Need help taking pics of whale shark with D70

I'm heading to Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia in a few days and will be snorkeling with Whale shark. I am relatively new to my new camera set up. I have a Nikon D70, Ikelite housing, Ikelite DS125 strobe, 10.5 mm, 18-70mm, 60mm macro, 105 mm macro lenses.

I need help with;

1) best lense to use

2) best settings on camera

3) suggested shutter speed, and aperature

4) do I spot meter? ANd can I in M mode

I'm planning on close to surface shots on a sunny or partly cloudy day.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Al

Al -

You may want to check Peter's website at:

http://www.splashdowndivers.com/photo_gall...aphy/index.html

He has a wealth of information regarding d70 settings.

I would shoot ISO 200... I think Peter is also shooting 200 now?!?

M.

Hi Al....Welcome to Wetpixel

Out of your selection, I would use the 10.5mm. This lens is ultra-wide (weitwinkel) and will give you the best opportunity to get overall shots of such a large subject.

I would set your strobe to 1/2 or 1/4 power even if you are in very bright water. I like strobe fill light even if the ambient light is high. Aperture priority might be a good choice if you are in bright water. I would use f8 - f11 and let the camera choose the shutter speed.....just make sure that it's picking shutter speeds of 1/100 or higher....if not, open the aperture one f-stop.

In deeper water, I always use manual mode and spot meter on the blue water beyond and set my strobes for the subject in the foreground.

There can be many answers to your question, but this is how I would set up for that kind of subject.

Karl

A strobe with a whale shark is very tricky ... light will inevitably fall off on the more distant parts of the subject, and the spots and bars are very reflective. I'd take at least a few shots without the strobe. (My experiences with whale sharks are with a NikV, not my new D70). I'd even consider a modestly higher ISO if that's required to get the shot without a strobe.

Good luck!

Chris