the future to understand what I need prior to getting to take a camera and if any additional skills are needed to be considered beyond OW certification. and buoyancy.

It's not really about your certification level, it's about your level of comfort in the water: swimmers and freedivers tend to have it easier than casual bathers. FWIW I took the camera on our certification dives -- obviously, after asking our instructor; he didn't mind -- and have a picture of my better half doing the mask clearing in dark cold green muck, looking rather unhappy.

Keep in mind that you could get sucked in and becoming a "camera driver", instead of enjoying the dives, you will have and extra piece of expensive kit to hail around, and you will flood your camera at some point and need another expensive piece of kit. Like diving isn't expensive enough on its own.

 

[troponica]

Edward, based on my recent experience with Padi/SSI certs, I'd suggest you either talk to the instructor about the way they're doing the course in terms of buoyancy or enrol in a tec agency OW diving class (or GUE). All exercises are done while kneeling in PADI/SSI which is terrible for your capabilities. PPB can help, depending on how good the instructor is (and how interested they are in delivering a proper teaching experience).

Priorities, IMHO: trim, balance, "look mommy, no hands", control, frog kick and backward frog kick. Try to take your camera (after 20-30 dives or so) on a confined water dive and get used to it: how it feels underwater, its buoyancy, securing it, plus doing all drills.

Also, get a really patient buddy, preferably one that doesn't do UW photography.