Want to work on my CFWA

[Mo2vation]

Would taking the rig into a pool (most of my diving these days is lobstering) hel me get my CFWA groove on? I mostly shoot macro lately with all the surge and limited viz.

I have access to a pool, and I was thinking it'd be a good way for me to work on some technique (stability, settings, etc.) obviously a pool isn't the ocean, but I do want to get in some shooting with the 10.5.

Thoughts?

K

 

[herman]

We have a group that meets around here to do just that. We put a "reef" in the pool, take pictures of it and then project them on the wall to discuss them. I have found it very helpful. It helps if you include a wide range of colors from white to dark and items from fish size to tiny on your "reef". It helps you dial in the amount of strobe and F-stop you need.
Here are a few photos from one of our shoots.
http://ncdivers.com/cpg133/thumbnails.php?album=25

 

[Mo2vation]

We have a group that meets around here to do just that. We put a "reef" in the pool, take pictures of it and then project them on the wall to discuss them. I have found it very helpful. It helps if you include a wide range of colors from white to dark and items from fish size to tiny on your "reef". It helps you dial in the amount of strobe and F-stop you need.
Here are a few photos from one of our shoots.
http://ncdivers.com/cpg133/thumbnails.php?album=25

Sweet.

In-laws have a lap pool - I think I'll drag a bunch of stuff over there and have at it.

I would love to do this in a bigger pool on a bigger scale - like one of the instructional pools at one of the Scuba Shops, or maybe at the Pepperdine pool or something. Sort of have a SoCal photo dive in, you know?

I need to knock this around a bit. We get 7 - 15 people and we can build a cool temporary reef and make a day of it - with a shoot, some pool time, lunch and Crit.

I dig it. I really dig it. If I can get one of the SoCal dive centers or UW photo centers involved, now we're getting some place. Equipment review / test drive (think DUI DOG days) local pros on hand to assist. Selling some gear, trading some gear.

What a great way to spend a winter afternoon.

I am so all over this.

Thanks for the spark.

---
Ken

 

[ChrisM]

CFWA - general rule of thumb I heard is you want ideally abut a foot long foreground subject about a foot away.

Use powerful strobes.

Use fstop to control foreground exposure, shutter speed to control background exposure, higher shutter speed will yield a darker background.

If you want blue, expose to the blue, using shutter speed to get your desired exposure, then adjust f stop for the foreground, blues should stay the same.

COmposition wise, try to get a secondary subject in the background -- girls in bikinis in the pool would work well

 

[Mo2vation]

I'm also thinking I could use a pool session to get my Sealion groove on, too. Dome focus / infinite focus shooting fast moving doggies UW. My stinker-to-keeper ratio in Sealion shots is completely unacceptable right now.

K

 

[ChrisM]

I used Shutter priority in the galapagos with sea lions, hadn't ever used that setting before, worked pretty well.