10.5 Fisheye Lighting

Hi Gang,

I was lucky enough to borrow a 10.5DX fisheye lens in Fiji (Thanks Mike and Ryan) and I really enjoyed shooting it.

I noticed that it was VERY difficult to light shots with this large of a field of view. I put my strobes as far out as I could get them, and moved them back as far as I could (about 4" behind the plane of the housing) and pointed them straight ahead. I noticed that in a lot of my shots I was getting harsh shadows, and the center of my shots wasn't lit. I was using VERY wide strobes (SS200's) but don't have diffusers for them.

Here's an example shot. That tabulate Acropora is probably 2 meters across:

Any tips? I'd like to shoot this lens again.

Cheers

James

I think you are asking for the impossible.

The general approach with the fisheye (be it 10.5mm on digi or 15/16mm on full frame) has always been to never try and light the whole frame. Because you can never do so adequately. Although I must say that you have done a very good job.

So what most people do with full frame fisheyes is to choose a subject that doesn't fill the whole frame and light just that section (that is why so many wide angle shots have blue water and a silhouetted diver at the top or side!).

Espen Rekdal http://www.espenrekdal.com/ is a good example of someone who lights fisheye shots very well. If you look at his images you will rarely see a wide angle shot where the main subject covers the whole frame like your example.

One tip I have (and I don't rate my fisheye lighting) is that I prefer my strobes closer to the camera when I am close to the subject and push them out wider and wider as I back away.

Alex

I kind of go against common wisdom and use small strobes on relatively short arms with the strobes pulled as far back as the arms allow and pointed slightly outward. I was getting hot spots on the right and left until I pulled them back.After that I think I was getting fairly even lighting. I submit this photo as evidence:

Fuji S2 + 10.5mm, 2 x SB105 strobes

Larry

Berkley White from Backscatter seemed to use a similar technique Larry - he told me he shoots his CFWA "like macro" with his strobes in close.

It really depends on the scene you are trying to light. One big subject in the middle is possible, but the shot I posted, which has 2 subjects to me seems more difficult.

Cheers

James

James,

I am new to underwaterwater photography, so pease take my comments with a big boulder of salt.

Aside from the harshness (due to your lack of diffusers) that is great illumination considering that you only have two strobes!

Even topside, fully illuminating a fisheye's angel of view is nearly impossible when you are in dark conditions (i.e. trying to make a picture of specific rock formation in a cave). I use the hypothetical case of a cave, because that would give you both the darkness, and a realistic overall angle of view for you to consider using a fisheye in an enclosed space. It might also be a similar condition (of course my underwater photo experience is minimal, so fell free to give me a lesson here ) to trying to fill a fiheye's angle underwater.

To achieve a good overall illumination for a fisheye's angle of view under the cave circumstances, you would need at least two main lights and two fill lights; and that is why people focus on illuminating just one part of the scene, and leaving the rest in shadows (pretty common topside too, in circumstances like the one of the cave I've described). So, I agree with Alex, it's nearly impossible to fill the whole fisheye angle if you are not expecting light fall-off or hot-spots, or deep and harsh-shadows.

Here's an idea though, if you could have a "strobe caddy", you could have him carry a couple of "fill strobes" and position himself opposite of your mains (maybu even illuminate from under the coral) and achieve great results!

Peace,

David.

It really depends on the scene you are trying to light.  One big subject in the middle is possible, but the shot I posted, which has 2 subjects to me seems more difficult.

 

Cheers

James

Good point. The image I posted, perhaps, is a bad example. I posted it mainly because I like the shot and I think it shows even lighting across the fan. That fan is probably more than 6 ft. wide.

This shot pretty much fills the frame:

I shot this on the first day. Before I was pulling my strobe in enough and you can see a little hot spot on the coral on the left but I think that it shows that you can light even a super-wide image with relatively small strobes.

BTW, I think the lighting on your shot is great. Maybe just a little hot on the edge of the table-top coral.

Larry

I see what you mean Larry.

Alex, I think the "problem" with Fiji is that every square inch is literally covered with these Dendronepthyea corals. Taveuni especially as there were not any really huge corals. It's hard to isolate a subject to light. The Vatu-i-ra passage was different, but I didn't have the lens then.

Cheers

James

I was on a Photo Liveaboard out of Marsa Alam a couple of weeks ago and we found lighting the 10.5 was much easier pointing the strobes slightly out but pulling them very close to the housing.

Makes you wonder about the long arm theory ?? :roll:

I think that has been an interesting thread. Certainly got me thinking. I tend to find that I rarely watch other photographers shooting FE because if someone has a FE lens on then I tend to give them a wide berth.

Like many of the comments here, I certainly favour the strobes close to the camera for CFWA, and on long arms for large subjects such as sharks.

I think a good way to avoid harsh shadows in the middle of the frame is to choose flat subject matter (like a sea fan) that won't necessarily cast any shadow in the middle of the frame!

Alex

hi everybody,

Since I ve purchased my S2 I only made pictures with the 10,5 mm , about 40 dives

For me it is a great lens and I always shoot with the flash very near of the top of my dome , the other one just under the dome

and it works great, of course i m always very close to the subject, but if i want to light the face of my wife for instance , the second speedlight goes in this direction a bit farer from the dome

the possibilities of direct corrections are really wonderful with DSLR