PADI underwater photography specialty

[soonerwink]

I am brand new to underwater photography, and would like to taka a photography class. I just recently purchased an Oly SP-350 and an Oly housing, and know nothing about shooting in manual or RAW mode. The threads I have researched here on SB says this is very important. And the main reason I chose the SP-350, second reason being price 179.00 at JR.com. Was wondering if anyone has taken the PADI underwater photo specialty, or any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Peter Guy]

I did take the PADI UW Photography Specialty (not the new Digital one) and I think it was worth the time and effort. HOWEVER, as with so many classes, it was the instructor that made the class worth it.

Find out what/how the instructor is going to teach -- does he have props for example (mine had a "reef" that he put in the pool so that I could take images of "fish" and then we would critique the angle, exposure, etc. -- also I could take multiple images of the same "fish" and compare the differences between shutter speeds, aperture, ISO (and in your case, RAW vs. Jpeg).

Good luck -- oh, and take LOTS of images with your camera so you get to really know it before you take it into the water.

 

[Tollie]

Hi, Peter is spot on.

Tell your instructor what you are interested in and be clear that you are just beginning. The class will shorten the learning curve considerably.

The new digital class will go over the basics of shooting and processing your pictures. If you want to learn to shoot manual (yes... you do) the Instructor will work with you, if its automatic that as well. The SP-350 is a great choice.

Oh... be sure to have your trim and boyency control solid... especially weighting. Its tough to focus on "the shot" if your not real comfortable in the water.

 

[alcina]

Yup, the instructor makes or breaks this (and other) class. You can also get your hands on the materials and read up yourself then decide if you want to take the course. There are a million books out there as well as web sites to help.

Jim Church's Essential Guide to Composition, though written in the film days, is still a must have on your shelf, imho.

The Drafal's have a new book out, too. There have been quite a few books lately aimed at digital uw photography so a search for some should yield good results.

 

[Thalassamania]

The only courses I can swear by are Cathy Church's, the short course at Brooks in Santa Barbara and one Nikon sponsors. Photo classes depend entirely on the staff and the gear, Joe at the Podunk Dive Shop can do a great job and really get you going or can be a huge failure, having an agency name on it means little or nothing. Ask to see the Instructors' work, talk to other students who took the class.

 

[soonerwink]

Thanks very much for your suggestions and thoughts. I did check with my LDS and checked with the instructor. He has been taking UW photos for over 30 years and some of his work I saw was outstanding. I think the PADI digital class will be in my near future. SB is the best when it comes to getting information on any diving related subject.