What to Expect Without Expecting Too Much
 Considering
that you can communicate with divers who will appear
in your photographs, common sense suggests that it
should be a lot easier to create great images of
divers than it is to work with animals. At times,
however, especially the first few times you work
with a "model" you have never worked with or one who
is new to modeling, the supposed common sense
conclusion is way off the mark.
In this context I am using the word "model" to mean a dive buddy who is
willing to cooperate with a photographer as opposed
to an experienced professional. After all, most
sport divers don't have the luxury of working with
professional models.
Experience has taught me that being a model is much more challenging than
it first appears. Even on land it can be a challenge
to look good on camera. It's another thing to attain
neutral buoyancy and hover over a sea fan in a
current, and things only become more difficult when
trying to get into the right place in just the right
pose when models are asked to work with creatures
such as sea lions, turtles and stingrays.
When I first work with a new "model," the most important thing I
communicate is that I want my model to be safe and
have fun without worrying too much about my needs. I
ask them to try to do three to five things, such as
look at a specific object; understand that I am not
"yelling," but hand signals underwater often need to
be
exaggerated to be effective; and tuck their gauges
away neatly; but I am very careful not to give them
a laundry list of do's and don'ts. Asking too much
of inexperienced models is a recipe for
disappointment.
My suggestion is to (1) tell models what you would like them to do while
keeping that list very short, (2) show them what you
want them to do, and (3) have them tell and show you
what they think you want. Especially with newer
models, try to keep things simple. After the dive
you can review the images together and at that time
you can make additional suggestions so you can
improve as a team.
Take a look at the photographs on this page. The model in the shot with
the sponge came in with a lot of experience and did
a great job keeping her face in a position where I
could highlight her eyes and face. The diver feeding
the stingray at Stingray City was working with a
moving animal and had less experience; he didn't
realize his arm was blocking the path between my
lens and his face. If we have a chance to review the
image together, the next time we are in a similar
situation we will be a better team, and he will be
aware of how seeing the excitement in his face will
likely enhance the image.
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