Underwater

[elsa hoffmann]

Thanks guys for the comments

[Jørgen Ramskov]

Great shots and I can't imagine how challenging it must be.

[elsa hoffmann]

Thank you Jørgen!

[ColinM]

These are lovely Elsa.

I learned to dive whilst studying marine biology, which was a nice combination. And it was diving that really got me into photography, but I could never afford the housings so stuck with above the water shooting.

Sorry to hear you've had to limit your diving.

[elsa hoffmann]

Thanks Colin for the comments. 

[Peter Connan]

Clearly there is a huge difference between your nothing and my nothing!

[rosko]

.

Very colorfull pictures.

I love particularly the last one : amazing creatures which I had never saw before.

They are so many examples of symbiosis in the underwater world !

I am aware how difficult must be to take this sort of pictures...
 

[elsa hoffmann]

of course the worst of it all is that it's done. The underwater photography I mean - no going back. but such is life.
thanks rosko and Peter.

[simato73]

Hello my lover
(before you have any type of reaction, please consider that in the NW of England where I live you can use this expression, or just "love" or even "me duck" - my duck - to say something like "sweetheart").

The lighting topic has already been mentioned, would you care to elaborate a little more?
Did you regularly use those strobes with long arms to light from the sides, in order to avoid scatter from matter suspended between the subject and the lens? One or more strobes? How unwieldy was it, did it still make it possible to enjoy the dive from a swimming perspective, or did it turn it into a single purpose (photography) mission?

"didn't have a bloody clue" I wish had half the bloody clue you had back then.
I have experienced all the problems you mentioned when I tried using a Sony RX100 (MkI) with an enclosure (no strobes, just shooting with natural light immediately below the surface). Got almost nothing worth remembering, I wish I got anything remotely comparable to your images.
I was snorkeling, don't know if you have tried snorkeling recently, but if you stick to the surface without diving there are now some very nice snorkels that automatically drain the water from the bottom, leaving breathing always unobstructed. Just a thought, apologies if you have already considered all the options and taken your decision.

The Med may not have as much colorful marine life, but the water is generally warm, calmer, and in many places very clear. It is my favourite place for swimming.

[elsa hoffmann]

Sweetheart - the strobes are crucial - its basically flashes (like speedlights but underwater ones - so you call them strobes)
I have a set up of 2 strobes so that I could place them (on long arms) to light the subject from the side rather than head on.
Not even 45 degrees - usually between 45 and 90 degrees kind of thing. Reason being that you want to avoid lighting the water between the lens and subject
as there is particles in the water - and any light shining on it makes it visible, whereas if you only light the subject from the side, you dont get the
interference of the backscatter (particles) and you have no idea how many particles float in water.
Generally - The more particles in the water - the less the visibility to the diver. Some days viz is better than others - in the arctic (or is in antarctic)  viz can be many many meters. seasons also has an affect. Depending on the surge, wind, whatever else - you can have sh*t floating and we have had times that viz was so bad - we used to jike that you dont have 1m viz in front of you - but rather 6m behind you
I was only interested in shooting, so I wasnt unhappy, but swimming underwater with a hyge set up - and it is quite bulky - isnt easy or much fun. As a photographer you basically float around and shoot - especially doing macro - you hardly look further than 3m, you just focus on what you shoot  in front of you. Very helpful to have a spotter, or two shooting together.
Remember also than colour starts going from around 3m, so if you dont have strobes - you will loose colour and everything is blue - as you might have seen.
Snorkelling has never been my thing - and since I stopped diving - I wont even consider doing that. Especially since I dont shoot U/W anymore. Hey I dont even swim! (not that I could do that well either) I have a swimming pool at home - which I NEVER set foot in.
Warm water diving has so many positives - not least of all the drysuit you dont need and tons of weights - but in Cape Town the water may not be warm - but marine life is so varied and plentiful - it made up in spades.

[simato73]

Sweetheart - the strobes are crucial - its basically flashes (like speedlights but underwater ones - so you call them strobes)
I have a set up of 2 strobes so that I could place them (on long arms) to light the subject from the side rather than head on.
Not even 45 degrees - usually between 45 and 90 degrees kind of thing. Reason being that you want to avoid lighting the water between the lens and subject
as there is particles in the water - and any light shining on it makes it visible, whereas if you only light the subject from the side, you dont get the
interference of the backscatter (particles) and you have no idea how many particles float in water.
Generally - The more particles in the water - the less the visibility to the diver. Some days viz is better than others - in the arctic (or is in antarctic)  viz can be many many meters. seasons also has an affect. Depending on the surge, wind, whatever else - you can have sh*t floating and we have had times that viz was so bad - we used to jike that you dont have 1m viz in front of you - but rather 6m behind you
I was only interested in shooting, so I wasnt unhappy, but swimming underwater with a hyge set up - and it is quite bulky - isnt easy or much fun. As a photographer you basically float around and shoot - especially doing macro - you hardly look further than 3m, you just focus on what you shoot  in front of you. Very helpful to have a spotter, or two shooting together.
Remember also than colour starts going from around 3m, so if you dont have strobes - you will loose colour and everything is blue - as you might have seen.
Snorkelling has never been my thing - and since I stopped diving - I wont even consider doing that. Especially since I dont shoot U/W anymore. Hey I dont even swim! (not that I could do that well either) I have a swimming pool at home - which I NEVER set foot in.
Warm water diving has so many positives - not least of all the drysuit you dont need and tons of weights - but in Cape Town the water may not be warm - but marine life is so varied and plentiful - it made up in spades.

Very informative, thanks.
I guess the learning point is that if one is serious about underwater photography adequate ligthting is a must and that means the whole diving experience is dedicated to photo in a limited space rather than exploring around. I probably value being under water more for the physical feeling and the sense of exploration, therefore doing proper UW photography probably I would feel I am missing on too much other stuff.
A Nikon AW1 with kit lens is more than I need for casual snapping just under the water surface. I don't have that yet but following Øivind's post I guess I'll get one at some stage if it can be found at rock bottom prices.
My experience snorkelling in the Med is that in good places and on good days visibility can be quite good. On some occasions I have been able to see at many tens of meters distance.

[Jakov Minić]

Sweetheart - the strobes are crucial - its basically flashes (like speedlights but underwater ones - so you call them strobes)
I have a set up of 2 strobes so that I could place them (on long arms) to light the subject from the side rather than head on.
Not even 45 degrees - usually between 45 and 90 degrees kind of thing. Reason being that you want to avoid lighting the water between the lens and subject
as there is particles in the water - and any light shining on it makes it visible, whereas if you only light the subject from the side, you dont get the
interference of the backscatter (particles) and you have no idea how many particles float in water.
Generally - The more particles in the water - the less the visibility to the diver. Some days viz is better than others - in the arctic (or is in antarctic)  viz can be many many meters. seasons also has an affect. Depending on the surge, wind, whatever else - you can have sh*t floating and we have had times that viz was so bad - we used to jike that you dont have 1m viz in front of you - but rather 6m behind you
I was only interested in shooting, so I wasnt unhappy, but swimming underwater with a hyge set up - and it is quite bulky - isnt easy or much fun. As a photographer you basically float around and shoot - especially doing macro - you hardly look further than 3m, you just focus on what you shoot  in front of you. Very helpful to have a spotter, or two shooting together.
Remember also than colour starts going from around 3m, so if you dont have strobes - you will loose colour and everything is blue - as you might have seen.
Snorkelling has never been my thing - and since I stopped diving - I wont even consider doing that. Especially since I dont shoot U/W anymore. Hey I dont even swim! (not that I could do that well either) I have a swimming pool at home - which I NEVER set foot in.
Warm water diving has so many positives - not least of all the drysuit you dont need and tons of weights - but in Cape Town the water may not be warm - but marine life is so varied and plentiful - it made up in spades.

A true queen you are Elsa!
I see Bjørn already diving in your pool with his AW1. I so envy him!

[elsa hoffmann]

oh my hat - I should really check my posts before posting them - the typos!!!!!!!