Photos from my Hawaii dives

[fishtank22]

I just got back from my honeymoon (2 weeks in Hawaii). My fiance and I were certified right before we went and I got a Olympus 5050 and the PT-015 for the trip.

I realize I'm still very new to diving and underwater photography...but I'd like to share my pictures with you all.

Also, would anyone know the reason why some pictures are so blue looking and some are not?

Kauai
Turtle Bluffs and Hale O Honu
http://www.fishilens.com/gallery/kauai_diving

Maui
Molokini Crater and Haole Point
http://www.fishilens.com/gallery/maui_diving

Snorkeling off Makena Beach
http://www.fishilens.com/gallery/maui_snorkeling

Big Island
Gargen Eel Cove & Manta Heaven
http://www.fishilens.com/gallery/bigIsland_diving

Snorkeling off Hapuna Beach
http://www.fishilens.com/gallery/bigIsland_snorkeling

Enjoy

Dave ><>

 

[Gilligan]

Aloha Dave,
Your pictures are blue because you are not using "manual" white balance. Read your instruction manual further on that. You have to take a dive slate and set your white balance off it at the depth you are taking photos at.
Using your internal flash at close distances (under 3 ft and on auto white balance) will greatly improve your pics. Distant shots w/o a flash will require you to somewhat master the manual white balance usage.
I strongly suggest you learn to use your camera on manual settings right from the getgo as explained here
:shades:

 

[fishtank22]

Gilligan...

Wow...this is awesome. Thanks for the reply and all the info. I unfortunately didnt get my camera till a few weeks before my trip so I didnt have time to research the proper underwater settings. This is good stuff. i'm gonna read threw it and mess around tonight.

Thanks again.

Dave

 

[Dee]

You have to remember that your cameras internal flash will only travel 2-3ft, at best, underwater. And all colors dissipate at different depths. In your photos where you were closer to the subject, the colors came out just fine. A good beginning guide is if you can reach out and touch it, you can use your flash.

If using your flash, the auto white balance setting is fine. If you do not want to use a flash, then I would experiment with the white balance. Be aware you may have to change the WB setting as you change depths.

 

[fishtank22]

Thanks Dee.

I had a feeling there was certain things I had to do to get it right, but I didnt want to experiment too much on my honeymoon. [I had better things to do with my time ; ) ]

But now that I'm back, i'm gonna start messing around with it. how far will an external strobe travel. I guess that should be the next option I should look into down the road.

Thanks again.

Dave

 

[Dee]

An external strobe travels a bit farther, to about 4-5 feet, but the biggest difference is the intensity of the light.

There are a few things you can work on to improve your photos.
1) Get close, then get closer! This not only will cut down on the blue tones, you can show your subject better. You want to fill the frame with your subject.
2) Try not to shoot down on your subject. This produces a flat, boring picture. Try to get slightly below and shoot up, but this isn't always possible. I try to get as close to the sugjects level as possible and get a profile shot. Also, fish don't like you descending down from above like a preditor...that's one of the easiest ways to spook them. Plan ahead and change your own depth and position to get the shot.
3) Digital film is free! And with todays memory capabilities space is not problem per dive. Take several shots, tweaking your exposure each time. Or set your camera for bracketing.

Hope this helps.

 

[raviepoo]

Dave,

I don't mean this as an attack. You mentioned at the begining of your post that you're new to diving. There's a lot to learn about this sport. I'd like to help you with one, tiny detail.

I noticed in some of the pictures that you're wife's hoses are dangling free. This can create problems. An unsecured octopus can drag along the bottom, get clogged up with debris and damaged. You really don't want the life support equipment that you might end up using in an emergancy to be damaged. Also, keeping the octo secured decreases the chance that you will have difficulty locating it in an out of air emergency. Finally, a loose octo or gauge can damage any marine life that it knocks into. To protect your gear and the fragile critters in the water, secure those hoses.

I assume you were renting gear? In some pictures the hoses are loose and in others they are not. If the dive operation doesn't give you a clip to secure the hoses, ask them for one. I always carry a couple of extra clips with me, just in case someone on the boat needs one.

Thanks for sharing the pics. Some of the shots were really nice. I envy you the experience of seeing all of those sleeping turtles.

 

[Dee]

Very nice, Raviepoo...you beat me to it!

 

[fishtank22]

You're absolutely right, In fact, I had thought the same thing...It certainly is not good to have them hanging, and we both new that. I had a couple of caribeener clips, but was hesitant to use them because they don't easily release the hoses. I plan on buying some of those rubber butterfly bands that hole them in place for quick release.

Some of the gear had the clips and some didnt In the future I'll make sure to always have some of my own if necessary.

Thanks for the heads up. I appreciate it.

Dave

 

[raviepoo]

You'd be amazed at how much easier diving gets when you use the same gear every time you're in the water. Your hands learn exactly where to go to find the air dump. You learn exactly how much weight you need with your specific configuration. You learn to adjust your trim to easily maintain the proper swimming aspect under water. You know that you will have well maintained gear that fits you properly on every single dive you do.

No I don't work for an LDS. I just love my gear, and have been miserable every time circumstances have forced me to rent.