Salvaging Bad Dives
©Mike Gerken Camera: Nikon D300 Lens: Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye Year: 2009
The wreck of the Caribsea off the North Carolina Coast is famed for aggregations of sand tiger sharks; one of my fave subjects. This featured image was taken on a dive that started out as a let down. Although there was plenty of sharks about, I tried without success to shoot wide-angle but, poor visibility created hazy results with annoying backscatter (particulates that reflect like tiny mirrors when hit by strobe light). With many of the sand tigers swimming in mid-water, I decided to turn my eyes upward. To my pleasure, the water color skywards was a cobalt blue and the sharks were stunning pressed up against it. Upon seeing this I thought a new strategy was needed. The strobes were shut off, thus eliminating backscatter, and the shutter speed and f-stop were adjusted for aiming towards the glare of the sun. I was going to shoot a silhouette. Getting directly beneath the sharks and swimming upside down while trying to frame the shot with the sun directly behind them proved trying. Bubbles kept getting in the way and the sharks would startle. To get the shot the biggest rule in scuba diving had to be broken; NEVER hold your breath. However, the only way to sneak underneath the shark and get the shot was to do just that. After maybe 10 minutes of using this amoral technique, I was heading to the surface with a compact flash card holding some digital goodness.
When the tough gets going don't give up. With a little ingenuity and creativity you too can salvage a busted dive. But, please don't hold your breath! Join Mike in North Carolina May/June 2020 for the Wreck•Shark Shootout.
Comments
No comments posted.
Loading...
|
Subscribe
RSS
Archive
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
|