UW Digital Course?

Hi everyone,

I have an Olympus Digital Camera I have been using for some time now. I just got the UW housing for it, and am looking forward to my first trip to Hawaii with the setup in a few months. Here is my question:

Would it be wise to take an underwater photography course (such as the one PADI offers) or should I spend my time talking with people who have been taking UW pictures for some time now and learn from them? In addition, is there a good, general, UW Digital photography book members like out there?

Thanks for your help.

i think taking a class is always a benefit. If you decide to do a PADI one, make sure the instructor actually knows what he/she is doing and gets to know your camera too. They should ask for your instruction manual and learn it so they can help you out as much as possible.

Martin Edge has a great book on UW photo, that is the one with most comprehensive stuff i would say

Hi Andy

I agree with Mike and the book by Martin Edge to be very informative, I would highly recommend it. I would save you money for the trip and not bother with the PADI UW photo course, you will learn more from the book. I am a PADI Instructor and the course is quite basic and nothing you can't learn yourself with a little practice and reading or from the members at wetpixel.

Hi Andy,

-Martin Edge's The Underwater Photographer (3rd Edition)

-Michael Aw's An Essential guide to Digital Underwater Photography (somehow I found this book disappointing and wish I had gone for Martin Edge's book from in the beginning)

-Wetpixel(lers)

-If found dpreview.com's glossary quite useful

-Talk to UWphotograhpers on your trip and with a bit of luck you meet someone who's willing to share a few trick & tips.

-I have my doubts about a PADI photography course.

Good luck & have fun,

Bartus

i think taking a class is always a benefit. If you decide to do a PADI one

Spoken like a true newly-qualified Staff Instructor! Goooooooooooooooooooo PADI! Yay!

Andy, read up all you can and get used to the controls on the housing. Reading a book is useful, but might be better to do after your first trip as you will be able to reflect on what you produced from your first time out. Most importantly, enjoy it and don't take it too seriously.

I would definitely suggest taking a course .. but would definitely suggest not taking the class with PADI.

PADI instructors can teach the UW Digital specialty from just having done what is it 25 dives with a camera in their hand ? and then they can sign them selves off as qualified to teach this course.

Likelihood of getting someone good enough to be teaching you is very slim, I am sure that somewhere like Hawaii has a reputable pro who does courses there somewhere. You don't need a PADI plastic card to take good shots nor a certification, but a course that leaves you with some knowledge and pointers is aways good.

Spoken like a true newly-qualified Staff Instructor! Goooooooooooooooooooo PADI! Yay!

Darn, I guess I'll have to retake a class with Mike again so I can get that nice shiny PADI speciality card in Photography?

Andy, you can also start by doing some searches online and you'll find some various guides/ tutorials on basics. Even Canon has a somewhat useful beginner guide for new u/w shooter on their website.

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controll...categoryid=2533

Wow, lots of good information. Someone mentioned a photo pro. Is there a site you can look up photo pros that offer courses, or is that something that you just ask around about?

WP is a great resource for finding classes. A lot of folks advertise their trips and such here in the commercial section. Just follow this link..

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showforum=28

If it's an SP-350 sell it as fast as you can and go get a Canon G9.

I had a 350 for a year, the max battery life during a dive was 15 min. And it's hard to change and keep the battery dry.

I sent it back and when I got it back, Oly Service kept my High Speed 1 G card and refused to replace it.

I sold the Oly SP-350 on e-bay and got a real camera.

I'd never never never buy an Olympus Product Again!!

Florida Diver

Would it be wise to take an underwater photography course (such as the one PADI offers)?

 

In addition, is there a good, general, UW Digital photography book members like out there?

In my experience, the underwater photography course offered by PADI was virtually a complete waste of my time and money. I admit that I took it years ago in the pre-digital age when I was shooting with my Nikonos V film camera, but the instructor didn't teach me much of anything about uw photography. It seemed to me it was just a series of exercises for me to do. In the end, I felt like he was just taking my money, sad to say.

I did get a lot out of a workshop I attended last year in Cozumel with other uw photographers and a qualified instructor.

As far as books go, I highly recommend the Martin Edge book that several have mentioned. I got it out of the library, then liked it so much that I requested it as a Christmas present so I could refer to it again and again. Oh, and I received it as a Christmas present

Another book I picked up while shopping for something else at the local bookstore: "The Essential Underwater Photography Manual" by Denise and Larry Tackett. I did not like this book nearly as much as Martin Edge's book and found it to be quite a bit more basic, but still found it somewhat helpful.

Ellen

If it's an SP-350 sell it as fast as you can and go get a Canon G9.

I had a 350 for a year, the max battery life during a dive was 15 min. And it's hard to change and keep the battery dry.

I sent it back and when I got it back, Oly Service kept my High Speed 1 G card and refused to replace it.

 

I sold the Oly SP-350 on e-bay and got a real camera.

I'd never never never buy an Olympus Product Again!!

 

Florida Diver

Haha...I beg to differ sir......The SP-350..if used with the correct batteries..can last for 3 dives..(45mins) at least..

Nevertheless...welcome Andy..to the the UW photogs club....

Classes are good..and be nice to the Wetpixelers.....they can teach n give good tips on UW photog..know how..

I agree with Spazm. If you're a newbie in photography and don't know or can't bother to read what's ISO, shutter speed and f-stops are all about, maybe it's a good idea to take the course so that somebody more knowledgeable (the instructor, hopefully) may teach you the basics.

Then again, what others mentioned are equally true. A PADI instructor needs to have only 25 dives taking underwater photography to qualify himself / herself to teach the course so the quality of instruction has some serious latitude!

My opinion, one has to assess himself / herself as to what level he/she is now with regards to UW photography. Then find an instructor who can teach you something that you don't know yet.

I'd personally start with the instructor's online profile which not only will tell you how good he/she is but also perhaps his/her style of photography.

I actually took the UW PADI photography course while on vacation in Mexico. I got a very good instructor and learned a lot, and got some great pics. Photography was her passion and it showed.

Folks, pretty sure Andy didn't ask for a critique of his equipment choice, which should be just fine for a newbie. It's a bit rude to dismiss it, especially without actually offering anything constructive.

Andy,

I second (or third) the Martin Edge book - it's a great resource. Should cut your learning curve substantially, and will also provide a grounding in general photo terms like f-stops, aperture, etc. If you don't learn well from books, the PADI course might be ok, but to be honest, it's a very weak course, highly dependent on the quality of instructor - my wife's a PADI instructor and a photographer, and would be the first to tell you it's often a waste. Unless you know the instructor is a great photographer, you'd probably learn more taking a regular photo course at your local community college to learn technical stuff and composition, and reading Martin Edge's book to translate it underwater.

Good luck, happy shooting.

Hi everyone,

 

I have an Olympus Digital Camera I have been using for some time now. I just got the UW housing for it, and am looking forward to my first trip to Hawaii with the setup in a few months. Here is my question:

 

Would it be wise to take an underwater photography course (such as the one PADI offers) or should I spend my time talking with people who have been taking UW pictures for some time now and learn from them? In addition, is there a good, general, UW Digital photography book members like out there?

 

Thanks for your help.

Another vote for the Martin Edge Book, just a great all around book and something in there for everyone.

As to classes, well I think everyone discussed it above If there is a trip that you can get to that is announced here with some of the people from here (or even if you happen to find yourself on a boat or in the area of some of the people here) my guess is you can get alot out of it. Definately brush up on some of the basics (f/stop, ISO, shutter speed) ahead of time and get to know the ins and outs of your camera (how to adjust settings) beforehand if you can (though it sounds like you may know this already?)

Not sure if you can get into a pool beforehand to play around with the camera, that is also something to consider and bring some "subjects" to shoot.

Andy,

You didn't say where you are located, but if you're in a bigish city, see if your area has an Underwater Photography Society.

My city (Houston - HUPS.org) has a big club and they offer lectures and workshops about digital underwater photography that are quite useful.

I like one on one interaction with an experienced underwater photographer. There are many ways to do that, be it PADI, a workshop like the Digital Shootout, or a club workshop.

Cheers

James

Yet another vote for Martin Edge's book. Really good stuff.

I took a PADI UW Photography Specialty on board the Taka II Liveaboard out of Cairns. I ended up with a fantastic instructor, Johnathan ("John O"), who knew what he was talking about photographically speaking. My guess is your luck will be hit or miss with your instructor. If you go that route, I'd ask lots of questions before you ponied up any cashola for a certification.

I took Stephen Frink's Digital Immersion Class in Key Largo last year and am planning to take the Digital Master Class this summer. If you would like to learn a lot about the basics in a laid back environment, Steve's Immersion Course is a great place to do it. Steve's excellent photography skills are complemented by Daniel Brown and his extensive Photoshop knowledge. I cannot say enough about the diving in Key Largo, either.

It looks like Steve's got an opening his August class. If you can do it, I heartily recommend it.

And, as others have said before, Wetpixel is a great resource itself...