1984- 2001Cayman IslandsVisions 2001Quad flashPalau wrecksMacro magicBalancing lightWide angle tipsSolve TTL problemsShoot like a proHassleblad revisitedGolden dolphin CDBook reviews

Oct/Nov 2001

Underwater PhotographyUnderwater Photographya web magazine from Ocean Opticsa web magazine from Ocean Optics

UwP 2

Nikonos? Subal? Nexus?

Bonica Snapper£129 from Ocean Optics

Photographer?Andrew Pugsley

Ocean Optics Saturday staff

Tel 020 7930 8408 Fax 020 7839 6148

UwP 3

Underwater PhotographyUnderwater Photographya web magazine

from Ocean OpticsOct/Nov 2001

e mail uwp@uwpmag.co.uk

5 EditorialNikonos discontinuedUwP statisticsBBC Blue Planet

6 Visions 2001Annual uw photo conferenceLondon November 2001

8 UwP eventsBeneath The Sea 2002

9 Web watchSome web sites to surf

10 New products

2 Olympus digital housingsSubal F80 housingLeak detectorsQuad flash port

14 Ring ofconfidenceby Mark Webster

16 Cayman Islandswith Paul Ives

20 Palau wrecksby Tim Rock

22 Macro magicby Tony White

24 Balancing lightby Mark Webster

27 Wide angle tipswith Steven Norvich

32 Solving Nik VTTL problemsby Peter Rowlands

34 Shoot like a prowith Will Posslethwaite

36 Is it worth thehassle?

by Alex Mustard

38 Sonar threat

from US military

40 Realm of thePygmy SeahorseReviewed by Anne Owen

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UwP 5

EditorialNIKONOS V camera body to bediscontinued

Nikon have finally confirmed that the Nikonos Vis to be discontinued. It will bring to an end theproduction of one of the most amazing range ofcameras the photographic world has ever seen.

Nikonos cameras have been responsible for someof the most memorable images taken underwater overthe past 40 years. Their demise will be sorely missedbut I will always own at least one Nikonos V and oneNikonos 111 for they are, to me, irreplaceable.

Nikon are letting us down gently as the productionis to be phased out rather than halted abruptly and theysay that production of lenses and accessories willcontinue for the time being. Spare parts will beavailable for many years to ensure that the Nikonos Vcan be serviced and repaired.

I suppose it was inevitable as the digital worldtakes over but the Nikonos V has earned a special placein the carrying cases of most underwater photographers.

For those interested, here is the press release fromNikon.

“Nikon Corporation will stop making theNIKONOS-V camera body in the near future. RegionalNikon distributors and importers can be contacted fordetails as to when the product will be discontinued.

A customer base of divers and underwaterphotographers have favored this camera since it wasintroduced in 1984.

In light of relatively low sales volumes for thisniche product in an age of growing operating cost-consciousness, however, Nikon determined that it couldnot continue to justify the cost and effort of specializedproduction required to manufacture it in smallquantities.

We are sorry for any problems that this may cause,and ask you to understand our need to make thisdecision.

Nonetheless, Nikon remains proud and

appreciative that the NIKONOS-V has enjoyed a long,distinguished product life.

Although the company has no current plans tointroduce new underwater photography products, wewill continue to stay abreast of the market for next-generation underwater cameras.

Although Nikon will discontinue manufacture ofthe NIKONOS-V camera body, it will continue tosupply accessories for the NIKONOS-V, includinginterchangeable lenses, speedlight, close-up outfit unit,etc., at least until the end of 2002. At a later date, thecompany will decide whether or not to continueoffering these accessories in 2003 and beyond. “

Over 9400 downloads!

On a brighter note, the first issue of UwP has beendownloaded over 9400 times!

The statistics were downloaded from the web siteon 22nd September and I’m absolutely amazed. It is farbeyond our expectations and part of me feels it can’t betrue so if there is anyone out there who understandshow these statistics are produced we would love to hearfrom you.

Over half of the downloads came from Americawhich may indicate how much more they use theinternet.

It would be a great help to know how you foundout about UwP. When you get a chance could you email me

peter@uwpmag.co.ukand let me know how you found us. Many thanks

and I hope you enjoy Issue 2.Your feedback is always appreciated to help us

produce what you want from Uwp. E mail usfeedback@uwpmag.co.uk

BBC Blue Planet

As we go to press(?!) the third programme in theBBC Blue Planet series has been transmitted on BritishTV. I’m not sure whether it’s being transmittedworldwide yet but if not, you are in for a treat.

Billed as possibly the last blockbuster naturalhistory series it cost £7 million and took 5 years to film.The 3 principle cameramen were (in alphabetical order)Doug Allan, Rick Rosenthal and Peter Scoones. Theyand series producer Alistair Fothergill are tocongratulated for all their hard work as are all thoseconnected with the series.

Peter RowlandsEditor

UwP

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Visions in the Sea, the annual, two-day underwaterphotography conference staged in London by OceanOptics, will have a new look for 2001.

Now in its fifth year, the conference at ImperialCollege, Exhibition Way, South Kensington, on theweekend of October 27 and 28, will focus on specificaspects of underwater photography, includingunderstanding light, creative flash, innovative close-uptechniques, finding the picture, how to capture fish ontheir best behaviour and wreck photography.

The speakers dealing with these topics include:

Linda DunkLinda Dunk, the first woman

chairman of the British Society ofUnderwater Photographers. Shewon BSoUP's open portfoliocompetition in 1994, 1995 and1996 and was second in theSociety's beginners' portfoliocompetition in 1993. Havingenjoyed being in the business oftaking pictures of the marine world for over ten years,Linda is keen to encourage more women to becomeactive in this challenging but rewarding field.

Martin EdgeMartin Edge, who has a great

passion and flair for teaching theskills of underwater photographyand, probably more than any otherperson today, has improved thegeneral standards of takingpictures in the sea. His book, "TheUnderwater Photographer", is nowin its second edition and continuesto be a popular guide to successful underwaterphotography. Martin has led innumerable photoexpeditions around the world.

Mark WebsterMark Webster, an established

underwater photographer andphoto-journalist, has an impressivelist of successes in internationalevents and has represented the UKfour times at the CMAS WorldChampionships of UnderwaterPhotography, winning silver andbronze medals and third positionoverall in 1996 plus two top ten

placings in 1998, the latter year in which first book,"The Art and Technique of Underwater Photography",was launched. During the last ten years, Mark hashosted regular photography workshops in Red Sea andhas gained a reputation for passing on his skills andadvice in an informal and productive manner.

Paul KayPaul Kay, British

underwater photographer ofthe year in Dive Sights2000, runs underwaterphotography courses andworkshops with anemphasis on theunderstanding of the basic photographic techniquesrelating to underwater photography. Living in NorthWales, he is a great enthusiast for diving in Britishwaters as well as warmer parts of the world. He hasbeen a freelance photographer for over 11 years andworks in industrial and illustrative photography,produces stock landscape, environmental andunderwater images and writes illustrated articles.

Charles HoodCharles Hood, won the top

prize and the title of underwaterphotographer of the year in DiveSights 2000. He is constantlyexperimenting and breaking newground with his approach to takingimages in the sea and has a vastexperience of taking pictures inBritish waters as well as overseas.He was one of the first to use twosynchronised TTL flash gunsunderwater and took numerousawards at BSoUP and other international competitionsbefore changing his focus to taking pictures that sell.

Alex MustardMarine biologist Alex Mustard, a new speaker at

Visions, has a natural eye for agood picture as well as thescientific background to be able tofind and photographic all types oflife in the sea and to make his divesparticularly productive. He uses hismarine biological knowledge toenhance his photography and willbe be passing on the secrets of hissuccess by describing his approach

NEW LOOK FOR VISIONS 2001October 27/28th 2001

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to photographing life on coral reefs. He believes thatgreater knowledge of the animals found on coral reefsand how a coral reef ecosystem works will add an extradimension to our photography.

Jack JacksonA highlight will be a talk on

adventure photography by JackJackson, who has workedeverywhere from the Arctic to thetropics, both on land andunderwater. He is a regularcontributor and lecturer at theLondon and Birmingham diveshows as well as travel shows inLondon and top venues in Europeand the Middle East. He is theauthor of hundreds of magazine articles and 14 books,eight of which deal with underwater subjects.

Nigel MotyerNigel Motyer is an

engagingly irreverant underwaterphotographer whose selfdeprecating style belies animmensely successful portfolio.Nigel is highly respected as anatural history photographer. Hiswork ranges from the local watersof the Emerald Isle to high octanediving in Cocos, where he receivedhis first sharkbite. Nigel is widely published withimages in Dulken, Tauchen, Diver, Dive, Sport Diver

VISIONS IN THE SEA 2001 - booking form

Please reserve ..... place(s) for me for the underwater photographic conference at Imperial College, London,on the weekend of October 27/28, 2001.Delegate fee for attending the two day conference, including morningcoffee and afternoon tea each day as well as a buffet lunch -- £99.95.

· A social evening with Constantinos Petrinos in the Holland Club, Imperial College, from 6.30 to 8.30pm,after which a cash bar will remain open for delegates who wish to remain. Additional fee of £10.00 includes twoglasses of wine. Crisps will be available from the bar.

Please give name(s) of delegates and also list any special dietary requirements:

Name .........................................

Address..................................................................................

.................................................................................. Amount.........................................For payment by Visa or MasterCard please give the following details: Type of card: Visa or MasterCard

Number:......................................... .........................................Expiring on.........................................

Bookings can be made by phoning the conference hotline - 020 7930 8408 or fax 020 7839 6148.Ocean Optics, 13 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5AQ.

and Sub Sea Magazine and has extended hisinternational reputation with third place in the BlueDolphin competition and second place in the WorldUnderwater Photography Championships .

Constantinos PetrinosThis year, the first day of the

conference will conclude with asocial evening during whichpopular Greek photographerConstantinos Petrinos, who isgaining a growing internationalreputation, will launch "The Realmof the Pygmy Sea Horse", a coffeetable book of photographs andinformation about the marine lifein Kungkungan Bay and the Lembeh Strait. As well astalking about the five months during which he took25,000 pictures, Constantinos will describe the trialsand tribulations of publishing the book himself afterdisappointments with several publishers.

There will also be slide clinics conducted by thespeakers, a slide corner where delegates will beencouraged to show a selection of their work, and aprint competition.

Imperial College is well served by publictransport, being a short walk from South KensingtonUnderground Station and several bus routes.

Do not delay. Reserve your place at what will beyet another of the UK's biggest and most memorableunderwater photographic events.

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Beneath The Sea2002

Beneath the Sea 2002announces its 26th Annual photo/video competition and for the firsttime international Invitations.

Win the coveted DavidDoubilet award for excellence inunderwater photography or theequally distinguished StanWaterman award for underwatervideo.

In addition to the DavidDoubilet Award for excellence inunderwater photography, thewinning photographer will also win

If you would like an underwater photo event publicised, please e-mail details toevents@uwpmag.co.uk. This is a free service we offer to photographers and photographicorganisations so why not take advantage of the publicity?Next publication date is 1st Dec 2001. We would also like to hear from anyone who has relevant divesites news for underwater photographers i.e. a new E6 processing facility, photo course etc.

Underwater photography eventsa trip for two with Nekton DivingCruises.

The winning underwatervideographer will win, in additionto the Stan Waterman Award forexcellence in underwatervideography, a trip for two aboardthe Nimrod Explorer diving theGreat Barrier Reef in Australia.

Come one . Come all . To theBeneath the Sea 2002 Photo/VideoCompetition.

The contest deadline isDecember 31st, 2001.

For contest rules and entryblank visit Beneath the Sea at theirInternet site:

http://www.BeneaththeSea.orgThere you can see the images

of previous winners, get a set ofrule and regulations, and downloadan application form.

There is a contest hotline:(718) 409-0240

Photo/Video CompetitionMulti - Media House103 East 86th StreetNew York City, New York 10028

Contact: Maria HultsPhone: (212) 876-2639Fax: (212) 876-1630E-Mail: mediahouse@att.net

Reject Limits. Choose Nexus.

Ocean Optics13 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5AQ

Tel 0207 930 8408 Fax 0207 839 6148http://www.oceanoptics.co.uk

With an activity as equipmentdependent as underwater photography,technology can let your imaginationsoar - or stop you dead in your tracks.

When it comes to shooting upclose and personal, no one does itbetter than Nexus.

The Nexus Multi Port is ahousing system in its own right for

shooting close ups, macro and super macro.Full control lets you switch the 60, 105 and 200mm macro lenses from

auto to manual focus underwater and zoom with the 70-180. So you won’t miss a shot because theautofocus lucked out..

If “one to one” magnification isn’t enough, you can add a teleconverter for up to twice lifesizereproduction or choose the unique Nexus wet close up lens that slips on and off your port underwater.For easy compact lighting you can attach strobes and focusing lights directly to your port - including theincredible Inon Quad Flash.

Nexus provide serious photographers with the most specialised macro system in the world.Available now from the most specialised company in underwater photography.

Reject Limits. Choose Nexus.

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Web watchHere are a few interesting sites to get this section started. Please let us know if you have any favourite sites

which provide useful information or entertainment for underwater photographers. email webwatch@uwpmag.co.ukEach issue we’ll promote a particularly good site and this issue it is

http://www.ianskipworth.com/suig/links.htmlNudibranchs

http://www.a4454.freeserve.co.uk/scotnud1.html http://www.pictonb.freeserve.co.uk/nudibranchs/http://www.seaslugforum.net/ http://www.bunaken.fsnet.co.uk/sulawesi.htm

Underwater photography groups

England: The Northern Underwater Photography Group http://www.nupg.org.ukBritish Society of Underwater Photographers http://www.bsoup.org

America http://www.laups.org/ http://www.sfups.org/ http://www.ncups.org/http://www.dups.org/ http://www.underwater.org/ (Great links to 14 other Societies)http://dmoz.org/Recreation/Outdoors/Scuba_Diving/Underwater_Photography/Clubs/http://www.mauiscuba.com/uwphoto.htm (Good links to other u/w photographers sites)http://www.scubaduba.com/photography/nfphotoorganizations.htmlhttp://scuba.about.com/cs/uwphotosocieties/

Competitionshttp://www.uwimages.org/competition.htm

Underwater photography forumsmajordomo@world.std.comPut the word help in the body of the message.The automatic server will send you the information you need to subscribe.

Please let us know if you have any favouritesites which provide useful information orentertainment for underwater photographers

e mail webwatch@uwpmag.co.uk

UwP 10

The Olympus Camedia C-1 isset to impress. Besides offeringextreme user-friendliness, thiscompact innovation also featuresnumerous functions and deliversquality images for great price-performance.

As a result, the C-1 is the perfectmodel for those who don’t necessarilypossess a technical background and areprimarily looking to take good,enjoyable digital photos.

The PT-008 underwater housing iswaterproof to 30 metres and follows the tried and trusted designof previous Olympus housings.

All of the camera controls are accessed by simple pushbuttons.

Camera features

1.310.000 pixel 1/3.2" CCD . Single focal length, equivalent to35mm and 1-2x seamless digital zoom . Bright lens F2.8 .Optical real-image viewfinder . TFT LCD monitor, 3.8cm .TTL System Auto Focus . Exposure compensation +/-2EVEasy arrow key operation . 110(w)x62(h)x34(d), 165g (without batteries and SmartMedia Card)USB storage class and TV interface

The C1 and PT008 housing are available from Ocean Optics. Tel 020 7930 8408 http://www.oceanoptics.co.uk

PT 005s housing

NewproductsC-1 Underwaterdigital photographyfor everyone

Olympus keep coming outwith new housings! The PT 005Shouses the following cameras:

Olympus Camedia 2020,2030, 3030, 3040, 3000.

As with all other Olympushousings, they are waterproof to 30metres and have push button accessto all of the cameras controls.

For further details pleasecontact Ocean Optics. Tel 020 79308408. http://www.oceanoptics.co.uk

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Electronic leak detectorA British designed and built leak detector is now being fitted in Subal

housings from Ocean Optics but they can also be fitted into almost anyother housing. The small circuit board and battery holder measure just28mm x 23mm x 12mm (h) and the power is provided by a single CR2032lithium battery.

The extra bright LED flashes red when water bridges the two coatedcontact pins and gives you an immediate visual warning that all is not wellinside your housing.

These leak detectors are so sensitive that they will be triggered byfresh water and could save you from a terrible disaster.

The standard leak detectors cost £65+VAT for you to fit and specialscan be made to suit the designs of other housings. For example OceanOptics have commissioned the redesigning of a standard version to fit into aNexus housing because there is so little space inside that the battery mustbe remounted seperately from the electronics to avoid them snagging thecamera.

Further details are available fromPeter Rowlands

Tel & fax 020 8399 5709e mail

petedeb@globalnet.co.uk

Subal Quad flash port

Ocean Optics have produced a special macro port for Subal housings which is smaller than the standard Subalversion and also takes the Inon Quad flash.

Made from hard anodised aluminium, the Quad port has an optically flat glass port and a special groove toretain the flash firmly onto the port.

A version will soon (early Nov 2001) be available for Sea & Sea housings.For further details please contact Ocean Optics Tel 020 7930 8408 or e mail optics@oceanoptics.co.uk

UwP 12

Nikon F80 -Breakthrough Technology At A Budget Price

There's no question that underwater photographyis an expensive passion. This has been particularly truewhen setting up a housed camera. In an attempt to cutcosts some companies have promoted low cost camera/housing combinations that, ultimately, have failed todeliver or have quickly forced the user to compromisetheir photography or upgrade at further expense. Oftenthese combos have had a limited shelf life and essentialaftersales has quickly been withdrawn. Optics has beenforthright in stating that if you want to really exploit thebenefits of a housed camera you should not skimp.

Cheap combos save money by utilising entry levelcameras. These are cameras priced similarly to a highspec compact and designed to sway less committedphotographers into using SLRs. Camera manufacturershope they'll upgrade to more expensive SLRs over time.Housing prices are usually similar whether you house abudget SLR or a semi pro camera. So savings oftenamount to no more than a couple of hundred pounds -negligible when compared to the overall costs of buyinga system and travelling abroad to use it.

Now a new budget priced SLR looks poised torock the staus quo. The Nikon F80 has replaced theunderated but highly efficient F70. The F80 is simple touse for getting started but offers many outstandingfeatures that will appeal to the serious user. Thelightweight camera draws heavily on technology firstseen on the flagship Nikon F5 and pro level F100. Thisincludes a five point autofocus selector allowing thephotographer to choose off centre autofocusing to aidcomposition. This is an especially valuable feature for

half and half shots which fool centre spot autofocus.Responsive command and sub command dials allowfast shutter speed and aperture selection, spot, centreweighted and matrix metering are easily selected andthe camera also has an auto bracket feature. Extremelyuseful are independent exposure compensator controlsfor adjusting either background or flash power from thecamera. Thoughtfully Nikon have even incorporated a

UwP 13

dial in archtectural screen to aidcomposition. Street price is just£330.00 - one third of the price theclassic F90X started off at.

Complementing the F80 is thenew N80 housing from Subal.Closely following the sleek designof the F5 Procase, co -developedwith Kurt Amsler, this new housinghas all the hallmarks that have madeSubal the UKs leading brand. Thealuminium body sculpts around thecamera reducing dead space to aminimum. The shutter release is thesmooth action paddle type seen onthe F5 and F100 cases whichreduces blurry images from camerashake, oversized dials link tocommand and sub command cameracontrols and push buttons selectautofocus area, operate theviewfinder and top screenilluminator and let you choosebracketing, sunlight or strobecompensation and flash modes.Exposure mode, metering pattern,manual and autofocus choices can

all be made underwater. Lenses canbe removed in seconds through thehousing front using the lens releaselever. Complete with hand grips,Nikonos TTL socket and leakdetector the body sells for£1399.00. Naturally routineservicing is provided in house.

Steve, Andrew and A.J. have

all been using the F80 underwaterand have been impressed. Asalways with Subal supplies of thenew housing are trickling throughand forward ordering is advised atpresent. The system will be ondisplay at Visions 2001.

Steve Warren

HMS Royal Oak video

The wreck of HMS Royal Oak in Scapa Flow is a designated war grave and all diving is prohibited but in 2000 a specialpermission was granted for the wreck to be filmed as a moving tribute to all those who lost their lives.

This new professionally produced 50 minute video includes underwater images of the wreck which have never been seenbefore and there are interviews with survivors and Orcadian Sandy Robertson who was the first diver to go on the wreck the dayafter she sank. Also included is coverage of another unique event when the ashes of Dorothy Golding, wife of Bandsman ArthurGolding, who went down with the ship, were taken down by her grandson, Christopher Kilford, and placed in the wreck to reunitethe couple.

The finale is the unfurling of a battle ensign on the upturned hull by a Royal Navy diver on the anniversary of hersinking and the final credits include the names of all those who died in the tradgedy.

Running time 50 minutes. Narrated by Tom Fleming. Produced by Ocean Optics Ltd. Directed by Peter RowlandsThe video costs £16.95 (+£2.50 UK postage). Total £19.45. Please send cheques payable to Peter Rowlands and send

them to: Royal Oak Video, 13 Langley Avenue, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 6QN. Credit card tel & fax 020 8399 5709http://www.hmsroyaloak.co.uk

“a workmanlike,professional production, andworth viewing”

John Bantin, Diver magazine

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Imagine you are cruising thereef with your trusty housing and105mm macro lens looking forsmall critters to fill the frame. Yourpatience is rewarded when you spotthe most gorgeous triple fin blennysitting in the perfect position in asmall crack in the reef. Youapproach slowly thinking aboutlighting angles and avoidingshadows and begin to adjust yourflash arms, loosening fittings orcreaking your bendy arms intoposition. Adjust the aperture as youraise the camera to focus on theblenny and approach slowly - at thatmoment the blenny high tails itleaving only a puff of dustsuspended in the water!

How often has this happenedto you and why won’t these fish co-operate and sit still?! The answer,for me, lies partly in the appearanceof not only the camera and diverbehind it but also the looming flashguns which are threatening to attackfrom the side. There is an answer tothis problem but it flies in the faceof one of the most basic lightingprinciples we have learnt inunderwater photography.

I can recall several days wayback in 1992 when I struggled totranslate a German article in thenow defunct UWF magazine whichdescribed the first commerciallyavailable ring flash made byhousing manufacturer UK Germany.I seem to remember that HelmutDebelius had been using one forsmall fish photography, but at thetime I naively dismissed the idea -surely this could only work in ginclear water otherwise all you willget is a frame full of the dreadedbackscatter? Perhaps I should haveimproved my German at the time,but I forgot the idea until Visions inthe Sea in 1999 when I listened toMartin Edge talk about hisexperiments with a ring flash

Ring of Confidence

prototype. This set me thinkingagain and I determined toexperiment myself.

Before making a leap in thedark I decided to utilise someexisting equipment and satisfymyself that this ‘flat lighting’technique would work. Myassumption was that backscattermay not be such a problem due tothe extremely narrow angle of viewof the 105mm or 180/200mm macrolenses and the proximity of the lightsource to the lens itself. With the aidof a small, sculpted port for my105mm lens (courtesy of BSoUPmember Ken Sullivan) I mountedtwo YS30’s either side of the port

and set to work in my local, andturbid, waters of Falmouth Bay. Theresults were excellent and I alsodiscovered the joy of a compactpoint and shoot system, whichseemed to be spooking the fish farless even with my clumsyapproaches.

This was inevitably going tolead to an investment in equipmentand it was at this point I happenedto visit Ocean Optics and mentionedmy attempts over a cup of coffee.With a flourish, Steve Warrenproduced a box from behind thecounter containing what appeared tobe the solution - a port mountedquad flash from Inon in Japan. This

By Mark Webster

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was the only unit in the UK at thetime and Steve convinced me thathe had been saving this especiallyfor me and suggested that I test itbefore coming to a decision - he hadseen the look in my eyes and knewthat I had already succumbed!

I have now been using theInon Quad flash for nearly twoyears and can honestly say that ithas been a revelation. Combinedwith my Subal housing and F90Xthe rig is compact and just slightlynegative so it handles more like aNikonos set up than a housing.Subjects which had eluded me inthe past are much moreapproachable and there is nothingmore to think of except stalkingthem - if you can see it through theviewfinder you know that you can

light it even in the back of a hole -real WYSIWYG photography! Theunit even has a focus light whichcomes on as you touch the shutter -this is more than bright enough, butit will eat the four AA batteries, souse sparingly or be prepared to usea new set with each film. I shootmostly on TTL which is veryaccurate, although there is thechoice of full, 1/2 and 1/4 manualpowers and even a rotating maskwhich allows you to block one ortwo of the four flash tubes to createshadow and get creative.

I have also found that largerfish are also much moreapproachable and the lighting isexcellent for those classic fishportraits with either a black or bluewater background. Shooting at a

distance of up to 1m (3ft) inreasonably clear water produceslittle or no backscatter, so you haveto re-think those accepted basicrules we have all learnt aboutlighting angles. The lightingproduced by quad flash may notappear to suit everyone, but theadvantages far outweigh thedrawbacks for me - so beware, ifyou are tempted to try one, you mayget hooked!

Mark Webster

Author ofThe Art and Technique ofUnderwater Photography

http://www.photec.co.uk

“I have now been usingthe Inon Quad flash fornearly two years nowand can honestly saythat it has been arevelation.”

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I don’t usually keep a record of exactaperture and shutter speed combinationsthese days - but always shoot on manualexposure, and usually use ttl flash except indifficult situations.

The pictures were shot with a Sea & SeaF100 housing or a Subal F90 housing, and Itend to like Ektachrome 100S for W/A shotsand Velvia or Ektachrome 100VS for Macrostuff.

The CaymanIslandsby Paul Ives

Cayman walls are sheer, dramatic and covered withcolourfull sponges and corals.Housed f100 16mm fisheye with twin YS 120 flashes

The three Cayman Islands - Grand Cayman,Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, are a British overseasterritory. Although about as British as a pair of Levis ora Ford Mustang, they have long been heralded as one ofthe best diving locations in the Caribbean. So findingmyself over there working as an underwaterphotography instructor seemed like a dream come true,and certainly seemed a million miles away fromshooting advertising and commercial work in the UK!

So what makes these Islands so popular withdivers, and especially underwater photographers?Certainly not the inflated prices! You could easily blowa whole week’s worth of your instructor’s wages (andhard earned tips) on one meal out and a few beers. Eventhe wealthy Americans can be seen popping into‘Hurleys’ for a sneaky bit of self catering or dining atBurger King for ‘a change’!

What does make these Islands popular for diversare the deep ocean currents and dramatic coral walls. Infact these islands are really sea locked mountains withsome of their most beautiful scenery under the water’ssurface. But it’s not just the colourful walls that makediving here so interesting, it’s also the huge diversity ofshallower dive sites and well known wrecks. TheCayman Island authorities are well aware of the treasurethey care for. Strong foresight and a strong line onconservation has led them to create marine reserves andpermanent mooring buoys on all permitted dive sites.Add to that year round clear warm water ( certainly atreat for a seasoned dry suit diver!) and this really canbe a diver’s paradise.

Cayman is saturated with professional and wellequipped diving schools and you would have no troublefinding an operator to suit your needs, but from aphotographers point of view it gets even better ! Withcompanies like Fisheye and Cathy Church providinga full menu of photographic services, from guideddiving, private instruction on everything from an MX10to a housed F5 system, E6 processing, and equipmentrental, sales and service, it’s all a long way removedfrom those isolated liveaboard adventures where evenyour backup camera doesn’t want to work and there’snowhere for miles to hire a Nik 5!!

If all that does not satisfy your every desire, thenthe easy access to very deep water only yards fromshore means there are many operators specialising intechnical diving and rebreather technology. This couldcertainly add a new dimension to how you approach

your photography.For me, one of the best features of Grand Cayman

was the easy access to shore diving. Many dive shopshave seafront locations and offer easy access tointeresting and relatively unspoiled reefs all within astone’s throw of a bar ! Some of these offer greatmacro photography opportunities. If you’re feelingadventurous some of the best wall dives can be found atthe North West point of the Island ( my favourite beingOrange Canyon ). These sites can be accessed fromshore with a minimal surface swim when the wind is inthe right direction. I personally prefer this approach to

UwP 17

Trumpet fish are common and found trying to blend into thereefs.Housed F100 16mm fisheye twin YS120 flashguns

The house reef off Sunset House has a 9ft bronze mermaidand a pair of friendly grey angelfish are always there to greetyou.Housed F100 16mm fisheye with twin YS120 flashes

diving off the day boats as it offers the opportunity toreally get to know the sites. I admit that this was easierfor me as I could take off on my day off with a few fulltanks in the back of the jeep and make several dives onthe same site really ‘looking’ at and exploiting itsphotographic potential.

Most of my instruction was done on the house reefoff Sunset House Hotel and after a couple of months Ilearned my way around the reef like it was my hometown. Far from becoming bored with diving the samereef nearly everyday, it became like a welcome visit tomy local bar, seeing friends that you know will be in thesame seat or under the same rock and enjoying meetingthose visitors that are just passing through.

This familiarity made you so relaxed that youreally did start to see underwater. I suppose its a littlelike going on a scallop dive in a Scottish loch when forages you just can’t make them out in the silt , then all ofa sudden you find one and realise they were there allthe time, but you just weren’t seeing them ! Howeverit came to the point where I started to give my familiarunderwater friends names and started to haveunderwater conversations with the 9ft bronze mermaidthat lies just off the reef. This must have been the start

of island fever !!Grand Cayman is one of the few places where

encounters with prolific marine life is all butguaranteed. It’s possible to dive with a group ofCaribbean reef sharks at the East end of the island.Although it’s not a full blown adrenalin boosting sharkfeed like those conducted in the Bahamas, it enablesyou, with a patient approach, to get an opportunity tophotograph these beautiful creatures on their own terms.Some of the shallower dives like Armchair Reef andTarpon Alley, as the latter’s name suggests, harbourhuge numbers of well fed and easily approachabletarpon. The seafront restaurants also see the attractionof these fish and publicise ‘tarpon feeds’ to attractcustomers. All of this makes these huge fish plentiful inCayman waters, although they remain a challenge forthe photographer with their mirror like silver scales.

Turtles are also common in Cayman waters. Alarge turtle farm is located on the North side of theisland, and it’s probably the biggest tourist attraction onthe island. Thousands of turtles are reared there everyyear, and although many of them end up as the ‘special’in the seafood restaurants, there is also a big turtleconservation and release programme in effect. As a

UwP 18

result it is possible to see turtles onmost of your dives, although theyremain wary of divers and a carefuland unhurried approach is alwaysneeded to create a good picture.

The more remote and lessdived North wall of Grand Caymanoffers magnificent and pristine walldives with unlimited wide anglephotographic potential, and it’s hereyou may encounter the eagle raysthat fly gracefully along the wallsduring the day. Then in the lateafternoon they can be seen headingthrough the channels of the outerreef into the shallows of the lagoonfor the night. However after beingbased on the island for many years,world renowned photographerCathy Church, was still waiting forher first great eagle ray shot ! Sodon’t be disappointed if you don’tget them on film in a week or two!

Stingray City however, willenable you to get as many shots ofmagnificent Southern Stingrays asyou like! Most divers have heard ofStingray City, and it is often rated asone of the best 5 metre dives in theworld! There’s also the Sandbar, aneven shallower site where the rayscongregate. Both sites are hugelypopular with divers and snorkellersalike, and require boat access - sounless you’re able to charter yourown boat for an early visit, beprepared to share the site with

hundreds of other divers and cruiseship day trippers !

It is however an excitingencounter, and once your buddygets the hang of enticing the rayswith a little bait (a little likewatching a novice matadorpractising his art) you will end upwith endless photo opportunities.The rays are plentiful and playful,and even with other groups in thewater it is possible to find an areaaway from where the divemastersare organising their groups, and ifyou’re careful not to stir up the sandit is easy to shoot a whole roll offilm in a matter of minutes. Butbeware, tease them too much andthey’ll give you a nasty suck -leaving you with ‘hickey’ or lovebite larger than anything you evergot behind the bike sheds at school!

So, although there is a placecalled Hell on Grand Cayman, froman underwater photographers pointof view it certainly isn’t ! With yearround great diving, and unlimitedphotographic potential it’s easy tosee why it remains so popular. Justmake sure you have plenty ofpocket money with you for thoseapres dive activities, and I promiseyou your shutter release finger willbe well exercised. My timeworking on Grand Cayman wascertainly a great experience and, asArnie would say, ‘I’ll be back’ !!

Stingray city is one of the best 5metre dives in the world.Housed F90 16mm fisheye Housed SB26 flashgun.

This young morey was very shy but stillmade an exellent subject.Housed F100 60mm micro nikkor withtwin YS120 flashguns

Paul Ives

www. paulives-photographer.com

for more information on Cayman

wwww.divecayman.kywww.fisheye.com

www.cathychurch.com

UwP 19

GOLDEN DOLPHIN Video CD Magazine is anew venture breaking new ground in dive publishing.We are actively seeking content, subscriptions,distribution, suggestions, criticism and web links. If youhave anything to offer, please contact the editor.

For additional information seewww.goldendolphin.com.

Golden Dolphin is a subscription CD containinghigh quality images, articles and video clips.

Like Underwater Photography magazine it is anexcellent example of the future of publishing.

A Six issue subscription costs U.S.$42 ($7/issue)and back issues are U.S. $10 each.

Subscribe by mail to:Golden Dolphin72 Paxton Street Townsville, QLD 4810 AustraliaTo subscribe via the net go tohttp://www.goldendolphin.com

“I can’t recommend this CD enough.Please subscribe to it to make sure itcontinues as a superb platform forunderwater photography and underwaterphotographers.”

Peter RowlandsEditor, UwP

The Color Yellow, a superb slide show. Edward Snjiders

Desert Isles, of the Coral Sea. Walter Starck

Secrets of the Southwest, spectacular SW coast of theUK. Mark Webster

“Just Let Them Come to You”, Macro in New Zealand.Wade and Jan Doak

To’o i asi, the Saltwater people of Lau Lagoon. MikeMcCoy

Lost Fleet of the Rock Islands, Palau. Tim Rock

Decompression, important new advances........multicontributors

Video and Slide Presentations, techniques. Roger Roth

Video Features

Down and Dirty, in PNG and Indonesia. Ray Izumi

Byron Bay Down Under, in NSW, Australia. TimHochgrebe

Sealions of Pearson I., South Australia. Andrew Bowie

Gift for the Emperor, Andros I., Bahamas. Walter Starck

Stromatolites of Shark Bay, Western Australia. JeffMullins

Humpback Whales of Roca Partida, Mexico. CarlosVilloch

Here is what is in the 2nd Issue:

UwP 20

Still armed, this harbor mine sits embedded in coral on an obscure reef near Koror.

Near the western passage on the way to Short Dropoff, an upside down JapaneseZero 60 feet under is a haven for copper sweepers and leaf fish.

Lost Fleet of the Rock IslandsBy Tim RockThis article has been reproduced from the Golden Dolphin CD magazine. The images on the CD arelarger and higher quality. See page 19 for full details of the Golden Dolphin CD.

A popular snorkeling venue is thiszero along the eastern coast.

Palau isn’t thought of as ashipwreck haven but in truth, thereare more ships sunk here than inTruk Lagoon. Some WWIIcasualties have been salvaged andothers are located in the RockIslands, which aren’t always knownfor their great visibility. But there’sstill a lot of history left and it can beseen by the adventurous and thosewith a thirst for history and theunusual.

Japan took control of theMicronesian islands in 1914 andruled them until the end of WorldWar II. They built the islands in thePalau archipelago into progressiveand productive communities thatspecialized in mining, agricultureand fisheries. When the war came,the islands were also heavilyfortified militarily. The islands ofAngaur and Peleliu were thesettings for fierce battles; the one ontiny Peleliu lasting for three bloodymonths.

Months prior to Peleliu, a two-

day air strike on March 30 and 31,1944, designated as Desecrate One,sunk a major block of the Japanesefleet. Most were freighters, butsmall destroyers and many planeswent down in the battles. Seaplaneswere sunk at their moorings ortrying to escape.

Many war remnants still existtoday on Babeldaup, in Koror town,

on Peleliu and in Anguar’s jungles.Koror was wiped out after the U.S.forces took control of the islands.The job of rebuilding the intricateand productive Japaneseinfrastructure continues today, asthe United States assumed a verypassive role in administering theislands through the past fourdecades. The older people of Palau

UwP 21

A well-preserved float plane sits in the coral near Meyuns.

still speak Japanese and sing Japanese songs whenreminiscing about the peaceful days of their youth priorto the war.

For the diver weeks and even months ofexploration above and below the sea are there for thetaking. From the tip of Angaur where a new US WWIIshipwreck was found, to the upper reaches of VelascoReef, where a ship sunk by US President Bush Sr. lies,Palau is a treasure chest open to those who relish aglimpse at the war torn past.

Brass lanterns are well-preserved in the Mystery Ship'sbosun's locker.

Tim has been aprofessionalbroadcast and printphotojournalist for25 years. Themajority of thoseyears have beenspent in the Westernand Indo Pacificreporting onenvironmental andconservation issues. He works as acorrespondent for

numerous Pacific Rim magazines. He is the author offive Lonely Planet/Pisces series guides.His photographic work is represented by his ownGuam-based agency and by photographic agentsworldwide.

Contact:Double Blue Images - Photography by Tim Rock,

e-mail: timrock@doubleblue.comwww.doubleblue.com

www.timrock.com

UwP 22

A dive oftwo extremesby Tony White

My love of macro photography, is no secret toanyone who knows me, and to this end I now spend alarge part of my time underwater trying to perfect thisart. Elusive as this may be, my love of these small andbeautiful creatures drives me ever onward.

It was a beautiful February day that found meleaving Bitung Harbour, with the early morning sunlightdancing on the waves that marched up the LembehStraits giving a sense of peace to all who surveyed thistranquil setting. This place, in North Sulawesi,Indonesia is a magical dive destination of two extremes.

The seabed is miles of endless black volcanic sandwith the plankton sucking into its narrow entrancereducing visibility down to between 5 and 10 metres.But amongst this apparent desolation live some of themost beautiful and bizarre creatures on our planet.

My quest has always to been to experiment andthis was my intent today. When photographing marinelife in the range of half an inch through to three inches, Isettled on my Nikon 105mm lens. My other treasuredpiece of kit is a plus four Dioptre supplementary lensscrewed on the front. Hopefully it will become apparentto all who read this article why I have made this choiceas we go through the dive.

Today’s dive site was Angel’s Window, a tallpinnacle rising some 30 metres from the seabed, chosenas one of the only sites in Lembeh that has somereasonable background coral and also for its myriad ofsmall critters. As we descended into the gloom,visibility settled at around 5 metres. We approached aledge at approx 20 metres, which we knew to be hometo a number of very colourful featherstars although itwasn’t these that were to be the focus of our attention,but the creatures that lived in symbiosis with them. Itwasn’t long before we found what we were looking for.In the centre of one, we could clearly see a yellow squatlobster no more than half an inch in length.

Using the plus four dioptre reduces depth of fielddown to approx half an inch at f16, this should not belooked on as a problem but something that can be usedto creatively enhance the subject perhaps to separate thesubject from the background. I always lockmagnification at its longest point and rock back andforwards until my eye gets the point of focus I deem tobe the most important (usually the eye). Bracketingaround f16, the increased magnification (up to one and athird life size) gives more dynamism to these minutecreatures. Taking a break for a moment, I surveyed mysurroundings and am always in awe at what is in reach.

UwP 23

On a nearby gorgonian sit two pygmy seahorses no bigger than my finger nail going about their busy daily life. Isometimes ponder, whilst watching them, what their perception must be of these giant creatures that all too ofteninvade their world. Moving on down the ledge, always on the lookout for something different, I come across

another patch of rainbow coloured featherstars bywhich floated a ghostpipe fish ever watchful of myapproach but comfortable in his camouflage. As Iapproach he moves closer to his protective host.

On this dive, I always finish on the top of thepinnacle, which is home to a small colony ofcolourful nudibranches. This is where my lens set-up comes into its own. There are some beautifulred and orange corals here, but being the Lembehstraits nothing is so easy. Because of theconcentration of plankton, the coral is festoonedwith strands, which makes what we observe ratherugly. One technique here is to use the limited depthof field to my advantage. Even at f22, focusing onthe head of the nudibranch and again locking focusand using the rocking technique, the backgroundalthough only 3 inches behind is blurred enough togive just a hint of the colour that although real isnot what it seems.

These are some of the reasons that I have forthe moment settled on this lens set-up andnowadays very rarely enter the water without it. Tome, it gives that extra edge to creating macro shotswhich capture the magic of a world of twoextremes.

Tony WhiteSea of Dreams Ltd

e-mail seaofdreams@btinternet.com

All photos weretaken with aNikon F90x in aSea & Seahousing with a105mm Micro-Nikkor and +4dioptre lens.A single diffusedYS120 flashprovided thelighting and thefilm used wasFuji Velviaunderexposedby 1/3 of a stopusing thecompensationfunction on thecamera.

UwP 24

The most appealing underwater photographs areoften those wide angle scenes which have an entirelynatural look to them – the foreground is colourful andwell exposed whilst the background is also visible andappears to stretch away into the distance. This effect isproduced by using a mixture of natural or ambientlight and flash or strobe light, which adds back the lostcolour in the foreground subject. To achieve this weneed to master one of the most essential skills inunderwater photography, which is balancing these twolight sources sometimes referred to as fill flashexposure.

Modern auto-focus cameras are brim full ofprogramme modes and it might appear that thesimplest solution is to select one of these and let thecamera and TTL flash control do the job for you.Whilst this can be a successful option in many cases,the camera does not always provide the correctexposure, particularly in close focus wide anglecompositions where the image might include anexpanse of blue water and a sunburst. In order toachieve repeatable results it is important to understandwhy the camera may fail in certain situations and howto master this technique manually.

If you are using TTL then you would meter thebackground and set the aperture for the natural lightexposure and then take the shot assuming that theelectronics will quench the flash. However, most of usare using Nikonos compatible flash guns with ourhoused camera systems which under mostcircumstances offer very good TTL exposure control.The problem is that no matter how complex yourcamera’s TTL metering system may be, these strobesdefault to a centre weighted metering pattern – inorder to make full use of matrix TTL metering youneed to use the appropriate dedicated land strobe in ahousing. The result of this is that if your main subjectdoes not dominate the central area of the image thenthe strobe may well emit too much light andoverexpose the picture. This happens often when thecentre of the image contains the distant background oropen water, which causes the TTL circuitry to fire thestrobe at full power as it receives no reflected lightfrom the subject.

With experience you will recognise thecompositions that are likely to result in over-exposurefrom your own camera/flash combination. Some flashguns have an adjustable power output in the TTLmode which allows you to reduce the level of a full

Perfectingthe balancing actBy Mark Webster

Silvery fish shoals present another problem, that of reflectionfrom their scales. For this situation you need to determine thebalanced exposure and then ensure that the flash lights thesubject obliquely, so that any reflection does not come backtowards the lens. Nikon F90X, 20mm, Subal housing, F8 @125th, YS120/30, 100ASA.

Balancing light from inside a cave can be awkward. Usecentre weighted or spot metering to take the blue waterreading and bracket the flash exposure. Nikon F90X, 16mmfish eye, Subal housing, F8 @ 125th, YS120/30, 100ASA.

UwP 25

Working in temperate waters means working with lower lightlevels. Balancing the flash output can be more of a challengeunless you have multiple manual powers on your gun.Practice hand holding the gun at a distance behind thecamera to reduce the output. Nikon F801, 16mm fish eye,Subal housing, F5.6 @ 30th, YS120/30, 100ASA.

Close focus wide angle shots can be quite difficult to balance.Try to include the sun in the frame which will allow you touse a smaller aperture for the foreground subject. NikonF90X, 16mm fish eye, Subal housing, F16 @ 125th, YS120/30,100ASA.

power dump which is one way of bracketing theexposure. If you don’t have adjustable TTL powers youcan achieve the same effect by adding diffusers to thefront of the flash to reduce output. Another option toconsider is adjusting the exposure compensationsettings on the camera, but this is fiddly and will oftenresult in an underexposed background. For me theeasiest method is to resort to manual flash exposure,which provides finer exposure control and is easier tobracket several exposures.

For this you will need a guide number chart on theside of your strobe and understand how to use it! Firstyou take a light reading for the background exposurewhich for example gives you a reading of F8 @ 1/60th.Then you must calculate the flash to main subjectdistance using the guide number, which we will assumeis at 30cm (1ft) and will be F11. So now we have toreduce the output of the flash to match the exposure ofF8. If you have adjustable manual power settings onyour flash gun then it is simply a matter of turning thepower down one stop. If you don’t then you must

In tropical waters you can expect the sun to dominate theexposure. Meter off to the side of the sun or perhaps use asurface feature like this boat to partially obscure it. Closingthe aperture will darken the blue of the water and requiremore output from the flash to illuminate the foreground.Nikon F90X, 16mm fish eye, Subal housing, F11 @ 125th,YS120/30, 100ASA.

UwP 26

physically move the strobe back behind the camera to adistance which will give an exposure of F8, in this caseprobably 45cm (1.5ft) or so. If you are using long flasharms then simply extend them back behind the housing,if your arms are not long enough then you will have todetach and hand hold the strobe. Be aware of thedirection you are aiming the strobe as it is easy to missthe subject when it is not in your direct line of site. Thistechnique requires some practice until you are trulyfamiliar with the power output of your strobe but theresults are worthwhile.

As always, practice makes perfect and it isworthwhile keeping a record of your successes andfailures until you begin to recognise those situationswhere you can rely on automation or you need to adoptthose old fashioned manual methods.

Mark Webster

Mark Webster is the author of ‘The Art and Technique ofUnderwater Photography’

For further details visit Mark’s website atwww.photec.co.uk

This is a classic balanced light composition. The sun isslightly hidden by the reef so the background exposure mustbe based on the diver’s torch. Select a suitable aperture andshutter speed and concentrate on balancing the flash outputto just highlight the colour on the reef. Nikon F90X, 16mmfish eye, Subal housing, F8 @ 60th, YS120/30, 100ASA.

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Ocean Optics

UwP 27

Tips for Shooting Wide Anglewith Steve Norvich

If you are like me, you probably started out inunderwater photography by shooting a Nikonos V (orSea and Sea) with framers and extension tubes. As timegoes by, however, certain limitations of this system canget frustrating. As such there is a tendency to move to aSingle Lens Reflex (SLR) camera which is eitheramphibious by nature or is housed in a metal or Lucitehousing from one of the many good vendors in thebusiness.

An SLR allows more creativity and control overthe results since in most cases you see what you areshooting in the viewfinder (in certain cases, however,less than 100% of the image is in the viewfinder),but italso requires more skill than simply placing a framerover a subject and pressing the trigger. While this willcertainly remove many of the limitations imposed bynot using an SLR camera, it also will whet your appetitefor shooting reef scenics and large marine animalsrather than small marine animals that move slowly.

These larger reef scenes are normally taken with awider angle lens, which can vary from 14mm to 35mm.I personally favor the Nikonos 15mm lens for theNikonos V camera, and a housed 18mm lens for ahoused 100% viewfinder camera such as the Nikon F5.Don’t take my personal preferences as more thanrecommendations of what I personally like.

Shoot in Manual Mode

When shooting macro subjects almost everyoneuses TTL simply because it is easy and will work nearlyall the time; wide angle, however is a differentsituation. While there are exceptions in macrophotography, such as if your subject is extremely dark,extremely light or extremely reflective, or there is bluewater in the frame, TTL will give good results probably95% of the time or more. For macro, if one understandsthe limitations of TTL, there is no reason not to use it.

Wide angle photography on the other hand, mostoften has a fair amount of blue water in the frame andwill not reflect back strobe light to the lens. This canpotentially wreck havoc when using TTL, especiallymatrix balanced TTL as the foreground will then beoverexposed or burned out. Some people still use TTLwhen shooting wide angle and attempt to compensatefor the blue water by under exposing by 1, 2 or more f-stops or somewhere in between. This will sometimeswork, other times not. If this is your preference,bracket with exposure compensation proportionate tothe amount of blue water in the image.

What I do is determine the background exposureby spot metering on the blue water I wish to be exposedproperly. This is usually away from the sun, normallyat a 45-60 degree angle. It is essential to know wherethe spot meter is located for a given camera. Forexample, the Nikonos V, the spot meter is located in thelower center while most in most SLR cameras the spotmeter is in the focusing area, generally the center of theframe unless they have variable focus points. Generallythis suggests shooting upwards as much as possiblebecause the difference between upper and lower bluewater, shooting horizontally, is approximately two f-stops. If you simply shoot horizontally, this will makethe top blue water of your image look overly light andthe bottom water overly dark. This combination of f-stop and shutter speed is my base exposure that I setmanually. In tropical waters with reasonable visibility,a good guideline for ISO100 is f8 at 1/60. If I amshooting scenes where the primary subject does notmove much, such as a reef scenic, I use a higher f-stopand slower shutter speed to increase depth of field. Forexample, this reef scenic was shot using Velvia ISO 50at f5.6 and 1/60 nearly straight upwards. Notice that theblue is an even color and does not go from light at thetop to dark.

Remember that not all reef scenics should be

UwP 28

shot horizontally. Sometimes the subject, like the softcoral below, should be shot vertically. Some people

tend tocomposeverticallynaturally andhave to thinkhorizontallywhenappropriate,while othersare just thereverse.

If I amshootinganimals thatmove fast, Iuse a highershutter speedand lower f-stop at thecost of depthof field. To getthe best

results with animals with predictable patterns ofmovement, I preset shutter speed, f-stop and focus andwait for the correct shot. Using Velvia at 50 ISOshooting upwards but not into the sun, will give a resultof about f5.6 and 1/60. Fast moving animals such assharks require a shutter speed in excess of 1/125.Notice the slight blur of the tail on the Silver tip sharkbelow. In order to totally freeze the tail, it would

require a synch speed of 1/250 which some cameras(including the Nikonos RS) do not have. This imagewas shot at f5.6 and 1/125 using Provia 100 in Kavieng,Papua New Guinea. The focus was preset and subjectto strobe distance matched at 2 feet which resulted inshooting at quarter strobe power on an SB104.

The animal is highly reflective so it was better toslightly “under strobe” the subject.

Stopping sunbeams

To effectivelyfreeze sunbeams requiresshooting at 1/250. Noticethe dancing sunbeams onthe picture below shot atDevil’s Grotto in GrandCayman. This was shotat an aperture of f2.8 and1/250 of a second.

Create Contrast

Successful imageshave a subject that stands out. Too often I seephotographs where the subject blends into thebackground (sometimes called negative space) andsimply fails to grab one’s attention. This often occurswhen shooting down on a subject. If you are aware ofthis problem when composing an image there arevarious ways to make a subject stand out or “pop”.Making a subject “pop” involves creating contrastbetween that subject and its background or negativespace. There are three easy ways that this can beaccomplished.

Color Contrast

Photographing a subject against a background ofa completely different color can create contrast. Thiscould be a black background, which can be easilycreated by shooting with a small aperture, e.g.0 f16 orf22 and fast shutter speed, a blue water background, ora different color background as shown by thephotograph of a manta ray against a sunburst and bluewater background. While I lightly exposed the bottomof the manta with strobe light, it stands out quite nicelyfrom the blue water. Again I had set up exposurematched strobe and focus for two feet and simplywaited for the correct shot to occur.

UwP 29

Negative Space Contrast

Another way to create contrast is by usingnegative space to accentuate an interesting subject.This can be done by shooting in silhouette. Remember,if you cannot see a silhouette, you cannot shoot asilhouette.

This photograph of a manta ray accentuates thecontrast between the light of the sky and the dark of thesubject with no strobe lighting.

Shoot your strobes on manual not TTL

Once you have determined the basic exposure foryour blue water background, you have a shutter speedand f-stop combination. F-stops are tradeoffs withshutter speed, as each will change the amount of lightthat reaches the film by * (if you increase shutter speedby one click, e.g. going from 1/60 to 1/125) or doublethe light by increasing the aperture by one stop, e.g.going from f8 to f5.6. Strobes, however, since they areshoot very fast relative to shutter speed, don’t care at allabout shutter speed selected. They care only about f-stop and distance to subject. Most strobes have a tableof strobe to subject distances; however for best results,shoot a test roll to verify that this table is correct. Manystrobe manufacturers tend to exaggerate their guidenumbers to make their strobes seem more powerful thanthat of their competition. For wide angle photography,wide angle strobes which cover about 90 degrees areideal. Optimally they should also have one stopincrements in power setting. That is “full”, “half”,“quarter”, and so forth.

What makes a picture work?

If an image is pleasing to the viewer it works, andgenerally this means that it is composed well. There aretwo ways to accomplish this.

The first is to think about what makes goodcomposition while shooting your pictures and thesecond is to take all the pictures from a given photoshoot and throw away those that are badly composed.Which makes more sense? It is up to you, thephotographer, to decide. I personally find that unless Ithink about composition while shooting that I have fartoo many images to throw away when culling.

Good composition means that picture elementsproduce an overall pleasing, unified, and harmoniouswhole. While this is highly subjective, there are someguidelines, which will help composition be pleasing andcause your eye to gravitate to the subject.

Rule of Thirds

Think of everyimage as if it were atic-tac-toe layoutwith two vertical andtwo horizontal lines.The intersections ofthese lines are called“crash points” andthese are the power points that will easily draw yourattention or that of your viewer.

Placing your subject at one of these crash pointswill create an image that is more powerful and able tokeep the interest of the viewer. It gives a feeling ofbalance and harmony and keeps the image from beingboring. Too often, placing the subject in the center ofthe image makes the picture look posed. So, in effectthis is asymmetrical composition where the subject isnot centered or if it is centered, the eye of the subject isat one of the crash points. When the subject is placedon one of these power points or crash points, it is highlydesirable that it be positioned such that movement isinto the frame rather than out of the frame. The formerfeels right while the latter creates a discordant feeling.

Look at the preceding images in this article andnotice that they use those points wherever possible.

The rule of thirds also suggests a one-third/twothird ratio between background (negative space) andsubject. Often, in underwaterimages, this means one thirdis black or blue waterbackground or negativespace and two thirds issubject. Be careful aboutoverusing the black waterbackground; I prefer bluewater instead. You CAN,however shoot reef scenicswith black water backgroundif your subject is carefullychosen. Note that the ratio

UwP 30

of blue water in the image below is about one third ofthe total image.

If it is necessary to center a subject try not to havethe subject centered and parallel to the bottom or top ofthe image. Often times creating a diagonal can cause amundane subject composition to be more interesting.

Think Negative Space not Subject

While finding good subjects is essential tounderwater photography it is not the end but rather ameans toward an end. The best images are those withthe best negative spaces and this is true of wide angle aswell as macro or close-up photographs. What makesyour pictures stand out from those of all the otherunderwater photographers in the world is how youcompose and how you use negative space creatively. Agood photographer does not take pictures; a goodphotographer makes images. This is especially true forwide-angle photography. Personally, I often look forsuperb negative spaces and then find subjects withinthose areas.

Change your Viewpoint

Try to get the most out of a given subject. Goodsubjects are difficult to find so don’t simply take onephotograph and move on. Shoot the same subject fromdifferent viewpoints, directions, and sides. Look forcreative ways of showing how the subject fits into itsworld. Look for simplicity rather than complexity sothe subject does not get lost in a myriad of detail.Consider shooting both vertical and horizontalcompositions of the same subject.

Get Closer

If you want your pictures to be better thanaverage get closer. Then, get closer again. Having lesswater column between your camera lens and yoursubject makes for better color saturation, better clarity,greater enunciation of detail, and less strobe powerrequired to light the subject properly. In wide-anglephotography this means using the widest lens availableas long as it matches the dome port that contains it. If itdoes not, the corners of your image will be less thansharp.

Avoiding Backscatter

Backscatter is caused by lighting pieces ofparticulate in the water before or in front of the subjectbeing photographed. Backscatter is not inevitable evenin water heavy in particulate. The only way to avoidbackscatter, other than photographing in crystal clearwater such as found in a swimming pool, is to paint the

subject with the edgeof your strobe beamrather than aiming thestrobe directly at thesubject. Obviously,decreasing the amountof water between thesubject and the lens reduces the backscatteropportunities by reducing the water column betweencamera and subject, but painting the subject with thestrobe edges will work even in murky conditions.

Dual Strobes

I personally prefer the use of two strobes ratherthan one especially for wide-angle photography. If youuse only one strobe you are forced to point the strobesomewhat inwards and this will result in backscatter.Most often I have one strobe on the left and one on theright of the subject, both slightly above the camera, andboth slightly pointing downwards and straight ahead (asopposed to angling inward). Depending on the size ofthe subject area the strobes will be closer or fartherapart. Large scenics require long strobe arms.Remember, however, that the viewer will not be able toeasily judge the size of your scenic because a wideangle lens will distort that. Start by shooting smallerscenes and then progress to larger scenics.

Lighting Ratios

For wide-angle photography, I use equal lightingratios for both strobes. That means that the subject tostrobe distance matched and has a power selection

relatively the same for each strobe. What this reallymeans is that if one side of the scenic is further away,the strobe on that side will be at a higher power. Whenusing this technique proper bracketing is desirable andoccasionally essential to find the best effect. In thiscase bracketing is with strobe power settings for ameasured distance rather than f-stops and shutter speedswhich will be matched with the setting to create a bluewater background.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I hope that the tips discussed abovewill be useful to you and that you will try them in asituation where you can get immediate feedback byprocessing your film and then looking at results.Always evaluate your results and keep notes about whatworks, what does not and what your preferences are.Consistent evaluation will cause your photography toimprove and you will avoid reoccurring systemicmistakes.

Steven Norvich

UwP 31

Sometimes it seems likeyou’ve bought the best

underwater cameraand the fineststrobe only to bethwarted by the

flash arm. Let’s be honest. Most housing and

underwater camera manufacturers don’tdesign great strobe arms. And maybe that’s

why they don’t like talkingabout them much. Yet the influence yourstrobe arm has on the handling of your entiresystem and the versatility of how you lightyour shots is inestimable. Ultralight is different. Ultralight only

make strobe arms and system accessories.Developed by top underwater

photographers to overcome the problems inherent in otherdesigns, it’s also chosen by top underwaterphotographers.

Envisaged as a totally modular system,Ultralight lets you evolve your system as

your skills develop andyour needs change. Witharms from 3 inches tosixteen you can adaptfrom supermacro tofisheye and choosebetween frame arms

for buoyant guns and buoyancyarms for heavier units.

With the best holding clamps in the business strobe drift is virtually eliminatedeven in current.

The range of accessories encompasses tripods, basetrays, pivot trays and handles,modelling light mounts and meter holders. It is simply the most extensive strobe armrange in the world.

So when you select Ultralight you won’t be cramping your style. You’ll be broadaningyour horizons.

Win The Arms Racewith Ultralight

Ocean Optics13 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5AQTel 020 7930 8408 Fax 020 7839 6148http://www.oceanoptics.co.uk

UwP 32

The sad news that Nikon are to discontinue theNikonos V makes it all the more neccessary to lookafter your existing cameras. The manual which comeswith the camera is helpful enough but there are sometips they don’t tell you about but UwP will!

The TTL flash contacts are probably the biggestcause of exposure failures and care should always betaken when removing a sync cord from the socket,especially just after the camera has been taken out of arinse tank. The small gap between the centre of theflash plug and the threaded part you screw into thecamera socket will almost certainly retain a smallamount of water. If you unscrew the sync cord with thecamera upside down this water could drop into the flashsocket.

On a Nikonos 111 or 1Va this would not be amajor problem and a small burst of low pressure airwould expel the unwanted water. The problem with theNikonos V is that the two extra pins for TTL signals aresprung loaded. This allowed Nikonos 111 and 1Vaflashguns to be used but it did leave a weak link in thesystem.

The problem is that, being spring loaded ratherthan moulded into the solid insulating plastic as theother three are, water can get past the small pins andinto the insides of the flash pin assembly andeventually, if there is enough pressure or water, it willactually get inside the camera and could do a lot ofdamage.

I know rinse water is supposed to be fresh but, inthe real world, it rarely is so it will be slightly salty andwill cause a resistance in the sprung loaded contactswhich will fool the flash into thinking that it is givingout enough power when the system is next used.Unfortunately for those who didn’t know this, it willseem as if everything is working as the flash will fireevery time but it will only be a very small output andthe shots will almost certainly be very dark orunderexposed.

An early indication that you may have a problemis if the lightning bolt in the camera viewfinder flashesrather than stays on permanently when the flash readylight is on. If this happens you must try to clean and drythe flash contacts. Doing this may seem a bit nerveracking but you have no choice if you want to solve theproblem. The following is what I recommend if you areon site and don’t have access to a Nikonos repairfacility:

Solving Nikonos VTTL problemsby Peter Rowlands

The weakest links. The two smallest connectors are sprungloaded and water/grease can get behind them. Waterincreases resistance and grease stops electical contact andeven small amounts will cause TTL failure

The small gap between the centre of the flash plug and thethreaded part you screw into the camera socket will almostcertainly retain a small amount of water for a long time aftera rinse.

You are not advised to remove the flash plug like this as dropsof water can fall onto the flash pins and cause TTL failure. Itis better to hold the camera normally and carefully removethe plug from underneath.

UwP 33

The first option is to give the socket a blast of lowpressure air. If you are lucky it may expel any trappedwater or grease.

The second option is to drop some degreasingliquid into the socket. There are many varieties ofdegreasing liquids, some of which will attack theplastic, so be careful which one you use. I use an IPAbased liquid called Isopropanol which is very good. Ithink RS components sell it in small quantities but I useit so much for my work that I buy it by the gallon!

With a generous amount of degreaser in the socketuse a fine pointed device to push each of the two smallsprung loaded pins up and down a few times. This willget the liquid behind the pins and inside the flash pinassembly. There it will degrease the contacts and shouldalso absorb any moisture. A blast of low pressure airwill then expel the remaining liquid either physically orby evapouration. I have found that this solves theproblem about half of the time. For the other half thereis one final, last ditch attempt to try...

I was given a small sample of ‘CL40’ about threeyears ago. It’s made/marketed by Diver’s Best in theUSA. I don’t know if they have an agent in the UK buttheir address is 112 Commerce Street, Riverdale,Atlanta GA 30236. I suspect that CL40 is merely arebranded contact cleaner such as those sold by Maplinor RS Components but it has worked very well for meover the years so I’m not knocking it.

The CL40 instructions tell you not to do what I amabout to recommend but it works for me a lot of thetime! I apply a small amount of CL40/switch cleanerinto the socket and depress the spring contacts asbefore, then blow it away with a blast of low pressureair. If you still have a problem, the only solution is tohave a Nikonos repair technician replace the flash pinassembly from the inside of the camera.

Fortunately you can test the TTL system withoutfilm in the camera as follows:

Make sure you are wound on to at least Frame 1and fire the flash straight into the lens with it set at thewidest aperture (F2.5 on the 35mm lens). When you firethe flash you should get a very small flash and a veryfast recycle time.

Now cover the lens with a lenscap or place thecamera face down on a solid surface. When you fire theflash now the output should be much brighter and theready light will blink a few times, go out and then theflash will start to recycle. This indicates that the flashhas fired at full power and that your TTL system isworking fine.

Next issue we’ll look at more do’s and don’ts tomake sure you keep your Nikonos working.

See you in Issue 3 of UwP on December 1st 2001!

Diver’s Best CL40 comes in a 1/2oz bottle which has lastedme three years so far. It is basically a contact cleaner whichcan be used if an application of degreasing liquid has notsolved the problem (please refer to the text)

Diver’s Best say don’t do this but it has worked for me. Bearin mind that you haven’t got much to lose because the onlysolution after this is to have a Nikonos repair technicianreplace the flash pin assembly from inside the camera andthis is an expensive repair.

I didn’t tell you to do this! Use a fine pointed device to pusheach of the two small sprung loaded pins up and down a fewtimes and then blow the CL40 away with a blast of lowpressure air.

Peter Rowlands

UwP 34

The received wisdom is thatmacro photography underwater iseasy so why is it that you can’t getthose stunning shots you see in thecoffee table books and photocompetitions? It does not take longto get to grips with focus and depthof field, aperture and strobepositioning for effect but if you arestill struggling to get a shot withreal impact then maybe you need tothink more about your compositionand, more importantly, choice ofsubject. This is where you need todo your homework.

Photo courses will start youvisualising good composition bytalking about the ‘rule of thirds’ andsubject positioning within theframe. If you sort your shots outinto two piles where the first pilefollows the rule of thirds, diagonalsand has the subject positioned wellin the frame facing in the generaldirection of your lens and in thesecond pile the rest. Your best shotswill be in the first pile.

Now you need to take pile oneand look at the subjects. Are theyinteresting? Have you had to spendfive minutes explaining to yourMum what they are and which endis the front? ( We’ve all been there!)Do they have any impact inthemselves or are they dull andlacking colour? Is the backgroundmessy or lacking colour or contrastwith your subject? Do your friendsall have pictures of the same things?

If, when you answered the lastquestion, you came up withsomeone who gets pictures of stuffyou never find that will be the sameperson who pours over theidentification books with theirevening beer. They will also be theperson who is chatting to the dive

Do your homeworkHow the Pro’s get those stunning Macro Shots

By Will Postlethwaite

guide on the journey to the dive site.This person is on the way to beingable to get macro shots with realimpact. They are doing theirhomework and already have anidea, as they drop off the boat, ofwhat they are looking for and howthey are going to get the best shot.

The oceans are full of the most

amazingly beautiful tiny creaturesbut you have to know how to findthem. It is a dangerous world downbelow and being small these guyshave to hide or be eaten. Some hidein crevices and holes but more oftenthan not they hitch a ride onsomething bigger. Animals that dothis, called commensals, also get the

Nikon F90X in Subal housing, 60mm macro , Sea&Sea YS120 and YS90. TTL.Fuji Velvia 1/100 f32

Nikon F90X in Subal housing, 60mm macro , Sea&Sea YS120 and YS90. TTL.Fuji Velvia 1/100 f22

UwP 35

shrimp Periclimenes imperator. Itwill hitch a ride on all manner ofhosts and, like many commensals,adjusts its colour for camoflage.Two pictures here show the shrimpon two different sea cucumbers, apink version lives in the gills of theSpanish Dancer.

Nudibranchs are colourfulsubjects in themselves but usuallyneed a complimentary backdrop tomake real impact. Fortunately theyget some of their colour byrecycling some of their food. Findout what they eat and they might beeasier to find and somewhat morestriking like the two shown here.

Not all nudibranchs are aroundall year and, like many seacreatures, are seasonal. Manycreatures also have a certain depthrange. A good subject in the UKillustrates this well.

Snakelocks anemones are acommon shallow species around ourshores. If you check around the baseof these during the summer monthsyou are very likely to find a littledecorator crab hiding as shown.

Look in the books, find thecharismatic creatures and learn howto find them. Show the picture inthe book to your dive guide and askhim to find you one. If he looksblank get him to ask his pals andyou might get a better guide! (Topphotographers hunt out the topguides.)Once you know where they

added benefit of getting access tofood by riding on their host.

In the Indo-Pacific the featherstar or crinoid is a mostaccomodating host where allmanner of shrimp, crabs and fishlive. A careful examination with akeen eye over a few will usuallyreveal an elegant squat lobster asshown. The others are for you tofind!

One species that shows themost variety of colours is the

are and what they look like, nowthink about how you want toconstruct the frame around yoursubjects. If they are commensal onsomething with complimentarycolours then fill the backdrop withtheir host. If they live somewhererather dull or messy then shoot so asto get clear water behind them andstop the aperture down or increaseyour shutter speed to black out thebackground. You can also blur outthe background by openning up theaperture and narrowing your depthof field but beware of negativespace.

Go out and invest in a smalllibrary of good identification booksand read them. The outlay will paydividends and it is true that themore you know how to spot thingsthe more you will see. But the mostimportant result will be that youwill focused and prepared beforeyour dive and consequently morerelaxed and in control when takingyour shots which is probably thebiggest contributor to gettingpictures like the pro’s.

Nikon F90X in Subal housing,60mm macro , Sea&Sea YS120and YS90. TTL.Fuji Velvia 1/100 f22

Nikon F90X in Subal housing, 60mmmacro , Sea&Sea YS120 and YS90.TTL. Fuji Velvia 1/100 f32

Demelza & Will Postlethwaiteare professional underwater

photographers and travel writersTheir images and articles are

widely published in scuba divingmagazines.

They teach underwaterphotography at

Cornish Diving,Bar Road, Flamouth,

CornwallTR11 4BN

Englandhttp://www.cornishdiving.co.uk

UwP 36

I always get the impressionthat the level of the sea rises when-ever I take my Hasselblad in for adive. Ok, that’s a slight exaggera-tion, but there is no denying thattaking medium format camerasunderwater requires a sizablehousing. Size also means weight toachieve neutral buoyancy; hardlyideal for travel. Manual focus,manual exposure, no TTL, I evenhave to wind the film on. Why do Ibother? Well, the answer is clear,well translucent, and measures oftwo and a quarter inches square,that is 60 mm in new money.Medium format transparencies arenot a small improvement over 35mm, they are in a different world.

In this article I hope to passon some of my experiences in myadventure crossing from a modern35 mm SLR to a fully manual rollfilm SLR.

So what exactly is mediumformat? Medium format camerastake film larger than 35 mm butsmaller than large format 4x5 inch.In practice, most medium formatcameras use 60 mm roll film, in 120and 220 lengths. Roll film is justanother film format like 35 mm,APS and 110, which incidentallymy first underwater camera usedwhen I was still in single figures.Roll film is 60mm from top tobottom, and because it has nosprocket holes the height of theimage is only slightly smaller. Thewidth of the image can vary, andtypical image sizes are 60x45 mm,60x70 mm and 60x60 mm, that myHasselblad produces. Most of thepopular 35 mm brands of film areavailable: I use Fuji Velvia and FujiProvia F. A 60x60 transparency hasmore than four times the area of a35 mm, so with the same film it hasmore than four times the resolution(just like comparing CCD sizes of

Is it worththe hassle?Alexander Mustard

Southern Stingray. Hasselblad 500C with Zeiss 50mm Distagon in a Hasselbladhousing. F8 @ 1/60th. Sea & Sea YS120 on 1/2 Power. Fujichrome Provia 100ASA.Scanned by photographing transparency on a light box with a digital camera.

Clockwise from top left. Head on view of the flat port. The photographers view ofthe massive viewfinder. The camera mounted in the housing. Modern flash attachedto new synch socket fitted by Warren Williams.

UwP 37

digital cameras, or pixel sizes of computer images).My kit, which has all been pre-owned, consists of

a rusty Hasselblad 500c SLR camera with a ZeissDistagon 50 mm lens, which has a field of view roughlyequivalent to 20-24 mm on a 35 mm camera. Thehousing was made in the 1970s by the HasselbladUnderwater Division and contains the viewing prism.When I got the housing it had been sitting on a shelf fora couple of decades, so I contacted Peter Rowlandsabout getting it serviced. Peter put me in touch withWarren Williams, who had worked on these cameras intheir heyday. Warren soon had the housing functioninglike new, well better than that in fact, because he re-placed one of the old style synch plugs with a Nikonostype plug, so I could now use flash although of coursewithout TTL.

In the water the Hasselblad sheds its pounds. It isslightly negative and a little nose heavy, but with ahandle on each side it is easy to control. The viewfinderis monstrous and I can almost look through it with botheyes simultaneously. The view is dimmer than that of a35 mm camera because of the slower lens (f4) and itslarge size of the viewing screen. Although in well littropical waters the screen is bright and makes focusingstraightforward.

As a photographer of the electronic age, I hadpreviously believed that my fingers were for operatingautofocus, and that manual settings on flash guns werejust that, a feature only for the instruction manual. Sothe change to the battery-less Hasselblad was a shock.But I quickly warmed to the system and using it becamea pleasure. Its chunky gears are as smooth and certainand the extra concentration required makes each photo-graph more precious. The involvement in the creationof each image is such that my 35 mm pictures now feellike snap-shots. The satisfaction is immense. Many ofthe rewards of underwater photography are not just inthe results but in the process of going in the water andputting images together.

Electronic aids remove some of the difficulty, butalso some of the pleasure.

Manual exposure is a problem and endless brack-eting is not practical with only 12 shots per roll. Ialways dive with a second camera to meter for ambientlight. This solution works well partly because I do nothave a light meter and also because it gives me a secondsystem to use once my 12 “big shots” are exposed. Mygeneral technique has been to trust my ambient lightreadings and then bracket for the flash by shooting atdifferent flash distances and powers. For the future, Ihave been offered a 70 mm film back, which will giveme 70 shots per dive and a lots more flexibility forbracketing.

Another factor I have had to consider is that amedium format lens with a similar angle of view to alens on a 35 mm camera has a much reduced depth offield, because of its longer focal length. I have been

Size matters. In comparison to the petite Nikonos V theHasselblad is monstrous. However, its bulk belies itssurprisingly easy handling in the water.

using the Hasselblad in well lit waters, and the depth offield has not been reduced too critically. To enable meto use smaller apertures and increase depth of field Ihave tended to use 100 ISO film, where I might shoot50 ISO on 35 mm. Even higher film speeds could beused to get around this problem, especially with theincreased quality of fast slide films introduced in thelast few years. Another solution for the reduced depth offield is in subject selection and composition. A simplebackground is not harmed by being out of focus, forexample blue water is not ruined if it is not sharp. In myopinion reduced depth of field can have a positiveeffect. Many underwater photographs are taken tomaximise depth of field but with less range in focus thesubject can have more impact, something Steve Norvichpointed out for macro photography in the last issue ofUnderwater Photography.

The Hasselblad produces a square picture format.A big advantage of this is that flash positions do nothave to be changed as much as there are no vertical orhorizontal compositions. I have also found the squareformat a suitable shape for many marine subjects and arefreshing compositional challenge.

One unforeseen problem of my medium formatadventure is in showing people my images. I do notknow anyone with a medium format projector, my 35mm lupe does not fit the larger trannies and I can notuse a standard slide scanner either. Of course there aresolutions to these problems, but although obvious this isa bit of a frustration.

In conclusion, if you ever get the opportunity touse a medium format camera underwater then I stronglyencourage you to grasp the opportunity with both hands(and you’ll need both). But should you trade in all your35mm gear for medium format? I think not. As great asthe trannies are, a modern housed 35mm SLR remainsthe most efficient tool for underwater photography.Medium format is best reserved for special occasions.

Alexander Mustard

UwP 38

The three of us have never teamed up like thisbefore. But we all share something in common: a deeplove of the ocean and marine mammals. That’s whywe’re very disturbed by a U.S. military program that, ifapproved, will soon be bombarding millions of whalesand dolphins around the world with intense noise.

You may have read about the U.S. Navy’s “Low-Frequency Active” (LFA) sonar program. The militaryhas been testing this new, high-powered system insecret for years. Now, the Navy wants to deploy itacross 80 percent of our planet’s oceans. LFA sonar isdesigned to detect enemy submarines by flooding vastexpanses of the oceans with sound. Leaving aside themilitary wisdom of this sonar — which is still indispute — the environmental dangers are becomingincreasingly clear.

Here’s the problem: LFA noise is billions of timesmore intense than that known to disturb whalemigration and communication. Whales and dolphinsdepend on their sensitive hearing for survival. To put itsimply, a deaf whale is a dead whale. Deafening noisefrom the LFA system will interfere with the vitalbiological activities of marine mammals. Scientists fearthat long-term exposure to LFA could push entirepopulations over the brink into extinction.

Inevitably, there will also be marine mammalsunlucky enough to swim too close to LFA loudspeakers.Imagine an acoustic wave so powerful that, even atsubstantial distances, it can destroy your hearing, causeyour lungs or ears to hemorrhage, or even kill you.

We’ve already seen a glimpse of the resultingcarnage. Last year, whales from four different species

Jean-Michel Cousteau James Taylor

Dear Friend,

Pierce Brosnan

stranded themselves and died on beaches across thenorthern Bahamas during a Navy military exercise.

All but one of the dead animals examined byresearchers had suffered hemorrhaging around the innerear — the telltale sign of acoustic trauma. The U.S.Navy’s own report concluded that it is “highly likely”that the stranding was caused by the use of mid-frequency active sonar. But despite this tragic event, theNavy now wants to deploy LFA, the most extensiveactive sonar system ever devised.

We know that different frequencies will affectdifferent marine mammals and that the lower thefrequency, the farther it penetrates the ocean. Webelieve it is unconscionable to expose marine mammalsaround the world to more high intensity sonar. If youagree, then please join us in taking immediate action; itwill take you only a few seconds.

Just go to http://www.nrdcaction.org/

UwP 39

We believe it is unconscionable to expose marine mammalsaround the world to more high intensity sonar.Just go to http://www.nrdcaction.org/index.asp?step=2&item=518

http://www.whalecenter.org

http://www.bornfree.org.uk

http://www.wdcs.org

http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jun2000/2000l-06-15-06.html

index.asp?step=2&item=518. The Natural ResourcesDefense Council (NRDC) and Ocean Futures Society(OFS) have set up this web page to make it easy for youto send electronic messages of protest to your U.S.senators and representative. Congress is now decidingthe Navy’s funding for next year — tell them to “TurnOff LFA Sonar” by cutting off its funding.

And please forward this message to your family,friends and colleagues. NRDC used web activism to

help generate a million messages of protest toMitsubishi and, just last year, stopped the companyfrom destroying the last unspoiled birthing ground ofthe Pacific gray whale.

Congress cannot ignore millions of us. Together,we can keep whales and dolphins safe from high-powered sonar.

Thank you for your time and your concern.

Sincerely yours,

James TaylorPierce Brosnan

Jean-Michel Cousteau

UwP 40

Those of us who were lucky enough to beincluded on the distribution list of Constantinos’frequent e-mail ‘newsletters’ sent from KungkunganBay Resort while he was photographing for his bookwill feel that we have been waiting a very long time tosee the final product - ‘Realm of the Pygmy Seahorse’.

Well, the book is finally here and the wait hasmost definitely been worthwhile. This is an outstandingbook, which will appeal to non-diving coral reefadmirers, as well as to divers and underwaterphotographers. I read it at a single sitting, then wentback to feast some more on the beautiful images.

Constantinos set out to document the immenselyrich eco-system in the Lembeh Strait in NorthernSulawesi, Indonesia and in the course of 5 months, hecompleted 320 dives and took 25,000 slides, of which280 are beautifully reproduced in the book.

Lembeh Strait is in many ways far removed fromthe traditional idea of an ideal underwaterphotographer’s dream destination. There is little coral,visibility is often low and most dive sites are fondlydescribed as ‘muck dives’, that is, the bottom is merelyan unpromising slope of fine, black volcanic sand.However, Constantinos is able to reveal a complexcommunity of surprising creatures with myriad highlyspecialised life-styles and a stunning variety ofcoloration, variously designed to aid concealment, warnwould-be predators or attract potential mates.

Constantinos starts his book by putting LembehStrait into the context of the huge and populous countryof Indonesia and explaining how this otherwise obscurecorner of the planet came to be so highly valued byunderwater photographers and marine enthusiasts.Throughout, he is generous in acknowledging theassistance offered him by the peopleof the area, especially the staff ofKungkungan Bay.

Arranged into chapters each oneof which focuses on a different topic,the text and images work closelytogether to explain a number ofaspects of the ecology of the area.Constantinos’ writing is brim-full ofnuggets of behavioural observations,such as how clownfishes becomeimmune to the poisonous tentacles oftheir host anemones, or how speciesfrom cuttlefish to frogfish change and

Realm of thePygmy Seahorse

Reviewed by Anne Owen

UwP 41

use their colour. This could be ratherdry, but his style is immenselyreadable and conveys strongly hispersonal passion for the naturalworld, as well as the great depth ofresearch that he has done. He tellsmany anecdotes of missed photo -opportunities, flooded cameras andother disasters, but this cannot detractfrom his craftsmanship and theprofessionalism that he brings to hiswork.

The photography is not onlytechnically superb, but often highlycreative too. Unsurprisingly, there arefew wide-angle images in this book,which is just one of many features that differentiates itfrom many other ‘coffee table’ offerings fromunderwater photographers. Portraits of fish and otheranimals in their natural environment make up most ofthe images, enhanced by a thoughtful layout andinformative captions. Personal favourites of mineinclude a rare image of two male mandarin fish engagedin a fight on the reef at dusk, a tiny octopus making itshome in a cockle shell and a breathtaking close up ofthe eyes of a smasher mantis shrimp.

In his introduction, Constantinos tells us of TheLembeh Strait Preservation Society efforts to achieveMarine Park status for the Lembeh Strait and expresseshis wish that this book will provide a valuable resourceto help them in that task. I am sure that everyone whoreads this book will join him in that wish.

Review by Anne Owen, FRPS

256 24cm x 31cm pages. 280 Colour PhotosPRICE UK: £39

Available from Ocean Optics13 Northumberland Ave

London WC2N 5AQ

tel 020 7930 8408Fax 020 7839 6148

UwP 42

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Visit our web site for the latest news and special deals

http://www.oceanoptics.co.uk

Our aim at Ocean Optics isto keep you shooting.

That’s why we provide afull servicing facility in our

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