In many respects underwater photography is
the ultimate two-for-one special. We enjoy the
opportunity to photograph one set of creatures
during daylight hours and a very different set
of animals and behaviors once the sun sets. Our
nighttime photographic opportunities come with
some different challenges, but don't despair;
there are proven ways to deal with many of these
obstacles.
Macro Creatures A fundamental reason that we
don't see many reef creatures or their full
repertoire of behaviors during the day is that they
don't like being in bright light. With a variety of
fishes and invertebrates alike, if you shine a
bright light on them, they are quick to flee,
retract or otherwise avoid the light. To overcome
this potential obstacle, try diving with the dimmest
light you can to navigate around the reef and to
focus your lens. Once illuminated but before
fleeing, many reef creatures momentarily "freeze."
That short period of their indecision is our window
of opportunity. To enjoy success at night you often
need to be quick when composing your shot and
operating various camera system controls. Knowing
your way around your camera system "by feel" rather
than having to see your camera system controls can
help you be quick. This skill can be mastered by
familiarizing yourself with the various camera
system controls at home and by practicing during
daytime dives. Some nights, dense concentrations of
planktonic organisms are quick to gather in the beam
of a dive light. Those creatures are likely to show
up as ruinous backscatter if they are in your frame
when you trip the shutter. Placing a red filter over
a dive light often helps make a light less
attractive to these creatures, minimizing their
presence.
Wide-Angle At Night Because we receive no help
from ambient light at night, with wide-angle scenes
the illuminated portion of your shot must be lit by
your strobe(s). Lighting your subject with the edges
of the beams from two strobes rather than using a
single strobe and pointing it directly at your
subject helps keep ruinous backscatter to a minimum.
Focusing on a large moving subject such as a manta
ray in the dim light of night is usually very
challenging. To overcome this challenge, first take
your best guess at how close you can get to a
subject, and then focus your lens on a brightly lit
stationary object like a rock that is at that
estimated distance from your lens. Next, if your
camera system allows, "lock" the focus so that no
matter what happens when you compose and shoot, the
focus remains at the set distance. Knowing that
distance and the power of your strobe allows you to
set your F-stop for the selected ISO. Once the focus
and other controls are set, all you need to do is
maneuver to the set focusing distance from your
subject, compose and shoot.
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