Snorkeling photos from Curacao

[jbilicska]

Your pictures keep getting better and better Dave. What software do you use for retouching. I'm learning on Paint Shop Pro XII.

Joe

 

[Dave C]

Your pictures keep getting better and better Dave. What software do you use for retouching. I'm learning on Paint Shop Pro XII.

Joe

Joe,
I use an old, simple program that is no longer made (Jasc; it was bought out by Paint Shop) to do an auto fix that usually does a good job of correcting color for snorkeling shots. It is also very easy for cropping the photo. Then I bring the photos into Photo Elements to see if I can improve them some more. Using the auto fix ("Auto levels") in PE usually results in a very similar color correction as in Jasc, although it often helps a little. I understand very little about PE. I don't even know what "layers" are that everyone always talks about. There are a couple of other simple things in PE that I try that also sometimes improve the photos. Finally, I sharpen the photo in PE, and I am done. I also have Paint Shop Pro X. Unfortunately, I've found that the auto fix in Paint Shop (called something like "One step photo fix") does a much poorer job of correcting color in my snorkeling pics compared to Jasc and PE. If I had to rely on Paint Shop, I would not be happy. However, the auto fix in Paint Shop often does a good job of correcting above-water beach and ocean pictures, so this is mostly what I use it for. Also, I've found that PE seems a little more intuitive to me than Paint Shop, although I've read some people claim the opposite.

By the way, for my snorkeling photos, I don't white balance the camera underwater (light levels change too much in top 20 feet of water), and I also don't use the "underwater mode". Underwater mode doesn't give good results (at least on my camera) because too much stuff is automatic, e.g., it selects too high of an ISO so the photos have way too much noise for my tastes.
Hope this helps,
Dave

 

[jl_va_21]

Thank you! That's it. I was thinking one was some kind of jack and the other the yellowtail snapper, but at some point got mixed up as to which one was which. Good call.

Dave C - great picks. I'm a little envious about how much better your pictures are than mine. However, the fact that you took them without super high-end underwater phote equipment gives me some hope. Thanks.

And sorry to everyone about the picture I posted being so huge - I was hoping it would resize in the post, but no such luck.

 

[aae991]

Hi Dave,

Can I ask what settings you are using? In particular, shutter speed and ISO? I agree that I'm wary of setting the camera to "underwater mode" because there's no control at all. I'm using a Panasonic DMC-TZ5 with a Panasonic housing. My camera has good quality optical image stabilization, so I can probably go down to 1/60 sec. without a problem. However, I'd prefer to stay at 1/125 (or faster) if possible to minimize blur with fish. I guess I'll have to see how much light I'm getting between one and ten feet of depth. I did buy a strobe for larger schools of fish... By the way, I'm going to St. John in exactly two weeks! I can't wait!

 

[jbilicska]

Thanks Dave. In PSPXII I use a combination of color balance and smart photo fix.
I try either one first and one of them usually puts me in the ballpark for what I like.
I then apply the other and tweek it to what I want. Sometimes the advanced setting in color balance is way off and I just have to play with it until I get something I like. I then save those settings for a similar shot.

 

[Dave C]

Hi Dave,

Can I ask what settings you are using? In particular, shutter speed and ISO? I agree that I'm wary of setting the camera to "underwater mode" because there's no control at all. I'm using a Panasonic DMC-TZ5 with a Panasonic housing. My camera has good quality optical image stabilization, so I can probably go down to 1/60 sec. without a problem. However, I'd prefer to stay at 1/125 (or faster) if possible to minimize blur with fish. I guess I'll have to see how much light I'm getting between one and ten feet of depth. I did buy a strobe for larger schools of fish... By the way, I'm going to St. John in exactly two weeks! I can't wait!

I always use ISO 100 (ISO 200 will be grainy), and have the camera set to something Canon calls "AV". This allows the camera to choose the shutter speed, which if it is shallow and sunny in the tropics is amost always faster than 1/125. The only time the shutter speed is slower than this is if I try to take a pic in a crevice with the camera's built-in flash. I have gotten a few good flash photos with a shutter speed of 1/60; slower than this is always blurry. If the flash photos don't look good, I sometimes switch to the camera's "TV" mode which allows me to set the shutter speed and play around with various combinations of flash strength and shutter speed to see if I can produce an acceptable result.

By the way, I also attach an eyepiece viewer on the camera housing (using industrial strength velcro) over the area of the screen that acts as a hood so I can see the screen better. Otherwise, in bright shallow water I find that I cannot see hardly anything in the display. It's not perfect, but it definitely helps. Someone suggested this when I bought my first digital camera, and this has been a life-saver. The other essential - a weight belt so I can get down in the water column better.

 

[Dave C]

Thanks Dave. In PSPXII I use a combination of color balance and smart photo fix.
I try either one first and one of them usually puts me in the ballpark for what I like.
I then apply the other and tweek it to what I want. Sometimes the advanced setting in color balance is way off and I just have to play with it until I get something I like. I then save those settings for a similar shot.

Sounds like your procedure is similar to mine. Use the simple one-key corrections first, and then tweak if the results aren't quite right. Really, on most photos I don't do that much tweaking. If you have macro photos in good focus, using "sharpen" or "unsharp mask" can make the focus even better.

 

[aae991]

I always use ISO 100 (ISO 200 will be grainy), and have the camera set to something Canon calls "AV". This allows the camera to choose the shutter speed, which if it is shallow and sunny in the tropics is amost always faster than 1/125. The only time the shutter speed is slower than this is if I try to take a pic in a crevice with the camera's built-in flash. I have gotten a few good flash photos with a shutter speed of 1/60; slower than this is always blurry. If the flash photos don't look good, I sometimes switch to the camera's "TV" mode which allows me to set the shutter speed and play around with various combinations of flash strength and shutter speed to see if I can produce an acceptable result.

By the way, I also attach an eyepiece viewer on the camera housing (using industrial strength velcro) over the area of the screen that acts as a hood so I can see the screen better. Otherwise, in bright shallow water I find that I cannot see hardly anything in the display. It's not perfect, but it definitely helps. Someone suggested this when I bought my first digital camera, and this has been a life-saver. The other essential - a weight belt so I can get down in the water column better.

Thanks Dave. What eyepiece viewer did you buy? I'm also thinking of a weight belt. I'll probably try and rent one when I'm there. I don't want to worry about carrying weights in my suitcase. As an alternative I might buy the belt at home and just rent weights there. Now I've got to stop worrying about shallow water blackout - I never even heard about it until last week. It seems like hyperventilating is the main cause, so you can bet that will NOT be a technique I use. From what I'm reading, limiting my time underwater to something reasonable and not pushing my limits will also help. I can hold my breath while sitting for about 90 seconds. Under exertion, I'm guessing maybe half that amount. I'll aim for 5 seconds to dive, 15-20 seconds underwater, and 5 seconds to ascend. It seems reasonable... I've also read that I should relax and take in a normal deep breath before the dive. Apparently oxygen levels won't be that much better by taking 2-3 deep breaths/exhales prior to the dive...

 

[altarose]

Hi Dave, We have been to Akumal, Roatan and just got back from Culebra/Vieques. How would you compare the snorkeling on Curacao to these locations?
Great pictures, some of the best I have every seen.
I bought a new Canon D10 for the PR trip and it leaked the first day, and hasn't worked since, what a bummer. I had many great photo ops around Culebra.

 

[Dave C]

Hi Dave, We have been to Akumal, Roatan and just got back from Culebra/Vieques. How would you compare the snorkeling on Curacao to these locations?
Great pictures, some of the best I have every seen.
I bought a new Canon D10 for the PR trip and it leaked the first day, and hasn't worked since, what a bummer. I had many great photo ops around Culebra.

Sounds like we have been to many of the same places! As you probably realize, it is very difficult to compare or "rate" snorkeling sites because so many factors come into play. I could write pages and pages comparing the details of each place. Of the places you mention, Akumal I would rate the lowest, although the turtles were great and it was still a nice spot. The other three locales all have their advantages. Curacao definitely had the clearest water, followed by Roatan, and then Culebra. West Bay Beach on Roatan had a huge reef with excellent underwater topography, although there weren't many fish. Culebra was extremely easy and calm (when I was there), Carlos Rosario had a very healthy and pretty reef, and I think I got my best uw photos on Culebra. The places I went on Curacao had surprisingly little coral growth; it seemed like the really lush coral didn't start until you got to scuba depths starting at a depth of about 30 ft. There were a lot of little things and fish in holes and crevices on Curacao; the more you looked, the more you saw. Except for 2 barracuda, I saw no large fish on Curacao. I never saw a stingray or lobster. I think the best all-around snorkeling I have seen in the Caribbean has been in Belize, but generally you have to go by boat and there is not much snorkeling there right off the beach. Virtually every time I got in the water in Belize, I saw one (or several) nurse sharks. There was a lot of healthy coral, and fish were abundant.

Thank you for your comment on my photos. I have a lot of fun taking them. Sorry about your camera. Photos have become so important to me that I always take my old digital as a back-up in case my main camera has a "problem".