Here are a few shots from the Flower Gardens this last weekend. Water was cold and I was in my drysuit. This was my first time with the Seacam Canon rig and I hoped I could use it for a warmup trip for the upcoming Wetpixel Bahamas shark trip:
I shot the Sigma 150mm with the Canon 500D diopter on the first dive because it was still dark. Shooting a big righ with a long lens in a drysuit is a BIATCH!
All I learned is that the lens is sharp and really excellent w/ the diopter. With the strobes out in front my rig is WAY nose-heavy. Autofocus was about as good as w/ the 105 - meaning marginal.
Cheers
James
Looks great James......I especially like the motion of the 2nd manta shot....maybe a little PS work to get rid of the bubbles?
Macros look very crisp and well exposed....looks like you had a good tuneup for the Shark Trip in 3 weeks
Karl
Hi Karl,
Thanks! I'm not sure about the bubbles - they are a part of the shot and they help "tell the story" so I think I might keep them. What do others think?
Cheers
James
I just got back from the Flower Gardens this weekend as well! I was diving on the Spree, were you on the Fling by chance?
I saw a ton of Manta's, but I have no clue how the heck you guys get close enough to take pictures of them. That goes for any of the bigger life. I was lucky enough to see quite a few large sharks, including a hammerhead, and I don't have a single picture of any of them.
Great photo's as usual.
Agree with the others - great photos.
Not sure I agree with Karl about the bubbles though. I quite like them and don't find them objectionable. In fact, I'm inclined to agree with your comment about telling the story James - my vote for leaving them in.
Really looking forward to seeing more James - well done!
Dangit Jim! I wish I'd known you were down there. I was on the Fling, yes. I dropped by the Spree on Fri. even to say hi to Frank and Melanie, but that was only for a few minutes. Ah well. What a bummer man!
With the palegics at the FGB, you just have to hang out calmly and hope they come to you. I had an eagle ray come right to me (had the Sigma 150mm mounted of course) and the same for the manta. Once you know they are interested, just adjust your course to get an underneath shot, or whatever angle you are looking for. I was diving w/ Terry Moore, who used to be the videographer on the Spoilsport, so we made a good team at shadowing the fish without spooking them. We were lucky and that manta made 2 or maybe even 3 passes at us before taking off. I tried my hardest to get right underneath for a sunburst shot, but it just wasn't meant to be. I also had my exposure set up for mid-blue so most of my sunballs are blown out...
Cheers
James
Dangit Jim! I wish I'd known you were down there. I was on the Fling, yes. I dropped by the Spree on Fri. even to say hi to Frank and Melanie, but that was only for a few minutes. Ah well. What a bummer man!
