Anything else I should add to that besides lots more practice?
No. Whatever you do, don't add more gear until you really know how to use what you have. Otherwise you're always behind the learning curve.
Some overall points:
- The G12/Ikelite combo is much more suited for macro than wide-angle. Yes, there's the WD-4 wide-angle lens but it really isn't all that wide.
- Shoot in Raw. There's no reason not to anymore.
- If you're shooting macro, raise your f-stop. Remember, depth of field is a function of aperture AND distance to the subject. If the camera is really close to that anemone, the depth of field is going to be very shallow. I usually don't shoot at anything less than f/6.3.
- Move past the noob-shot. The noob-shot is a shot straight down at the sand with something in it like a fish or urchin or something. It's boring. Move down and shoot across. Get some of the blue in the background. It'll add depth to your shot.
- Be PATIENT. I can't stress this enough. Watch your subject. Where is it moving? Give it a few minutes to get used to the sound of your reg. Think about how the shot will look when you're done with it. In my shot with the Sharptail Eel (5354) I watched it traverse the reef for several minutes before I took the shot. I got ahead of it and down low and waited for it to come to me. I wanted to get it looking at the camera.
- If you're just getting started, shoot in Av mode. I do most of the time anyway. I usually shoot at ISO 80 and let the camera do the rest. With the G12, it'll mostly shoot at 1/80 and just vary the output of the DS-161 to get a good exposure. That's fine for most macro shots. On twilight dives or deeper dives where there isn't as much light I'll move to ISO 200 so the flash doesn't completely overwhelm the ambient light.
- Study photos from other photographers. Look at what they did to make the shot interesting. I do that all the time.
- Make something interesting out of something boring. I see tons of brittle stars on dives and just couldn't think of a way to make it interesting. I finally zoomed way in and got a shot of just part of it (5152) which turned out nicely.
- Learn the colors. Keep in mind that what you see through your own eyes underwater is heavily filtered light. All the reds are gone. When your strobe fires your subject is likely to come out with a totally different color. Especially with coral, sponges, etc. Train your eye to know what color it's going to be in your shot. This will make your backgrounds much more interesting.
-Charles
