aquabluedreams

Sorry the better half found typos in the version I posted, lol. So here his the correctly spelled version....

If you are bored, have a cup of coffee here is the long version, 17min, Anilao trip. The classic Mark Twain quote, "I didn't have time to write you a short letter, so I wrote you a long one instead". Next cut it down to under 6mins....

Thanks! Use Final Cut Pro for videos. Is there any tricks to improving the audio? Never really played with this aspect.

For decades now we have let guides know we appreciate them bringing us to special spots but we accept that there are certain shots of certain creatures we will just not get. Again, understand our traveling to these spots, our presence in this environment is detrimental. It's just my/our meager attempt to minimize our impact.

Using Artlist for music for videos. When you download they give you option of MP3 or WAV. Often when I watch the YouTube final product the music sounds "mushy". Is there advantages to one format over the other for YouTube?

Our first Macro trip in years and I reaffirmed I just see the world in wide angle, lol. Few ok shots but nothing I really love. We stayed at the Solitude Acacia Resort and really liked it. Food was good, room nice, guide was excellent and so much less expensive than your typical live aboard. Can definitely recommend it. RANT TIME. We are a muck stick or one finger on dead rock photographers. No lying on the sand or wedging into the reef for a shot. Watching guides turning over creatures to expose shrimp, crabs, etc was sad. Seeing them physically putting hands on coral fans to maneuver pygmie seahorses was heartbreaking. Even worse was clearly guest, fellow photogs, promoting the behavior as they covered themselves in crinoids, sand and bits of reef to get a "better shot". Ugh. Having to witness that every dive will temper my desire to repeat this destination. (Yes, I to bump the reef, sand, and wall on occasion)

In the end both are 20% the size and weight of her camcorder + Gates housing rig.

Sorry Chris but I'm a little confused, lol, what system has the larger sensor?

Thanks! I think I lean somewhat to the iPhone because you do have their typical ".5 1x 2" feature vs. the GoPro where you have to zoom with your fins, lol, little more flexibility for someone who may not be a strong free diver.

My wife shoots video with a Canon Vixia G50 in a Gates housing and loves it. But......we are planning a Dominica sperm whale trip. She has used the Canon/Gates combo in Tonga with the humpback whales but just feels it's getting too big for free diving, not her strength. She is not a "camera" person just wants to point and shoot. I do have the GoPro Max wide angle lens with a budget housing in hand for the GoPro10. Trying to keep costs down as it might be a one time use situation. Thoughts on GoPro 10 vs iPhone 15 Pro for natural light shooting of whales? Preferred housing and I assume some form of WA lens for the housing? Filters? Any settings I can use to set up either to improve image quality? Thanks!

I like the effort. Emphasizing being reef friendly photographers may help. Just thinking someone is watching you may make some think twice about more than a muck stick or finger in the sand. Just back from Anilao, great trip, but was sooooo disappointed with my fellow divers/photographers at the molesting of the reef, creatures, and corals. Witnessed guides pushing pygmy seahorses around for their clients. The posing of creatures for shots, the laying all over the bottom, the herding of macro creatures for "better" images was shameful.

Thanks!

Planning one of our Bucket List trips for 2026. Dominica Sperm Whale Trip! We have snorkeled with humpbacks in Tonga and had very different experiences. Any suggestions for operators? Also when snorkeling are you allowed to get off the surface a few feet so you are not bouncing around in the chop? Thanks!

Thanks, really appreciate the input. 1. Fixed 2. Here goes the rant...Like many I don't like what AI is doing to photography. BUT I do use Sky Replacement on rare occasion, I keep it to skies I have shot. Yes, I admit I have replaced Spot Healing and Clone with Photoshops Generative Fill. My pathetic rationalization is only to remove items, people taking selfie shots, not to add anything to the image. So the asterisk is an attempt at truth in advertising and I need to put a note in the About Us page. 3. Being old it just feels odd to put personal info on the Web. Even the site feels like bragging in a way. 4. Agree, I have to find the function that will give an enlarged view of an image. Thanks again.

For videos +3mins do you have a preference for voiceover, text slides or just music? Goal usually will be simply giving a location, information about a unique creature, setting or occurrence. Not in love with the sound of my voice but now you can use AI generated voices.