Bitten by the bug...

We see it in ourselves or our buddies, a moment when we know that this underwater photography lark is for us. The bug has well and truly bitten and we are flashcard carrying underwater photographers. Our diving, life and particularly bank balances will never be the same again.

My girlfriend has been very keen on underwater photography for a while, but this afternoon I just could not get her out of the water. We were only snorkelling shooting some of the shallow water critters. In the end I sat there on the rocks, waiting, while she spent another hour in the water on "Just a couple more shots". We have another addict on our hands:

Anyway, it got me thinking. Its kind of a related topic to Cal's question but has anyone got any stories about themselves or their friends that capture the moment that pastime turned into addiction?

Alex

I had been shooting since the age of 12, so there was no question that I would take that passion into the water once I began SCUBA lessons. I didn't realize how much I didn't know about photography until I did. (That fact was reaffirmed when I discovered wetpixel!)

As far as "the moment" is concerned, it was when I brought that first shot back that everyone who looked at it said, "Wow".

You're lucky to have such a great dive buddy, Alex. Ever since getting a divorce, I've been searching for another diver that understands what it means to devote all your time and efforts into underwater photography.

Cheers,

Mark

Was born into photography and was developing film in the basement when I was real young with my Dad, probably 4 years old and I clearly recall developing B&W shots of my dog when I was 9 on my own. First time I went on vacation to the Carribean I bought a Nikonos with me for snorkeling, before I even learned to dive. Took my first scuba dive a year later or so and the Nikonos was always with me until digital took over, and carried the Nikonos for awhile before I finally stopped carrying it. Used to shoot alot of land/above water but it has tailed off considerably once I started with U/W. Then the video gear got added into the mix. I try a dive or two during a trip to dive without any camera, but feel a bit strange.

Now made my wife an addict. Knew it was complete when she decided to try a strobe. Told her I was giving her the smaller DS-50 and not the big DS-125 or duals. But I used the set-up when my primary set-up had some issues, so put the DS-125 on and did not change it out before she used it. She had no issues and came up asking me to put the larger strobe on since the smaller one was fine to handle. I took a look and realized it was the DS-125. She now wants to shoot doubles and use my 30D rig and video set up (I let her use that last trip also) - as she says it makes sense since I carry both a still and video rig and cannot shoot both at the same time and whichever one I am not using she said she will use. Hmmmmmm. Now I need to get another still and video rig in case we both want to shoot video or stills on the same dive

I went on a night dive several years ago and this one guy had a DSLR with two big strobes with him ... I remember thinking - "WHOA ... that thing is HUGE! I can't imagine lugging something like THAT around underwater ... " It was the first time I had seen a real underwater setup.

We were surrounded on the dive by a large group of squid - they were everywhere. When we came up from the dive, we all crowded around the camera to see the little LCD slideshow. I was blown away ... and totally hooked. I remember thinking to myself: "Ah ... so that's where this has all been leading ..." Whereas at the beginning of the dive I was looking at that monster being handed over the side of the boat and thinking: "Huh?" ... that night I lay awake in bed thinking about how I was gonna get me one of those things ...

I was an avid photographer as a youngster - giving it up in my 20's as career and life just took over. Now that I'm in possesion of a Nikon D700 and a full U/W rig for my Canon G9 I'm back ... and miles to go before I sleep.

(What's the over-under on when I give up the fantasy that I'm not taking the D700 underwater?)

(What's the over-under on when I give up the fantasy that I'm not taking the D700 underwater?)

In the venacular I believe it is called a sucker's bet. I have a guess the camera would be housed, the only issue is if it will occur earlier Now how do we set this pool up properly? Not to disparage you, but you could get into cahoots with someone and split the winnings to pay off the housing bill. Psssst... if you need someone let me know.

I can remember when I became an addict and that was over 28 years ago. I learnt to dive in December 1979 and all our training was in the ocean in a protected bay. On my very first dive I ended up hand feeding moray eels and can still remember the thought that went through my head at the time "I've gotta get a camera, no-one will believe this!". I got a second hand Nikonos III three months later and the bank balance has never recovered since.

I sold that much loved Nikonos III in 1984 to my new dive buddy who had expressed an interest in UW photography. It was noted at our wedding two years later by the best man that I only married Mary to get my Nikonos III back.

I used to develop my own film back in the day but lost the desire and passion for photography. I grew up so far from the water that SCUBA never entered my mind. But the day I hit the big blue, just 7 short years ago, I knew I'd found a new passion in my life. If I wasn't diving, I was reading about diving. If I wasn't reading about it, I was dreaming about it. I was so excited I decided to carry a sealife film camera underwater to share the experience with loved ones who had never been. Frustrated with results lead me to search for something better but where to start. A random searched turned up this inocuous website I'd never heard of before called "www.wetpixel.com". Like a puppy with a new chew toy I ran around this site absorbing information to the wee hours with absolute glee. So started my digital obsession on here and it continues with unbridaled enthusiasm today. My kids used to say.."Dad's on the computer again". Now they say "Dad is on wetpixel again".

My story reads somewhat like TheRealDrew. I started young, in my case, with a Brownie Hawkeye camera. When I was 9 years old I was developing film in the powder room of my parents' house. Like Drew, I clearly recall developing B&W shots when I was 9 on my own. In my case, I developed the film and made contact prints. No expensive enlarger for me!

The first time diving in the Caribben (in Cozumel) I rented a Sea and Sea MX5 camera and was able to get a decent shot of an angelfish. It was taken with color print film. That print still hangs on my wall. I started regularly posting on another message board and I was very impressed by the images that other members would post after a trip they'd taken.

I bought myself a used D70S on www.nikonians.org. I thought it incredible that I actually spent the huge sum of $600 on a camera! But hey I wanted to go digital and this was an inexpensive way to get into digital photography.

I decided to house my D70S after I'd used it topside for about a year and felt somewhat comfortable with it. I researched carefully all of the housing options. I came close to buying ScubaSi's used Nexus housing. However, right about that time, I talked to Ryan at Reef Photo and he told me about a Subal housing for the D70S that they had at the shop. It cost about $1,500, which was only a tiny bit more than a brand new Ikelite. You'd think I'd gone to heaven. I immediately told Ryan "I'll buy it!" I thought to myself, what a bargain! Subal quality at a price not much more than an Ikelite! I decided to buy the GS Viewfinder as well as the big dome port and a flat port for macro.

The moment I realized I was an addict was when I told my co-worker I'd just spent about $4,000 for a housing, ports, etc. He looked at me like I was the craziest person alive! But, I thought I'd made very wise and well-researched decision. Here I thought nothing of blowing 4 grand on my new rig. Clearly, I'd become hooked on the wonderfully addictive world of underwater photography

Ellen

Alex, that's great news regarding the new addict. You had better make sure she doesn't have to suffer from any withdrawal from the water! (Is there local diving where you live?)

Interestingly, the bug bites people quite differently.

Some of my friends love photographing nudibranchs, but have no interest in using a wide-angle lens. Some friends love photographing sharks and other big stuff, but have absolutely no interest in macro or nudies. Yet others love WA shots of coral, divers, over/under shots, yet seem to have little interest in marine life, whether it is sharks or nudibranchs.

So the addictions seem to go off in different directions.

My addiction personally grew slowly over time as I learned more about marine life.

For myself and many other people I know,we all made a large "leap" within the last year / year and a half and moved from a P&S , buying a dSLR, housing, ports, and several lenses all in one shot. we were all able to make that "leap" quite easily because the addiction had already thoroughly taken hold at some point while we were using our P&S. So there wasn't exactly a defining "moment", but there surely was a defining bill!

Hi all,

Unlike a lot of you, being from a yonger generation, I only started diving about 6 years ago, after growing up both in and on the water. During those earlier years, I also spent a bit of time taking photos above water with old film cameras.

After maybe 12 months of diving, I met a guy that had the first housed digital camera I'd seen. After a weekend diving with him, I was sold, I was getting one.

As for the moment I reasilsed I was addicted? A year or two back, while having to do a dive as a DM with no camera, and realised I was really missing something that felt so natural underwater now. Needless to say, I don't DM anymore!

Now when I tell my diving, non-photographer mates I'm about to spend a couple of grand on a new housing for my 40D, and they list all the other things I could buy with that, I don't even pay attention to them.

The bank account may be taking a big hit from taking up this hobby, but I consider it worth it

Ry.

Deborah and I were married in 1984. She had a problem sharing my passion, which was skydiving, so I went to Plan B and finally talked her into getting scuba certified. We did our certification dives in Key Largo in 1987. Afterwards, our instructor asked us if we wanted to go to something called a Nikonos Shootout in Cozumel in July of that year. We jumped at the chance, and we stretched our budget to the limit to buy a new Nikonos V and 35mm lens. I used the Nikonos in Cozumel and was hooked on underwater photography, even though I didn't even have a strobe, so you can imagine how my photos came out. Over the next 2-3 years, we added a strobe, close-up kit, macro tubes, wide angle lens, and 28mm lens. 1987 was the second year of the Nikonos Shootouts in the Caribbean, and after that we went to the Shootouts every year until they ended in the late 1990s.

Around 1999, I got a Nikon N90 and Aquatica housing and really fell in love with the housed SLR. In 2002, I went digital with a Nikon D100, and my photography improved enormously with the instant feedback of digital.

I was a serious amateur photographer, darkroom and all, through high school, and helped pay my travel bug etc through college doing weddings, glamour, high school proms etc. I was certified in 1981. I never put the two together, being way too busy in my medical training, starting a family, and then my practice in the 80's and 90's.

3 years ago I dodged a medical bullet, suffering a 'minor' brain haemorrhage while skiing. Fortunately I escaped with only a headache from hell but it sure helped me get clear that life was not a dress rehearsal and I needed to get back into the activities I am passionate about, diving and photography. Running marathons, another passion, was out because of my back. Then of course Wetpixel continues to help feed the bug.

Well i always was a photography buff and did a lot of land photography till 1995, when my wife was expecting our first baby. Getting a nice dose about my vagabond and gypsy lifestyle i decided to pack my camera bags and take a long pause. It was not wasted as my daughter prassu was and is a bundle of joy to be with.

In 2004 we took a holiday to Mauritius....and i tried scuba diving. It was nearly ten years since i had taken pictures and used my camera..my daughter was over 8 years and son 4 he setting there was realy beautiful, calm waters and a marine park close to the hotel........ the divemaster on that very first dive left me near an anchor in 8 mtrs of water as the other two discover divers were having trouble. I always wanted to dive and was very comfortable being left down . Looking around all alone for the next two minutes, which mind you felt like a a really long time...i completey missed my camera !!! I knew at that very moment that i would take up scuba diving, not primarily to see a most unique and beautiful world BUT to take pictures and go back to my beloved hobby again.

Little did i realise then..the costs involved, dwindling bank balances and that constant wife nagging ...BUT i am really happy And the obsession is not at optimal levels yet !!

Post that started my long search about U/w equipment etc etc.

Bottom line: I ended up getting the G7 accesories etc. and am happy shooting with that BUT wish i had just gone in for a DSLR. Many on this forum believe that you first need to be a good diver and then take up photography with a compact camera to learn the ropes before progressing.The first part i totally agree with...BUT its my personal opinion that when you are as certain as i was ...just go out there and get your DSLR !

Cheers ,

Diggy

I started diving at age 13(1996) where i got my snorkling-certifcate. 2 years after that i got scubagear on my back. But i could not hold the interest and i started frediving/spearfishing instead.

And then in 2004 a good divingfriend, told me that his girlfriend left him and he now needed a (Freediving)buddy on a trip to Sharm. So i had around 16hours to pack and get my boss to give me a week off.

My Dad, knowing that i loved diving, had sometime before that bought a very cheap analog kamera for 40bucks, that took a picture evry time i got any deeper than 6m. I had never really taken pictures before so they were not the greatest pics. But it gave me some nice memories and the urge to get better(and use more money).

So in the end i can blame it all on my Dad and my Friend.

mads

My story is that combination of a passion for scubadiving, and then the photography is just icing on the cake. I took that perfect turtle photo against the blue water with an Olympus point and shoot which has been the desktop background on my computer since 2005. Since I upgraded to DSLR last year, I have had 4 trips to Grand Cayman and 114 dives, not to mention the weekly cold water dives here in the Pacific Northwest. I am now working on dive training for tech 1. We have been diving double tanks, and just added deco bottles. I can't wait to add my 23 pounds of camera/housing/ strobes to that set-up, my buddies will be convinced that I am truly crazy

My addiction started with ‘land’ photography since I live far from good diving. I am not certain of the moment of addition but the symptoms are clear. Here are a few of them…

The wife said a few days ago..”YOU LOOKING AT WETPIXEL AGAIN? I AM GONNA HAVE TO DRY YOU OUT!” I only discovered this site quite recently. Its where I can dream of U/W photos since I cannot take them very often.

Spending hours shopping for perfect flowers to photograph, then spending hours with lighting and test photos to get the shot I wanted.

Spending hours setting up and photographing Broccoli in black and white with a super macro setup with strong side lighting. It looks like a mtn range shot from an airplane.

When I was single, removing all the furniture from my living room and converting it into a photo studio. This led to interesting discussions when bringing a date home…often without further dates. “What do you mean you have no TV, no couch and we can only sit on dining room chairs?” I smile and respond.. “I spent all my money on photo equipment. Wanna see some close up photo’s of broccoli? They are really cool.” Shockingly, they did not seem impressed with this.

Listening to a Robin’s songs in my back yard when she would arrive at the nest with food for the little one’s. Practicing that song until I got it perfect. Setting up a ladder and camera equipment at the nest, singing that song and taking photo’s down the baby bird’s throats as they opened for ‘Moma’.

Spending hours taking macro shots of sliced oranges with only backlighting to see how it looks. Most people think they are flower photos. When I tell them what it is and how long it took, they think I have lost it.

Once diving was discovered then underwater photography, hours are limited by time available to spend at an ocean. Few people seem excited about close-up Carp or Bass pictures, which would be more of the local offerings.

I dream of retiring and moving close to the ocean and diving daily. I only come up from diving now due to air requirements and N2 loading.

Where do we get gills installed?

Hi

For me it was one photo that did it.

I have been playing with UW photography for a few years, first a film submersible (green pictures - eventually flooded), then a cheap digital submersible (bluish pictures, but OK I suppose). Then my wife broke our land digital P+S and so I came up with the bright idea of combining a new land digital camera that could be white balanced with an underwater housing. The photos that it produced where a different league to those that I had produced before, but one phot in particular stood out.

It was this flamingo tongue photo

Taken on the fly with just the cameras internal strobe I was pleased with the result, but the reaction I got from my freinds and family was unbelievable. People were telling me to put it into competitions or publish (I don't believe it was that good), but it got me thinking - maybe I can produce some nice pictures, maybe I should buy a strobe...and now I am hooked. Every time a see a flamingo tongue when I dive now it makes me smile. Such a small and innocent little creature - such long reaching repercussions.

Cheers

Hal

Really interesting stories. Keep the contributions coming.

Alex

Hi

i went on holiday to indonesia and decided to learn to dive

so i passed my open water and thought i might aswell do my advanced o/w whilst i was there

for one of my dives i took a photography course and it had to be the most stressful dive i have ever done

mainly due to me trying to keep up with sharks to get a picture

anyways i got this pic and was totally addicted

i had two new hobbies to learn from that one week , diving and photography

Diving Cayman Brac, my first post-certification dives. Divemaster advised that if we saw an eagle ray, do not chase it as they are very shy. Instead, drop to the sandy bottom and "fan the sand". The eagle ray will come by to investigate what we are "eating" to see if there is something for it as well. When we all entered the water, an eagle ray was spotted in the distance and then faded away. Everybody else swam off to swim around the coral head. My dive buddy and I stayed put waiting for a few minutes. We saw the ray very far off, and started fanning the sand. Took about 10 minutes before the ray started coming in closer, like an airplane circling around us, coming in for a landing. It eventually landed a few feet in front of us and we could hear it "grunting" as it dug through the sand looking for clams. Then it swam and settled right between us, close enough to touch.

Wishing I had a camera, it was the moment I decided I had to have a camera with me!