Digital Underwater Photography

Specialty of the month for April is the DUP or Digital Underwater Photography. Now the thing about the course is that you can get a load out of it whatever your level at starting. I like to tailor the content for the student to ensure that they get the very best for the course. This also means that I don't like to consider this particular course as a couple of sessions and a couple of dives, rather it is the start of a great adventure.

The great thing about a digital camera whether it is a point and shoot or a DSLR is that you can shoot away to your hearts content monitoring your results and discarding those that don't work as you go. Practice makes perfect and having got some theory under our belts the first practice sessions always take place on dry land. So it was that others on the business park saw the strange sight of photographers getting up to mischief with plastic fish including this moray and a hump back whale. A small one of course.

We also took advantage of a handy model to allow exploration of camera angles and use of light whilst thinking about the rule of thirds to build composition. It was really rewarding watching the students practice composing their pictures and thinking about depth of field as well as the all important impact of lighting. So having taken a whole bundle of shots we then had the chance to play with them on photoshop which is always a revelation for the the first time digital photographer.

Next it was down to the pool at Basildon and a chance to put all the hard work on the surface into practice. This would prove to offer it's own challenges as the lighting is not that good at six metres in the completely covered and therefore gloomy interior. Still with new techniques, minds a buzzing we got in and gave it our best shot. For company we had a couple of guys on a try dive, two jelly fish and a forlorn looking Lionfish.

I have to say I liked the jelly fish and everybody managed to get some pleasing pictures making the best of the challenging lighting.

There will be other DUP course as the year progresses and in the meantime those that have done the course will be offered ongoing support and some workshops throughout the season.

Enriched Air

Teaching Enriched Air is always fun and so it was this weekend especially as the participants on the course had not had a chance to cover the reading before the course started. Add to that a dose of sheer panic when checking my computer before the course to discover that I had somehow managed to mislay my slide show and it is easy to understand why things appeared to be so much fun.

This Saturdays course was the second this year and despite starting without the knowledge reviews having been completed everyone managed a really good mark in the final exam.

Of course this was not before a few puzzled looks and head scratching with calculations on Equivalent air depths. I particularly liked the synchronised head movements when dealing with mathematical calculations.

Chris, Jim, Lee, James and Nicky all need great praise in actual fact because all got great marks and this despite dropping some points because of misreading questions or simply having to deal with the odd way in which some questions get posed in examinations.

I am always conscious that learning about enriched air use and the theory of gas behaviours can appear a little daunting and despite a comment of feeling like we were back at school we must be doing something right because I have yet to to have a single failure in the final exam.

The only thing that I really find difficult is knowing that I am not the one flying off to the Maldives in a few weeks time to reap the benefits of all this new knowledge. Just remember guys, now you know the theory you can get back to using your computers and enjoy the diving.

Well done to all.