Underwater Images

[dje]

Hi Deb

You've received plenty of accolades already but I must add mine. They are lovely shots and you have a great talent for UW stuff. Gee I have enough trouble getting decent shots out of the water

I also have a little bone to pick. We Queenslanders are always bragging about our Great Barrier Reef but here you go showing wonderful UW scenery from Victoria of all places !! It's just not right

Have you done photography on the Great Barrier Reef by the way ?

Cheers Dave

[speedneeder]

Amazing photos! I have never seen better. Great work.

[wommby]

Dave,

Thank you for your compliments. It's nice to know that you guys at CIC get some enjoyment from them. Yes, I have done Cairns and Lady Musgrave Island. Even though the fish are beautiful colours up your way, the corals and sponges just don't compare to the colours we get down here in the Southern waters. Oh BTW, it must be right - we have got to have something to rival Queensland:

Deb

[wommby]

Thanks Brian,

I don't consider myself to be a professional by any means and I don't market my images. Maybe one day I will but until then I'm glad that you guys on CIC can enjoy them.

Deb

[KeithH]

Strewth! and I thought land-based photography was hard enough You underwater snappers have my full admiration to take on both challenges and come up (sorry, pun not intended ) with such wonderful images. Luv 'em!

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Deb,

Thanks for the answer on the bouyancy blocks.

For me, what sets these apart from many such shots is the 'nice' WB, achieved by strobe gels and/or PP.
I won't say 'natural' because it may not be how the eye sees things 'down there' and I wouldn't know.

The other thing that strikes me is how floppy a live starfish is; draped over the rocks
My experience is only the dried carcases sometimes found in seaside gift shops here in UK, which are stiff like the cuttlefish you give a budgie.

Cheers,

[wommby]

Strewth! and I thought land-based photography was hard enough You underwater snappers have my full admiration to take on both challenges and come up (sorry, pun not intended ) with such wonderful images. Luv 'em!

Thanks Keith, it certainly isn't always easy to get good shots underwater but I love it when I come up with something quite nice.
Deb

[wommby]

Dave,

The shots were taken with the WB on Auto and I have tweaked them a little to what I personally remember and to compliment the natural colours as we know them of the different creatures. Down at depth (this dive was 20 metres deep) you don't see all these colours until you light them up with either torches or strobes. It is quite amazing what you can actually miss out on if you don't have a torch with you.
The floppy starfish was quite comfortable just laying around like that. I was accused (nicely mind you) of putting the other starfish inside the sponge that I found it in but he happened to be there just like that. We also had a couple of dolphins come and visit us on this dive but I wasn't quick enough to get any shots of them.
Deb