Santa Rosa Reef [hammer me]

Having lived through my last posting, and absorbed some of the comments, here's another one I could use some feedback, advice, critique, etc, on.

Reef shot from Santa Rosa Wall in Cozumel, Mexico. Here's the pertinent details:

Camera: Canon D60 in Manual mode in Raw format

Lense: 28-80 @ 28mm

Housing: Sea and Sea DX-3060

Aperture: f/9.0

Shutter: 1/60

Whitebalance: Auto

ISO: 200

Strobe: Ikelite DS-50 on manual (full)

Feedback?

Hi Tom,

Let me start by saying that it is a good photograph, and one that I would be happy to have taken myself.

With that said - I noticed that the foreground lighting looks like it is coming from the lower right. Is that where your strobe(s) were? This shot could have been improved if the strobe were on the other side, in my opinion.

If I remember correctly, you are working with one strobe? If so, have you tried hand-holding it?

It's easy right, just snap your fingers and the strobe switches sides...

Cheers

James

The only minute flaw I can see Tom is the flash angle may have been a little accute causing a little harshness on the right of the image. Assuming you had no difuser fitted?

Like James said - maybe shot from the bottom - mm' mm' No need to swap sides really just turn the camera the other way up.

PS. Thats a nice blue too!

Thanks for the feedback...

The strobe is mounted on the left handle of my housing. I find I have a tendency to hold the camera with the shutter release up (right side) because that's how I do it topside. I have a few other shots where I did manage to reverse this and get the strobe on top, but they were largely uninteresting sections of reef. The light is probably actually going left to right a bit, if I remember correctly. I don't think the strobe was parallel to the plane of the sensor but was kicked in a notch or two towards the lense as if I were shooting macro.

As for the diffuser, nope, that's long gone, lost it in Truk I believe, either that or NC. When I was ordering a couple things before the trip I meant to pick one up. Could have hacked one together obviously, but completely spaced out with trying to get everything else together.

I liked the blue myself. I just wish the top of the reef was lit better, which it might have been had I switched the strobe placement.

Let's see, what else can I post for feedback....

I agree with the previous comments. This image really has some wonderful color and detail in it.

The angle of the light would have been more natural looking with the strobe moved to the other side. I think that would have also helped take away a bit of the darkness in the top coral that is set back a bit. It is that one little piece of coral that is really the only thing that I find just a tad distracting.

But this is good, and like James, I would be proud of it!

Love the Blue...nice shot.

Lense: 28-80 @ 28mm

Is that the old L lens or is that the newer 3.5?

Best blue background I've seen with a digital camera. Good composition. Meaning the image is 1/3 blue ocean and 2/3s reef with a nice diagonal line dividing the two across the image. Foreground too cluttered. Their is nothing about it that says "main subject" to me.

Is that the old L lens or is that the newer 3.5?

It's the cheapo 3.5, non-USM that came with my Elan 7e a couple years ago.