Expert Tips for Stunning Underwater Photography

Walt Stearns gives some sage recommendation on find out how to create eye-catching marine macro portraits

Why Macro Portraits Captivate Underwater Photographers

I’ve seldom met an underwater photographer who didn’t have at the least some curiosity in macro images. It’s comprehensible as a result of the aquatic realm gives an incredible array of small to minuscule critters. Everything from the attractive and gorgeous to the bizarre and downright weird are ready for any diver with a digicam, a eager eye and a little bit of persistence.

Equipment Used: Nauticam housed Nikon D850 DSLR with Nikon 105mm f/2.8 Macro Lens.

Camera Settings: 1/125 of second with ISO at 400, and aperture at f/27.

Lighting: Two Retra Prime Strobes set on guide at 3/4 energy.

There has been rather a lot stated and written concerning the limitations of not having the ‘proper equipment’ for macro imaging. Undoubtedly, there are a large variety of helpful instruments like supplemental optics for extra magnification of topics to attain a larger than 1:1 ratio and light-shaping units (snoots) that may create distinctive lighting. However, nice macro images might be achieved with simply primary gear matched with each the will and self-discipline to place work at its fullest.

Essential Gear for Creating Macro Marine Portraits

General knowledge dictates having a housed DSLR or mirrorless digicam together with a macro lens within the 40 to 60mm and/or 90 to 105mm vary. I can’t scoff at any of the Olympus TG-5or TG-6users on the market who can solely afford a compact system. The actuality is that these compact cameras have surprisingly wonderful macro functionality with out the necessity for extra optics for magnification.

While many photographers have preferential topics, I contemplate myself a Photo Omnivore, as I contemplate most the whole lot underwater to be fascinating, and every offers a novel imaging problem based mostly on how I need my viewers to see it. Here are a number of examples of topics that may end up in the creation of a charming picture.

Octopus brooding eggs

One of my favorite native diving spots for capturing macro is the Blue Heron Bridge in West Palm Beach, Florida. Back in early March of 2022, a reef octopus (Octopus briareus) took up residence inside an exhaust pipe from a discarded boat engine. When phrase obtained out that she was brooding eggs, she grew to become the focus to many macro photographers seeing an amazing alternative to seize one thing particular.

Equipment Used: Nauticam-housed Nikon D850 DSLR with Nikon 105mm f/2.8 Macro Lens.

Camera Settings: 1/125 of second with ISO at 400, and aperture at f/22.

Lighting: Two Retra Prime Strobes set at full energy.

This was an exquisite likelihood to get certainly one of nature’s marvels of a mom octopus able to fend off all comers whereas attentively aerating her eggs. The problem was that she was practically a foot again inside a pipe scarcely 4 inches in diameter.

To shoot this shot with my Nauticam-housed Nikon D850 DSLR and Nikon 105mm f/2.8 Macro Lens, I wanted the aperture to be stopped all the way down to at the least f/22. To get sufficient illumination on the octopus and her eggs, I positioned each my Retra Prime strobes in as tight as they’d go on the left and proper aspect of the macro port. Even with half of every strobe’s flash tube blocked off on the pipe opening I used to be nonetheless in a position to pull off the shot at 1/125 of a second with an ISO of 280. In addition to the tough nature of the lighting, the octopus was consistently transferring her arms, so it took some persistence and repeated effort to get a shot with each the eggs and her eye on the similar time.

If the picture appears to be like acquainted, it ought to. This exact same octopus was the topic of a shot by taken by Kat Zhou that grew to become the profitable picture for each First Place Macro and Best of Show within the Ocean Art 2022 Photo Competition. Equipped with the identical digicam system as mine; a Nauticam-housed Nikon D850 DSLR, Nikon 105mm Macro Lens, Kat pulled off her profitable picture via practically similar settings – 1/250 sec. ISO 250, aperture at f/29. For lighting, Kat doubtless positioned her two Inon Z330 Strobes set the identical full settings as mine.

Shooting straight down, the digicam settings on my Nauticam-housed Nikon D850 DSLR have been at 1/180 of a second with the ISO at 200. Aperture settings for my Nikon 105mm f/2.8 Macro Lens have been stopped all the way down to f/27, as I wished as a lot depth of area as doable so that each bulbous tip of the anemone’s tentacles held as a lot element because the little fish within the center. Lighting got here from two Retra Prime Strobes set on guide at just under full energy.

Lighting Techniques That Make Macro Subjects Pop

Regardless of what digicam system you could have — DSLR, Mirrorless, Compact — good high quality lighting is totally important. Although having one good strobe with a GN of 33 (90 to 100 Ws) or greater and fast recycle time will suffice in plenty of situations, utilizing two is taken into account the vanguard for critical macro images when it entails capturing topics that transfer.

This candid portrait of a golden basslet (Gramma dejongi) trying head-on into the digicam lens was illuminated by a pair of Retra strobes. To obtain the specified lighting impact, strobes have been set in a 9 and three O’clock place to the topic and aimed nearly instantly at each other. This created a cross-lighting impact that offers this already vibrant purple and yellow fish an added glow by being equally illuminated on each side. In addition to bringing out great particulars and distinction, having the sunshine stronger on the foreground helps remove distracting muddle within the background.

Everybody loves a clown

No matter how typically I see these vibrant anemone dwellers when I’m diving within the Indo-Pacific, I nonetheless discover it tough to show down a great alternative for a charming clownfish portrait. Seeing this peanut-size juvenile spine-cheek anemonefish (Premnas biaculeatus) by the tentacles of a jade inexperienced anemone was a chance too good to go up.

Since I felt that the anemone was simply as necessary because the little fish in it, I forged apart the frequent boilerplate rule for composition, which is to keep away from capturing a topic from above as this may typically produce an uncomplimentary picture.

Equipment Used: Nauticam-housed Nikon D850 DSLR with Nikon 105mm f/2.8 Macro Lens.

Camera Settings: 1/250 of second with ISO at 200, and aperture at f/19.

Lighting: Two Retra Pro Max Strobes set on guide at half energy.

Subject Behaviour and How It Shapes the Perfect Shot

When requested how I can get nice portraits of those bottom-dwelling creatures, my reply is that I search for the silly, lazy topics first. I’m referring to these little beauties which can be extra liable to staying in place as a substitute of darting away the second you method. This is macro images meets fish behaviour 101.

An excellent instance of silly, lazy topics is that this picture of two deep yellow watchman gobies (Cryptocentrus cinctus) with a tiger Alpheus shrimp (Alpheus bellulus) absolutely outdoors of the burrow.

Equipment Used: Nauticam-housed Canon 7D mk II DSLR with Canon EF-S60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Macro Lens.

Camera Settings: 1/125 of second with ISO at 200, and aperture at f/16.

Lighting: Two Sea & Sea YS-250 Strobes set on half energy.

I’m at all times fascinated by the symbiotic relationship between shrimp gobies and their Alpheus shrimp roommates. While the shrimp does all of the work to construct and maintain their burrow clear, the gobies stand look out for any doable risks; particularly a predator that might fortunately make these shrimp with their poor eyesight a straightforward meal. Skirting over the darkish sand backside throughout a shore dive at Tulamben (northeast aspect of Bali, Indonesia) I began seeing bright-colored gobies standing watch whereas the Alpheus shrimps labored away.

My DSLR system was arrange with a Canon EF-S60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Macro Lens. My 100mm lens would have been a more sensible choice, giving me a bit extra respiration room which may maintain the little fish from performing a disappearing act in a puff of mud the second I a lot as regarded crossways at it. But once more, you’re employed with what you’ve obtained.

As luck would have it, I stumbled on a specific pair of watchman gobies that have been both extremely trusting, or extremely silly. One factor was for sure, they acted as if they’d little to no regard for my presence. Settling gently to the underside making my each actions and respiration as gradual and deliberate as doable I set to work getting one shot after one other. The first spherical yielded the traditional composition with two yellow watchmen gobies standing guard as a lone tiger Alpheus shrimp repeatedly emerges from their burrow.

It’s frequent for a goby to convey a shrimp out for a glance. But seeing the identical goby lead two tiger Alpheus shrimps out for a stroll on the similar time was one thing I had by no means witnessed earlier than. These explicit watchman gobies have been both extremely trusting or extremely silly. And the photographs turned out to be nice for representing marine life behaviour.

Food for thought: Practice, Patience and Artistic Vision

It’s necessary to get snug together with your system by studying all of the options and features of your digicam– from navigating your method across the menu system to growing an intuitive really feel to the place each perform button, dial, and wheel is positioned.

Harnessing that data permits you to rapidly and effectively manipulate these features to kind optimum combos of shutter velocity, aperture, and ISO that may work in unison together with your underwater strobes to for a correct publicity. These abilities will assist make you an achieved technician. Turning all this into artwork would require you to develop an eye fixed for composition.

There are a number of guidelines in composition to assist photographers make their pictures extra charming and compelling. The most confirmed embody the rule of thirds, the golden ratio, the rule of symmetry and main strains. I’ll brush on all these within the subsequent column.

Until then, maintain capturing and luxuriate in!

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