Mid-level tip request

All,

I am an 'advanced beginner' and have some questions that I am hoping I can get some feedback on that I can't seem to find browsing through the forums or elsewhere on-line. Anyone's opinions on any questions are appreciated! For the questions below, I am referring to photography in tropical water. I am asking several questions, your input any any is so much appreciated!

White Balance:

1) It seems that there are 2 schools on WB settings. The first is to use a card and adjust as you descend, and the second is to shoot in RAW and do your WB correction later (and of course there is the school that says to do both). So my question is: can I simply set my WB to a manual preset such as 'daylight' which might get me close, then adjust a bit more later in an image editor? If so, which is the best preset?

2) 2nd Question about WB: If I am using a WB preset, would I be best off to use 'Strobe' setting or stick with something else when shooting macro, and similarly what would the best setting be for ambient light, such as in a wide wreck shot? I am trying to figure out if I can just make one general WB setting before diving or if it is somewhat imperative to switch while under.

Exposure:

1) I am struggling a bit with exposure. Even using a strobe (non-ttl) it is hard to get consistent shots due to fluctuating ambient light. Is there a principle I could follow to get consistently balanced exposures with a strobe when the ambient light is fluctuating?

2) What shooting mode do you shoot in and find offers the best results -- Aperture/Shutter priority, or full manual either for ambient light or strobe pics? How do you gauge your manual shooting -- is it all by experience or is there a general guideline (such as start with ISO 100, f8, 1/250 for typical shots with strobe)?

3) I notice a number of excellent photographers step down the exposure time to achieve a dark background when using manual on macro shots. Is the flash power increased to make up for this in regard to the subject, which would result in an overexposure if the picture was exposed normally? Is there a general guide to the number of steps to decrease the exposure for this effect?

Filters:

1) Some seem to swear by them for color correction, some seem to abhor them due to the longer exposure required. What is your opinion?

Thank you for any input you might provide.

Matt

Matt,

What camera setup do you shoot? D-SLR or other?

That information would be helpful, but not critical.

Here is my generalization, if you can shoot RAW, shoot RAW. The WB changes are quick and there is no loss of information to your images.

Exposure: Use the histogram if you have it, that will help you more than anything to determine how your exposure will look. Unfortunately, the LCD screen on the camera can sometimes fool you depending on how bright you have it set at. The histogram won't lie.

I shoot in manual mode. Again this will depend on your system and strobe setup.

Also will depend on macro vs wide angle.

here is a start...

macro: f22, 1/80, ISO 100

wide angle: f8, 1/100, ISO 100

both settings are with strobes.

then experiment from there, the conditions change so much, deep water, shallow water, vis. You will just need to play and experiment until you get what you want.

good luck

Hi Matt, welcome to WP.

White Balance:

1) It seems that there are 2 schools on WB settings. The first is to use a card and adjust as you descend, and the second is to shoot in RAW and do your WB correction later (and of course there is the school that says to do both). So my question is: can I simply set my WB to a manual preset such as 'daylight' which might get me close, then adjust a bit more later in an image editor? If so, which is the best preset?

I think you will find a lot of people leave WB on Auto and do the adjustment afterward in PS. I use the manual WB when shooting with filters to force the colour shift properly in order get the right colours.[/color]

2) 2nd Question about WB: If I am using a WB preset, would I be best off to use 'Strobe' setting or stick with something else when shooting macro, and similarly what would the best setting be for ambient light, such as in a wide wreck shot? I am trying to figure out if I can just make one general WB setting before diving or if it is somewhat imperative to switch while under.

Flash is ok for macro actually, as long as everything is lit up by the strobes and not ambient mix then your colours should be good, you can then tweak it a little in PS when finished.

Exposure:

1) I am struggling a bit with exposure. Even using a strobe (non-ttl) it is hard to get consistent shots due to fluctuating ambient light. Is there a principle I could follow to get consistently balanced exposures with a strobe when the ambient light is fluctuating?

2) What shooting mode do you shoot in and find offers the best results -- Aperture/Shutter priority, or full manual either for ambient light or strobe pics? How do you gauge your manual shooting -- is it all by experience or is there a general guideline (such as start with ISO 100, f8, 1/250 for typical shots with strobe)?

the best thing to do when shooting WA is to use your light meter in the camera, i like a darker background so usually try to get to -1. You need to set your fstop first, then adjust your shutter speed to achieve that in your meter. As for fstops. i tend to use the idea of strobe to subject distance, this will vary depending on your strobe, you should have a little chart on your strobe that tells you what it is....

a good start would be less than 1 foot f16-22, 1 foot 11-16, 2 feet 8-11, 3 feet 5.6-8

3) I notice a number of excellent photographers step down the exposure time to achieve a dark background when using manual on macro shots. Is the flash power increased to make up for this in regard to the subject, which would result in an overexposure if the picture was exposed normally? Is there a general guide to the number of steps to decrease the exposure for this effect?

the shutter doesn't really affect flash exposure when using normal speeds, only really affects when using really fast.. try this. on a night dive set your fstop to f11. then shoot at 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250 you will get the same exposure on each shot.

Filters:

1) Some seem to swear by them for color correction, some seem to abhor them due to the longer exposure required. What is your opinion?

in the right situation, ie shallow dives in bright water with good subjects, they work a charm, i always keep a magic filter in my bag

Thank you guys very much for the responses. These are the kind of tips I have been looking for. I see that experience really is what makes the best shots, but it helps to get a start point because I don't live close to the sea and can't dive as much as I'd like for practicing.

Matt