Manta Ray Photography Tips

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zrsteve

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I'm still going through the learning curve with my current photography equipment which consists of a G12, WP-DC34 housing and a YS-01 strobe. While visiting the Kona Coast in November I plan to go on a PM Manta Ray dive. I haven't used my camera on a night dive so I'm looking for any advice on taking pictures (stills) of these magnificent creatures.

Thanks,
Steve
 
It depends on how close you can get to these manta rays. If it is up close, then a wide angle wet lens would be good. Even so, a YS-01 strobe might not be enough. You might shoot with wide open aperture. Not sure if bright lights scare these beasts off, but if they are not scared of it, maybe a 200 watt HID light with adjustable beam could be used to light up the whole area.

In my camera, i have presets, one for close up, another for medium distance, and each one has optimized zoom, shutter speed, use of flash/strobe, aperture, white balance, etc, and you quickly switch between any of them based on where the next manta will be.
 
I've been on a couple Manta photo trips. Generally strobes don't do much good as you are too far from them. I've got two 125s and rarely did I get much light on them. Try to stay as shallow as possible.

I used a 10-17 FE and a 17-70 rectalinear zoom. I prefer the FE, but got some good shots with the 17-70.

It's all a matter of available light.

Finally, don't chase them. Let them come to you. And they will. They seem curious. I got run over by one 'cause I was looking through my viewfinder until it was too late.
 
First of all bright lights aren't going to be a problem on that dive. Besides the lights all the boats lower, all the divers will have one or more. And the snorkelers above shining their lights down. The brightest light attracts the most plankton and the Manta's. My buddy has a 4000 lumen video light - they really liked him...

Neither is their getting close enough - the problem is being stable enough to take a shot when they go vertical a foot in front of you - they're big and move a lot of water. My buddy said you often felt the push as they went by - they almost never touch anyone.

The dive (not my video):

 
If it's anything like when I did the dive, the mantas will be right on top of you. The challenge will be close, wide angle shots and making sure your stone pattern is wide enough.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
The Kona manta dive is strictly a night dive with in-your-face manta encounters. You will have mantas passing often within inches of you multiple times throughout the night, necessitating wide angle. Night-time wide angle can be tough, especially with only one strobe. I would recommend trying a few ideas to see what works.

-First, you could try a high ISO with no strobe, utilizing the abundant ambient light. My inclination is that you might have some success as the mantas pass over the central "campfire" of lights.
-Use your strobe way out and back to the side to minimize backscatter. Then wait for a manta to come in close. I would shoot in manual exposure, iso 400, 1/100 sec, low f-stop.
-Your best option is try to coordinate with another diver with a slave strobe that is triggered by the flash. This is basically like having an off-camera second strobe. Sit next to them and experiment with a few angles to figure out what works best. You could get really creative with this one, but I'd start basic and work your way there.
-Finally, utilize a few dive lights and shoot some video. Shooting stills of mantas at night can be really tough, especially if you don't have a second strobe, so often those without strobe#2 get better results with video. The first time I did that dive I only owned one strobe and was severely disappointed in my still-results but the video I took came out awesome. Years later I came back with a second strobe and nailed it. (results found here: http://milisenphotography.yolasite.com/manta-rays.php).

Whatever you decide to try, good luck and please post your results!
 
can you ride these critters? I remember nemo and his gang riding on an eagle ray or something, and w/o having to physically rest on top of them.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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