Question for Denny (10X)

[Penguinlo]

Hi, I was showing my husband your scuba pictures, which are great, and he asked me to see if you would mind telling us what kind of software you use when downloading and printing. He is just getting into the photography part of diving and is trying to pick up whatever information he can. I also have a question if you don't mind? Does the external flash make a big difference or do you do a lot of adjusting on your computer for light? I would appreciate any information you (or anyone) is willing to give. As I said, he is just getting started with the photography and Christmas is just around the corner, so I may be looking for his gift.:confused:

 

Thanks for your help!

[bruce-r]

Hi, I was showing my husband your scuba pictures, which are great, and he asked me to see if you would mind telling us what kind of software you use when downloading and printing.

While I'm not 10X, I do use the same model Olympus camera he does. I don't know what software he uses for image editing. I use and recommend Photoshop Elements. The full version of Photoshop is the standard software used by just about all photo pro's and Elements have 90% of the features for a price that is 80% less.

 

I also have a question if you don't mind? Does the external flash make a big difference or do you do a lot of adjusting on your computer for light?

An external strobe can make a huge difference in the quality of the photo, if you know how to use it. Dual strobes are even better. However, underwater camera strobes are quite expensive. The package I'd like to buy at California digital Diving is $895. Their least expensive package is $529.

 

I have the strobe in their least expensive package and I don't care for it. I usually just use the internal strobe and adjust the image a little bit using Photoshop Elements.

 

If you are interested, you can see some of my underwater photos:

British Columbia photo gallery

 

California Channel Islands photo gallery

 

Cozumel photo gallery

[booth22]

bruce, does the set up you have now with the DS51 have the sensor which goes off your internal flash? I played around with one of those a buddy has and if you decide to upgrade, let me know- I'm in the market for a strobe and the DS50/51 is something I could use. thanks, booth

[10X]

I use an Olympus C5050, 5MP camera with a single Inon D2000 strobe. The camera is housed in an Olympus PT-015 housing. I do not use the strobe while snorkeling, only while diving. The strobe makes a world of difference when diving because it adds light into a realm where light decreases the deeper you go. The strobe helps bring out the colors in deep water.

 

I also have an Inon wide angle lens and a close up lens. It is all mounted on ULCS (Ultra Light Control Systems) tray and arms. I use a GB Undersea lens dock to hold my wide angle lens while underwater so that I can quickly mount it whenever I want. The lens dock has a safety strap that attaches to the lens and keeps it from getting lost. It's saved my lens twice now.

 

For photo processing I use Adobe Photoshop CS2. I started out with Photoshop Elements (PSE), just like Bruce uses but Adobe sent me an offer to upgrade for a great price. I ended up buying a $650 program for $300. I couldn't pass it up. In addition to these two programs, Corel Paintshop Pro is another nice one, as long as you don't shoot in RAW format.

 

That being said, I almost exclusively shoot in RAW format. The resulting data in RAW is uncompressed, unlike JPG, and it is easier to manipulate and to get better results with. When you process a RAW photo you can actually change the original camera data, like white balance, exposure, colors, etc., before you actually begin processing the photo. The result is much better than processing the JPG photo.

 

You can get a RAW processing plug-in from Adobe for PSE so you don't have to buy the expensive program. If Adobe hadn't made me that offer, I would still be using PSE.

 

However, RAW photos consume huge amounts of memory space because no data is lost to compression. The files from my 5MP camera are usually around 7MB plus. I also own an Olympus E-500 dSLR that is an 8MP camera. This one does not go underwater but its resulting RAW file size is 13-14MB. As a result I use a 1GB card in the C5050 and a 4GB card in my E-500. My Olympus cameras have the unique ability to hold two memory cards at the same time. In the C5050 I also use a 512MB xD-PictureCard where I store small underwater videos that I take with the camera. I use a 1GB xD-PictureCard in the E-500 for taking panoramic photos.

 

When cruising and diving I bring my laptop along and download the pictures every night so my cards can be erased and ready to go the next day. I create a separate folder for each day that is named with the picture taker and the date. That way I know if I took the picture and where it was. My wife gets her own folders for the same reason. No more looking at a photo and wondering it was taken and by whom.

 

Please don't hesitate to ask any specific questions. I'm not an expert and still continue to learn more and more every time I dive and I'm quite willing to help shorten your learning curve.

 

Denny

[Penguinlo]

Thanks for the information! I'm sure there will be more questions to follow and I appreciate your willingness to answer and help out. Tom is an over the road driver and will be home this weekend, so once he reads your responses, I'm sure there will be some questions from him. I have another now if you don't mind. Did you learn by trial and error, or by following instruction books? Is there a good book or magazine we should be looking at to help along the way? Just looking to cover all the bases.

 

Bruce, your pictures are amazing also, thank you for sharing them!

 

I can only hope that once Tom gets going his pictures look as good as the both of yours do.

 

 

Thanks again.

[bruce-r]

bruce, does the set up you have now with the DS51 have the sensor which goes off your internal flash?

Yes it does. I have the DS 50.

I played around with one of those a buddy has and if you decide to upgrade, let me know- I'm in the market for a strobe and the DS50/51 is something I could use. thanks, booth

OK. You can email me using the address in my profile.

[10X]

The only book I ever read was "Jim Church's Essential Guide to Underwater Photo Composition", other than that it has been by experimentation. However, there are some good websites that I go to for information. You can try these:

 

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums.php Go to their Underwater Photography Section

 

http://www.digitaldiver.net/yabbse/index.php

 

http://www.splashdowndivers.com/photo_gallery/underwater_photography/index.html

 

http://www.digidiver.net/phpBB2/index.php This site is relatively new so it has limited information

 

http://www.wetpixel.com/

 

Denny

[booth22]

Bruce- an email is on it's way!

[Penguinlo]

I appreciate your help!