Strobe for snorkeling?
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If you are snorkeling on the surface, and the bottom is more than 4 or 5 feet under you, it is unlikely your strobe will be able to light up your subject enough to help the colors the way you would desire.
If you can hold your breath, get a foot or 2 away from your subject, compose the shot, then fire, then blast for the surface...then the strobe(s) will make a big difference, especially for 20 to 30 foot deep subjects.....the 6 feet to 12 feet zone can often be "color balanced" in Lightroom sufficiently for the strobes to be unnecessary.
2 strobes is much better--one for the back ground, one for the subject and foreground....Shooting with one strobe generally makes the object appear as though it is lit up, but the background is too dark--almost like a night dive.
Freedive fins, some freedive tricks( learn from a good freediver in a few hours in one day) to make 20 to 30 foot drops easy and would make photography at 20 feet easy enough....
Strobes are not cheap, but pretty much all photographers that want good underwater shots, use them.
For Scuba diving, the likelihood is that you WILL get significantly deeper than 20 or 30 feet, so the strobe will make a very large difference--the colors with the strobe will be much less washed out--far more saturated and "popping" with the strobes...more like what you saw and want to remember
If you can hold your breath, get a foot or 2 away from your subject, compose the shot, then fire, then blast for the surface...then the strobe(s) will make a big difference, especially for 20 to 30 foot deep subjects.....the 6 feet to 12 feet zone can often be "color balanced" in Lightroom sufficiently for the strobes to be unnecessary.
2 strobes is much better--one for the back ground, one for the subject and foreground....Shooting with one strobe generally makes the object appear as though it is lit up, but the background is too dark--almost like a night dive.
Freedive fins, some freedive tricks( learn from a good freediver in a few hours in one day) to make 20 to 30 foot drops easy and would make photography at 20 feet easy enough....
Strobes are not cheap, but pretty much all photographers that want good underwater shots, use them.
For Scuba diving, the likelihood is that you WILL get significantly deeper than 20 or 30 feet, so the strobe will make a very large difference--the colors with the strobe will be much less washed out--far more saturated and "popping" with the strobes...more like what you saw and want to remember
rreconnu
Registered
Ensure you are taking full advantage of your camera before you worry about a strobe. Typically, you'll get a much better result from learning how to properly white balance and adjust the exposure on your camera (or even give underwater mode a try) than a strobe will give you at that depth. If your camera doesn't have settings you can readily adjust (like white balance, Program mode, Aperture Priority, and maybe even full Manual mode) you would be better served to spend your money on a new camera instead of a strobe.
Even with a strobe, if you aren't getting within a few feet at the most from your subject, it's a waste of money. If your subjects are any further than that, learning to use your camera to properly focus and expose your picture is well worth your time. Also, if your camera can shoot in RAW mode, it will be more forgiving in processing after the fact (though it's much better to get it right when you take it).
Even with a strobe, if you aren't getting within a few feet at the most from your subject, it's a waste of money. If your subjects are any further than that, learning to use your camera to properly focus and expose your picture is well worth your time. Also, if your camera can shoot in RAW mode, it will be more forgiving in processing after the fact (though it's much better to get it right when you take it).
Testudo
Contributor
Many times the water column at common snorkeling depths (<20ft) contains an abundance of particulates that become visible as back scatter when hit by a strobe. This is especially true if the strobe is positioned too close to the lens.
TESTUDO'S SNORKEL GUIDE Cayman Off the Beaten Path, SNORKELING PICTURE TAKING TIPS AND ADVICE ...
TESTUDO'S SNORKEL GUIDE Cayman Off the Beaten Path, SNORKELING PICTURE TAKING TIPS AND ADVICE ...
cannon fodder
Contributor
One situation where a strobe for snorkeling can make a big difference is in low light. If it is a bright sunny tropical day, a strobe will not make much difference, but on a cloudy or drizzly day, or if the fish you are after is hiding under a ledge, the strobe will have a huge impact. My wife and I have been doing Carribean cruise snorkeling for 20 years and not every day has been brochure perfect, and not every fish swims out into the open in shallow water. We both have Inon strobes, D2000S and S2000. They make taking pictures along the shady side of the cliff, where the fish are hanging out, much easier.
As an avid snorkeler who also takes underwater photos, I would say you definitely don't need a strobe for photos in clear tropical water less than 15 ft. deep. Also, part of the joy of snorkeling vs. scuba is the simplicity of snorkeling, and being encumbered with a strobe is not part of this simplicity. I think of a strobe set-up being most appropriate for a scuba diver off a boat, where someone on the boat can hand the diver the camera rig when they get in the water. Most snorkelers like the freedom of snorkeling off the beach, where a fancy rig would be a hassle to use especially if there is surge/waves. Occassionally when I am snorkeling, I use the camera's built-in flash for photos in crevices and overhangs, and sometimes I have gotten reasonably good results. Here are a bunch of my snorkeling photos, the vast majority of which have been taken using only ambient light: Snorkeling - a set on Flickr
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