Gently, Gently - first time post

hello all - I have read a lot of the posts here and I am amazed at the level of professionalism shown by picture takers and the critics...

To this end here are two of my own pictures I recently took whilst diving in the red sea..

I use a fuji 6900Z with an EWA MARINE bag option...

In honesty they are the first pictures I have taken using this set up.

the first is a clownfish - colour manipulated using a very basic graphics package (MS Photo Editor)

This is a link >> Clownfish

and some fish on the deck of the Giannis D sorry, dont know their types..

This is a link >> Deck

I look forward to some constructive criticism and maybe the names of the fish on the Giannis

Hi pencil,

first of all welcome at wetpix.

The big fishon the second picture is a kind of surgeon fish (don't have my ID Books here at work i tell you later which exactly)

My Tips:

- You shouid get closer to the object you want to photograph.

- If you don't own an External Strobe, use your internal flash all the time. When you go close to the objects you won't have big problems with backscatter but you will get better colors an faster shutter speed -> sharper Images.

yep, it's a Surgeon Fish... I saw this the other week too!

from the same trip and too show I can get close to my subjects (victims)

This is a link >> Blue Spotted Stingray

I must admit that I made a few dives without using a flash - the results are ok after colour manipulation...

After the non flash results - I made a mental note to always have the flash on and the camera in 'P' mode..

Stingray shot is a nice pose, but the situation proved a little too much of a contrast for the camera to cope with at a wide aperture setting I assume?

Also the compression of the image has not been too kind to you using the basic software. Did anything come with the Fuji to help? Are you in UK? - If so I can send you a pukka copy of Photoshop Elements... Everything I buy lately has at least one copy of this included!

Yes Im in the UK.. Milton Keynes - a far cry from the warm waters of anywhere ...

The stingray was laying at about 9m under a fan coral... sunlight was pouring down from above... The camera was on auto for that dive...

If you have a spare copy of the s/ware I would not say no.. what would you require in exchange ??

I need nothing in exchange... Just email your address over to me and I will post it over this afternoon.

Aperture priority would have worked better for you as I don't think there is any over-ride in Program setting. Ideally, you could have zoomed in on the ray and locked the AE setting or noted the reading and zoomed out to take the shot. An average meter reading/calculation may have proven too difficult as the whiteness of the sand is so extreme in comparison to the light grey/green of the ray's non reflective body.

Using a strobe one could have exposed for the lighter areas and compensated with the strobe on the body.

Cybergoldfish just sent you my details via the message system on this forum...

because I am using a boil in the bag option and not a polycarbonate housing, it is difficult to use all the setting on the camera...

This is due to the compression of the bag around the camera..

I admit at 9m its not too bad, but at 30m the bag is so compressed around the camera its only just possible to to press the shutter button...

I have considered having a custom casing made, but I was informed by one maker that my choice of functions would be severely limited...

Zillion the only true maker of the housing won't ship outside of Japan, as the housing is not guaranteed to make the voyage !!

Can you try sending your details again they never arrived. Or email em.

My mate has a zillion housing for his 6100 - It's ok, but only above 25m!

Ok just sent the details again

Postal address!

That friendly surgeonfish is a Sohal (Acanthurus sohal)

They were very numerous in the Northern Red Sea in the late 80s/early 90s, but have thinned out since then.

Have a shot of one on my bedroom wall for years.

He's called a surgeonfish because of the scalpel (!!!) at the base of his tail - can give you a nice little cut too.

Happy Snapping,

Seadeuce