Videographer Mark Thorpe (CamDiver) has posted an excellent article on shooting macro and supermacro video, which includes information on diopters, sharpness, chromatic aberration, port selection, lighting, camera stability, and more. Head on over to the forums and participate in the conversation!
Want to expand your participation at Wetpixel.com? We are looking for folks who are interested in writing reviews for underwater photography books, DVDs, and other published media. If you’re interested, please send Eric a writing sample and a brief bio (so we know who you are!).
Wetpixel editor Eric Cheng and company have returned from the 2007 Bahamas Expedition on Jim Abernethy’s M/V Shear Water, and Eric has already put together two very comprehensive trip journals detailing each charter. While wild pigs became company during the search for the elusive ocean whitetip, the group had plenty of encounters with tiger, lemon, and Caribbean reef sharks on the Sharks and Dolphins tour.
These expeditions have been very popular over the past few years and always fill up quickly - to stay informed of upcoming Wetpixel trips, be sure to join the mailing list!
When you set yourself behind the lens and focus on a subject, does the rest of the underwater world become a distant afterthought? Contrary to the training of most certification agencies, many underwater photographers and videographers learn, or even prefer, to become self-sufficient and dive under the “same ocean” buddy rule.
Wetpixel member Gary (ce4jesus) has started a discussion questioning the practice of diving solo while recognizing the benefit of pacing the dive yourself and spending as much (or little) time with a photo opportunity as is necessary. Join in and share your decision on whether to solo dive or not…
Wetpixel member Phil Rudin (Tropical1) recently purchased the Olympus PT-E03 underwater housing for his E-410 digital SLR and, along with the new 14-42mm Zuiko lens and Athena ring flash, evaluated the build, ergonomics, and final picture quality.
For the traveling photographer you will find this housing to be one of the smallest for a DSLR and very lightweight…I have owned the prior PT-E01 & PT-E02 housings and have found that the cost to performance ratio was very high. This new housing is no exception.
Rudin includes many example images and heartily recommends the camera and housing, taking note of a few minor issues to be resolved. Continue for his impressions and tips for using this reasonably priced setup…
FiNS Magazine is currently sponsoring a giveaway for a trip to Christmas Island, including a single complimentary airplane ticket from Singapore, 50% off accommodation at The Sunset, and two boat dives for two people.
Located in the Indian Ocean, Christmas Island features the full range of marine life, from whale sharks to ribbon eels and clingfish, and the five survey questions are easily answered after reading a short article originally published in the magazine. Enter by August 31st and you could win a trip to this remote destination!
The Northern California Underwater Photographic Society (NCUPS) will be hosting a free seminar by Bryant Austin, creator of “Whales in Public Spaces,” on Friday, August 10th, starting at 8PM in Millbrae, CA. As the founder of the non-profit Marine Mammal Conservation through the Arts, Austin’s focus has been the exhibition of life-size photographs of whales, up to twelve feet high by ninety feet long.
Austin’s talk will focus on capturing the “personhood of the whale” or other underwater subject, and on his ongoing efforts to increase awareness on the decline of whale species around the world. Continue reading for the full press release and attendance information…
The Submarine Foundation is proud to announce the first Dutch festival dedicated specifically to underwater video, the North Sea Film Festival. Scheduled to be held at the Hague in the Netherlands from November 30 to December 2, 2007, the festival is currently accepting underwater-themed entries produced after 2005 in two categories of 60 minutes and 20 minutes maximum lengths.
Entry is free, and the deadline for submission is October 15. This is a great opportunity to showcase your work internationally - be sure to read the rules and registration details to submit your films.
The British Society of Underwater Photographers invites entries for its third International Focus On competition which is free and simple to enter and open to all underwater photographers. There is no theme although your single image must have been taken in an open water environment. Images that have finished first, second or third in previous national or international competitions will not be accepted.
Uniquely, the images in this competition will be judged by the votes of the entire audience of experienced underwater photographers at the Society’s meeting on 15th August. The winner will join Wetpixel’s Mike Veitch and Martyn Tomcik as winners of BSoUP’s International Focus On trophy.
Recent discussion in the Wetpixel forums have suggested that the new 10.1 megapixel and 10fps Canon EOS-1D Mark III digital SLR will soon be supported by underwater housings from Nexus, Seacam, and Subal. Stephen Frink, the US distributor for Seacam, is hopeful that such a housing might be ready for display at the industry diving trade show DEMA in early November.
If the anticipated Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III maintains the same design, users of the housing would be able to easily transition between the two cameras, as is possible with the 1D/1Ds Mark II series.