Experiments with blur lighting

Before having to get stuck in to shooting serious stuff in Cayman I amused myself by experimenting with several new ideas. Here is a brief report on my experiments with a new lighting technique for shooting blurred images. I would be interested in any comments.

I like dynamic images that show movement. I am a bit fan of rear curtain synch, slow flash synch, panning and zooming generated blur. One problem I always saw with these images is that the blurry bits were always a different colour to the sharp bits. This is because the blurry bits were generated in available (blue) light and the sharp bits in strobe (white) light. This isn't a problem on land as both ambient sunlight and strobe light are pretty much white.

Take this example for instance. Here the blurry bits (the reef) are all bluey while the sharp bits are all colours.

To address this problem I decided to try taking these sorts of images by combining the Magic Filter with flash filters - so that both the ambient and the strobe light would be the same spectrally and the Magic Filter on the lens would correct for both.

The setup I used was this:

Initially I thought that the ideal flash filter should be the opposite of the Magic filter. This is INCORRECT (as I tried a sandwich of three filters on the flash which was exactly opposite the Magic Filter). The opposite flash filter works very well in a dark room - making a white wall photograph white. But underwater the correct flash filter must be spectrally balanced with the in situ illumination - and then both this light and the ambient light are "corrected" but the combination of the Magic Filter and the WB.

The consequence of this is that the flash filter must be changed with depth - and I didn't really have enough blue filters with me in Cayman. But I got a pretty good working solution going - although it was very depth restricted.

More to follow.

Alex

So the technique was really pretty simple. First with the strobes off I would set the WB. Then I would turn on the strobes and strobe down the lens - to get myself a slow shutter speed to give me time to add blur. Generally I would add blur either by panning or by zooming the lens.

My best results came from the zooming tests - although this had more to do with me having developed a better understanding of spectrally balancing the light by this stage.

I guess I am interested to hear what people think. Am I wasting my time? Should I just be doing this in Photoshop? I hope not as I like the realism of doing these effects for real? Does anyone really care that the blur is spectrally balanced with the subject?

Anyway, enough chat. Here are some my results. All blurring created in camera.

Scorpionfish - zoom blur. This is probably a bit over the top on the blurring, but it shows the effect I was after.

Stoplight parrot - zoom blur. Note that the coral blur is white, whereas it would be blue/cyan in a normal picture.

Boxfish explosion - the bluring is more subtle here, but I like the image.

Coney in fog - this one is a bit wrong on the colours, but I like the image.

Alex

Alex,

As a specialist in blurred photograpy I can tell you that's the finest blur I've ever seen.

Seriously, great special effects. To get those shots either your buoyancy is unmatched or you've thrown a small anchor into the sand! Nice job.

Gary

Incredible, especially the last 2 pics. I am still struggling with getting sharp pictures and my blurry pictures never looked this nice

What kind of shutterspeed were you using, if you don't mind me asking!

Well, spectrally speaking , (is that really a word?) the Boxfish jumped out more than the rest. I think that's a special shot.

My thought is, other than the Boxfish, if these were posted without comment, that I'd think they were done in PS. Even thought perhaps it would be impossible to do.

But it's that Boxfish shot that leads me to the conclusion that you're on to something worth pursuing. I'd like to see a larger animal shot this way.

Rand

What kind of shutterspeed were you using, if you don't mind me asking!

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No problem. Generally I use exposures of between 1/8th and 1/15th for blur shots.

Scorpionfish - 1/10th @ F14

Parrotfish - 1/13th @ F7.1

Boxfish - 1/8th @ F9

Coney - 1/8th @ F10

Alex

I could simulate some of these in photoshop or at least a lot easier than doing it the way you did but the software manipulation is never as good as the real thing being captured. This may apply to very experienced eyes in comparing the two but I think everone sees the quality it on a subconcious level. I often consider a picture and how I will change or edit it in Photoshop before pressing the shutter. If I am being paid I get a quality base shot that I know I can edit and then try for something technically difficult and creative. If you can get it before the computer that is the way to go, and you my friend have done it. Those pics are really showing your command of the camera, very inspirational. Your like the Michael Jordan of WetPixel

More to add - I think your strobe solution really makes a smoother blur than the first pic. When you point out the colors being sharper. I am not sure I noticed this before but you pointed it out but then it was very obvious. You would have to have taken the same pic with a normal setup and another setup handed to you with the filters for an obvious although subtle difference. I think anything creative is great and add in my above comments. The only negative is the flexability of changing the setup back to regular underwater but it looks like you can take off that stuff and put it in your BC pocket. This would be a great article in a magazine and show off pictures not usually seen. Now can you figure a way to do this with some macro Mr. Jordan? there will be some killer abstracts.

Side question: the magic filter is on the lens with the strobes, normal use with strobes you shouldn't use the magic filter. Is that right?

No problem. Generally I use exposures of between 1/8th and 1/15th for blur shots.

 

Scorpionfish - 1/10th @ F14

Parrotfish - 1/13th @ F7.1

Boxfish - 1/8th @ F9

Coney - 1/8th @ F10

 

Alex

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Alex, thanks for the info! Now, I will try to practice my Parkinson's -like motion before my next dive trip

Just wondering though, why not just using the magic filter and available light only to get even color tone wihtout having to fuzz with the strobe filter or do you really need the flash to initially freeze the main subject? Sorry for a very basic question, I guess I am pretty clueless about this type of shot

You made me play in photoshop. This pic took me about 15 seconds to do in photoshop and I think to do it the way you did would take me a few 4 gig cards assuming the fish stayed in that position. So for the normal guys P.S is the way to go. When you have masterd your craft like you - do it up. I remember the last few pages in Norb Wu's book with creative flash at higher than the normal shutter speed sync. It is always great to do something different so keep pushing we will keep looking.

Great stuff Alex.

I also am a fan of rear curtain sync, but the zoom tricks often turn me off as too artificial. I have to admit, though, that the boxfish on hyperdrive is an interesting image.

As for the Photoshop alternative, personally I do not find it equivalent to the real thing. Sometimes the effects are quite OK, but to my eye very often look, well, like they were added on in Photoshop. I suppose they are too regular, symmetric or whatever. In the real image, there is more randomness and hence it looks like it astually happened out there in life. I'm not a Photoshop expert, but I doubt the last one of Alex's images could quite be reproduced in PS.

All this and your previous filter experiments make me want to a) move to somewhere these filters actually work or B) develop something that works in our own green waters.

timo

I assume the diver pic didn't but did you have a tripod setup for any of those? If you don't min sharing I would like to know how you did them any stabilization techniques, breathing, and do you start the zoom then press the shutter, or at the same time? .... whatever you can share.

"Your like the Michael Jordan of WetPixel"

After taking my camera in a pool for the first time today, I guess I'll have to be satisfied with wearing an Alex Mustard Jersey if there's one available. The man has mad skills.

Side question: the magic filter is on the lens with the strobes, normal use with strobes you shouldn't use the magic filter. Is that right?

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The Magic Filter is designed for available light shooting - i.e. no strobes. You can use the filter with strobes - but basically you end up having to set a WB that counteracts the filter. So there isn't much point in it. Better to dedicate one dive to filter photography and really get in the zone with the technique. Then do flash on the next dive.

Alex

Regarding the technique it really isn't difficult to hand hold down to at least a 1/8 or 1/4 sec underwater - as long as you are using flash to ensure you have some sharp bits. I have to say I think this is much easier with a larger rig than a small compact - as more bulky setups have more inertia and are less prone to camera shake.

I guess the same could be said for me. I am pretty chunky and while I may not be particularly graceful underwater I am very stable!

I have never used a tripod. The subal has an excellent zoom gear that makes zooming easy and smooth. I often zoom very quickly for these shots - doing the whole thing in about 1/15th of a sec. Depending on the effect I am after I will often start zooming before pressing the shutter. The trick is to practise zooming a couple of times before trying to do it close to skittish subjects.

But in the end it is more to do with playing around and shooting several frames to ensure a good one. So less like Michael Jordan and more like Krusty the Clown.

Alex

A good example of rear curtain synch under normal lighting is Rand's shot here:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...t=0entry76656

Photographically I think his shot is excellent and that the yellow damsel works particularly well on the blue. What I was trying to achieve with the lighting setup I was using here was to ensure that the ghosted damsel in Rand's shot (the one behind) would be the same colour as the main one.

In the case of Rand's photo I think that this effect would actually ruin his shot! But my hope is that it might work for some subjects?

Alex

I guess the same could be said for me. I am pretty chunky and while I may not be particularly graceful underwater I am very stable!

 

Alex

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He he he

laughing in a big way over here....

The zoomed Pufferfish works for me....I'm finding the same fascination with motion blur

Karl

I too like the zoomed boxfish quite a bit. When I was offshore last time, I experimented with a lot of shutter dragging in my night photos, including zoom blurring. The effect is "cool" but does not add the motion I like - which is panning blur, or alternatively holding the camera steady while the subject moves.

I am extremely pleased that you're developing a complimentary filter for the Magic Alex - something I've wanted for a long time.

Sorry I missed you guys in Cayman, but gee, I got to spend New Year's eve out on the Thunder Horse platform instead of in my green shirt w/ you guys.

Cheers

James

Sorry Alex but I'm not keen on these particular shots.

I'm impressed with the technical wizardry of how you are creating these effects for real in the water but to me they still look like blur filter photoshop creations.

All this business about bluey blurred background colours- why not just adjust these as a seperate layer in photoshop. It might not be as subtle, but then what is subtle about this type of image anyhow.

Also, this desire to have dynamic images that show movement - is'nt a static scorpionfish a totally inappropriate subject for zoom blur.

Just my first impressions. You did ask for comments !

Trev