The Digital Shootout Underwater Imaging Workshop - Underwater Photography, Videography, Scuba Diving Trips

© Berkley White

© Tim Neumann

© Jeff Honda

© Tim Neumann

© Steve Cheng

TODAY'S BOAT DIVES

Today's Boat Dive

BOAT	DIVE SITE
Alice H.	1		jeannie's glory
Alice H.	2		invisibles

Sea Queen	1		carl's hill
Sea Queen	2		leonora's reef

Sunsine	1		invisibles
Sunsine	2		18th palm

Sunburst	1		andrea 1
Sunburst	2		no name beach

Sea Gysy	1		hilma hooker
Sea Gysy	2		windsock

Night Dive	N		north belnem
Night Dive	N		north belnem

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©2012 THE DIGITAL SHOOTOUT
Site by newmediasoup, LLC

VIDEOS OF THE DAY - On The Sunshine

Joel Penner | GoPro Camera, ULCS Tripod Bracket, Joby SLR Tripod

Akira Competes in the Digital Shootout

Kristina Honda | Canon 5DmkII

SCHEDULE
7:45 AM Group Photo
12:00 PM Lunch Break
2:30 PM Afternoon Open/
Classroom Help & In-Field Split Session
5:00 PM Dinner Break
7:30 PM Free Evening

SPLITS AND DIRTY TRICKS
While it may sound like playground antics, it's really serious business. Serious fun, that is!

Splits are images that are 50/50, half underwater and half topside. Berkley White gave a brief classroom discussion on the technique for shooting these types of images, then led everyone in a round of polishing their domes. Lined up in the shallows with their wide angle rigs with shiny-clean domes, a dozen shooters took turns snapping shots of Rusty, Marissa and Jen as they scootered or swam by. Meanwhile, in the classroom, Erin was at it again, this time showing the class her most favorite Photoshop tips... AKA: Dirty Tricks!

With the afternoon deemed as a free day, participants busily made their selects and final editing touches as they prepped their images and video for the contest submission. Having a hard contest entry deadline of 9:00AM Friday, the vibe spanned from calm, cool and collected to near frenzied. The Digital Shootout competition is a friendly one with one video category and six photo categories. The Share the Wealth Policy - if you are fortunate to win more than one prize, you must select your one favorite prize with the others raffled off to the crowd - levels the playing field and keeps the vibe fun. Winners ambitious enough to compete in photo, video and/or fluorescence, can keep their favorite prize from each major category.

Below are 7 videos and 360 still images entered into our friendly competition. Over a week's time, our attendees have definitely taken their imaging to the next level as evidenced by their contest submissions. Enjoy what has been our scenic views for the past week, and check back tomorrow for all the winners!

2011 VIDEO Contest Submissions

HARRY MARTIN	SUSAN JOHNSON	MARSHA SIMMONS
Canon 7D \| Aquatica Housing	Sony HC9 \| L&M BlueFin Housing	Sony CX550 \| L&M BlueFin Housing

JEFF HONDA	SHARON BRENNAN	JOE ROBINSON
Canon 7D \| Aquatica Housing	Sony CX 520 camera \| L&M BlueFin Housing	Canon 7D \| Subal Housing

GAIL MATHIS
Sony CX550 \| L&M BlueFin Housing

2011 PHOTO Contest Submissions

© | | mm | ISO | sec at f /

© Bill Hunt | E-PL2 | 8mm | ISO 200 | 1/80 sec at f / 16

© Boaz Meiri | Canon PowerShot G10 | 15.673mm | ISO 80 | 1/500 sec at f / 8

© Boaz Meiri | Canon PowerShot G10 | 21.461mm | ISO 80 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© Boaz Meiri | Canon PowerShot G10 | 6.785mm | ISO 80 | 1/250 sec at f / 6.3

© Cindy Bond | C8080WZ | 23.4mm | ISO 50 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© Ken Bond | DC1200 | 7.7mm | ISO 128 | 1/80 sec at f / 4

© Kirsten Ballard | DMC-LX5 | 5.1mm | ISO 100 | 1/100 sec at f / 2.5

© Kirsten Ballard | DMC-LX5 | 5.1mm | ISO 100 | 1/160 sec at f / 8

© Kirsten Ballard | Canon PowerShot S95 | 6mm | ISO 100 | 1/100 sec at f / 8

© Marilyn Dahle | Canon PowerShot G10 | 6.785mm | ISO 100 | 1/500 sec at f / 8

© Marilyn Dahle | Canon PowerShot G10 | 6.1mm | ISO 100 | 1/320 sec at f / 8

© Marilyn Dahle | Canon PowerShot G12 | 18.098mm | ISO 400 | 1/100 sec at f / 8

© Reggie Henkart | u1030SW,S1030SW | 6.53mm | ISO 800 | 1/125 sec at f / 4.1

© Reggie Henkart | u1030SW,S1030SW | 6.53mm | ISO 250 | 1/250 sec at f / 4.1

© Reggie Henkart | u1030SW,S1030SW | 6.53mm | ISO 400 | 1/250 sec at f / 4.1

© Samantha Riekstins | Canon PowerShot G10 | 15.673mm | ISO 100 | 1/160 sec at f / 5.6

© Samantha Riekstins | Canon PowerShot G10 | 21.461mm | ISO 100 | 1/500 sec at f / 4.5

© Samantha Riekstins | Canon PowerShot G10 | 21.461mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 4.5

© Steve Cheng | Canon PowerShot S95 | 22.5mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Steve Cheng | Canon PowerShot S95 | 6mm | ISO 100 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© Steve Cheng | Canon PowerShot S95 | 10.701mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Steve Mayka | Canon PowerShot G11 | 13.761mm | ISO 100 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© Steve Mayka | Canon PowerShot G11 | 6.1mm | ISO 100 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© Steve Mayka | Canon PowerShot G11 | 8.898mm | ISO 100 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© Steve Tarara | Canon PowerShot SD990 IS | 13.683mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 11

© Steve Tarara | Canon PowerShot SD990 IS | 16.293mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 11

© Steve Tarara | Canon PowerShot SD990 IS | 9.572mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 9

© Susan Johnson | XZ-1 | 6mm | ISO 100 | 1/200 sec at f / 8

© Tony Dahle | Canon PowerShot G12 | 18.098mm | ISO 200 | 1/80 sec at f / 8

© Tony Dahle | Canon PowerShot G12 | 9.784mm | ISO 200 | 1/80 sec at f / 8

© Tony Dahle | Canon PowerShot G12 | 12.074mm | ISO 400 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© Bill Hunt | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 100 | 1/60 sec at f / 20

© Bill Hunt | Canon EOS 7D | 50mm | ISO 160 | 1/200 sec at f / 25

© Bill Hunt | Canon EOS 7D | 100mm | ISO 160 | 1/125 sec at f / 22

© Boaz Meiri | Canon PowerShot G10 | 21.461mm | ISO 80 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© Boaz Meiri | Canon PowerShot G10 | 24.978mm | ISO 80 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© Boaz Meiri | Canon PowerShot G10 | 12.074mm | ISO 80 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© Cayce Harburg | NIKON D90 | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/160 sec at f / 14

© Cayce Harburg | NIKON D90 | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/160 sec at f / 14

© Cayce Harburg | NIKON D90 | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/160 sec at f / 14

© Chris Bernhardt | | mm | ISO | sec at f /

© Chris Bernhardt | | mm | ISO | sec at f /

© David Gordon | NIKON D7000 | 105mm | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec at f / 22

© David Gordon | NIKON D7000 | 105mm | ISO 100 | 1/200 sec at f / 13

© David Gordon | NIKON D7000 | 105mm | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec at f / 22

© Jane Fraser | Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 20

© Jane Fraser | Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL | 60mm | ISO 800 | 1/250 sec at f / 22

© Jane Fraser | Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL | 60mm | ISO 800 | 1/125 sec at f / 18

© Jeff Honda | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 320 | 1/100 sec at f / 8

© Jeff Honda | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 640 | 1/60 sec at f / 6.3

© Jeff Honda | Canon EOS 7D | 100mm | ISO 200 | 1/160 sec at f / 22

© Judy Bennett | NIKON D200 | 105mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 32

© Judy Bennett | NIKON D200 | 105mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 27

© Judy Bennett | NIKON D200 | 105mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 22

© Kevin Ferrero | Canon EOS 5D Mark II | 100mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 14

© Kevin Ferrero | Canon EOS 5D Mark II | 100mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 11

© Kirsten Ballard | DMC-LX5 | 5.1mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 2.8

© Marcie Bilinski | Canon EOS 5D | 100mm | ISO 200 | 1/100 sec at f / 32

© Marcie Bilinski | Canon EOS 5D | 100mm | ISO 200 | 1/200 sec at f / 22

© Marcie Bilinski | Canon EOS 5D | 100mm | ISO 200 | 1/200 sec at f / 32

© Marilyn Dahle | Canon PowerShot G10 | 9.784mm | ISO 80 | 1/500 sec at f / 8

© Miranda Johnson | NIKON D7000 | 60mm | ISO 160 | 1/100 sec at f / 8

© Miranda Johnson | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 100 | 1/100 sec at f / 13

© Miranda Johnson | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 100 | 1/100 sec at f / 13

© Peter A. Riekstins | NIKON D2X | 105mm | ISO 125 | 1/200 sec at f / 11

© Peter A. Riekstins | NIKON D2X | 105mm | ISO 250 | 1/250 sec at f / 18

© Peter A. Riekstins | NIKON D2X | 105mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 22

© Philip Seys | NIKON D700 | 105mm | ISO 250 | 1/250 sec at f / 40

© Philip Seys | NIKON D700 | 105mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 16

© Philip Seys | NIKON D700 | 105mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 22

© Phyllis Tyson | Canon EOS 5D Mark II | 100mm | ISO 125 | 1/200 sec at f / 22

© Phyllis Tyson | Canon EOS 5D Mark II | 100mm | ISO 125 | 1/200 sec at f / 20

© Phyllis Tyson | Canon EOS 5D Mark II | 100mm | ISO 100 | 1/200 sec at f / 25

© Randy Johnson | DSLR-A700 | 50mm | ISO 400 | 1/200 sec at f / 8

© Randy Johnson | DSLR-A700 | 50mm | ISO 400 | 1/200 sec at f / 5.6

© Randy Johnson | DSLR-A700 | 50mm | ISO 400 | 1/200 sec at f / 10

© Randy Pysher | Canon EOS 7D | 100mm | ISO 400 | 1/125 sec at f / 20

© Randy Pysher | Canon EOS 7D | 100mm | ISO 400 | 1/125 sec at f / 20

© Randy Pysher | Canon EOS 7D | 100mm | ISO 400 | 1/125 sec at f / 20

© Reggie Henkart | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Reggie Henkart | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 7.1

© Reggie Henkart | E-PL1 | 37mm | ISO 200 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© Rick Levesque | Canon EOS 5D Mark II | 100mm | ISO 100 | 1/100 sec at f / 22

© Rick Levesque | Canon EOS 5D Mark II | 100mm | ISO 100 | 1/100 sec at f / 22

© Rick Levesque | Canon EOS 5D Mark II | 100mm | ISO 100 | 1/80 sec at f / 25

© Shelly McGahee | NIKON D2X | 105mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 13

© Shelly McGahee | NIKON D2X | 105mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 25

© Stephanie Tuttle | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec at f / 18

© Stephanie Tuttle | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 18

© Stephanie Tuttle | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 100 | 1/100 sec at f / 20

© Steve Holtegaard | NIKON D300S | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 22

© Steve Holtegaard | NIKON D300S | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 13

© Steve Holtegaard | NIKON D300S | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 22

© Steve Cheng | Canon PowerShot S95 | 22.5mm | ISO 400 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© Steve Cheng | Canon PowerShot S95 | 18.189mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Steve Cheng | Canon PowerShot S95 | 22.5mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Steve Kopp | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec at f / 22

© Steve Mayka | Canon PowerShot G11 | 13.761mm | ISO 100 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© Steve Mayka | Canon PowerShot G11 | 15.673mm | ISO 100 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© Steve Mayka | Canon PowerShot G11 | 8.108mm | ISO 100 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© Tim Dimacchia | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec at f / 22

© Tim Dimacchia | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec at f / 22

© Tim Dimacchia | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec at f / 22

© Tim Neumann | NIKON D3X | 105mm | ISO 400 | 1/250 sec at f / 22

© Tim Neumann | NIKON D3X | 105mm | ISO 400 | 1/200 sec at f / 22

© Tim Neumann | NIKON D3X | 105mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 22

© Tim White | NIKON D7000 | 105mm | ISO 100 | 1/60 sec at f / 13

© Tim White | NIKON D7000 | 105mm | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec at f / 14

© Tim White | NIKON D7000 | 105mm | ISO 100 | 1/60 sec at f / 13

© Tom McDonald | NIKON D7000 | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 9

© Tom McDonald | NIKON D7000 | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 13

© Tom McDonald | NIKON D7000 | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 22

© William E Stohler | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 100mm | ISO 100 | 1/200 sec at f / 16

© William E Stohler | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 100mm | ISO 200 | 1/200 sec at f / 16

© William E Stohler | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 100mm | ISO 200 | 1/200 sec at f / 11

© Becky Briggs | NIKON D70 | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 16

© Becky Briggs | NIKON D70 | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 18

© Becky Briggs | NIKON D70 | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 14

© Boaz Meiri | Canon PowerShot G10 | 21.461mm | ISO 80 | 1/250 sec at f / 6.3

© Boaz Meiri | Canon PowerShot G10 | 6.1mm | ISO 80 | 1/250 sec at f / 5.6

© Boaz Meiri | Canon PowerShot G10 | 21.461mm | ISO 80 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© Cayce Harburg | NIKON D90 | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/160 sec at f / 16

© Cayce Harburg | NIKON D90 | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/160 sec at f / 20

© Cayce Harburg | NIKON D90 | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/160 sec at f / 13

© Chris Bernhardt | | mm | ISO | sec at f /

© Chris Bernhardt | | mm | ISO | sec at f /

© Chris Bernhardt | | mm | ISO | sec at f /

© David Gordon | NIKON D7000 | 105mm | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec at f / 22

© David Gordon | NIKON D7000 | 105mm | ISO 160 | 1/160 sec at f / 22

© David Gordon | NIKON D7000 | 105mm | ISO 100 | 1/160 sec at f / 22

© Jane Fraser | Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 18

© Jane Fraser | Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 18

© Jane Fraser | Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 16

© Jeff Honda | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 640 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Jeff Honda | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 640 | 1/60 sec at f / 6.3

© Jeff Honda | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 640 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© Judy Bennett | NIKON D200 | 105mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 27

© Judy Bennett | NIKON D200 | 105mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 27

© Judy Bennett | NIKON D200 | 105mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 38

© Marcie Bilinksi | Canon EOS 5D | 100mm | ISO 200 | 1/200 sec at f / 32

© Marcie Bilinksi | Canon EOS 5D | 100mm | ISO 200 | 1/200 sec at f / 32

© Marcie Bilinksi | Canon EOS 5D | 100mm | ISO 200 | 1/100 sec at f / 29

© Miranda Johnson | NIKON D7000 | 60mm | ISO 160 | 1/100 sec at f / 8

© Miranda Johnson | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 60mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 10

© Miranda Johnson | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 125 | 1/125 sec at f / 11

© Peter A. Riekstins | NIKON D2X | 105mm | ISO 250 | 1/250 sec at f / 18

© Peter A. Riekstins | NIKON D2X | 105mm | ISO 200 | 1/200 sec at f / 16

© Philip Seys | NIKON D700 | 105mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 18

© Philip Seys | NIKON D700 | 105mm | ISO 250 | 1/250 sec at f / 40

© Philip Seys | NIKON D700 | 105mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 18

© Randy Johnson | DSLR-A700 | 50mm | ISO 400 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Randy Johnson | DSLR-A700 | 50mm | ISO 400 | 1/125 sec at f / 5.6

© Randy Johnson | DSLR-A700 | 50mm | ISO 400 | 1/125 sec at f / 5.6

© Reggie Henkart | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Reggie Henkart | E-PL1 | 18mm | ISO 200 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© Reggie Henkart | E-PL1 | 34mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 22

© Rick Levesque | Canon EOS 5D Mark II | 100mm | ISO 100 | 1/200 sec at f / 20

© Rick Levesque | Canon EOS 5D Mark II | 100mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 10

© Rick Levesque | Canon EOS 5D Mark II | 100mm | ISO 100 | 1/160 sec at f / 20

© Samantha Riekstins | Canon PowerShot G10 | 30.5mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 5.6

© Samantha Riekstins | Canon PowerShot G10 | 30.5mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 5.6

© Samantha Riekstins | Canon PowerShot G10 | 18.098mm | ISO 100 | 1/160 sec at f / 5.6

© Stephanie Tuttle | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 22

© Stephanie Tuttle | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 18

© Stephanie Tuttle | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 18

© Steve Holtegaard | NIKON D300S | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 22

© Steve Holtegaard | NIKON D300S | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 22

© Steve Holtegaard | NIKON D300S | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 20

© Steve Kopp | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec at f / 22

© Steve Kopp | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec at f / 14

© Steve Mayka | Canon PowerShot G11 | 13.761mm | ISO 100 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© Steve Mayka | Canon PowerShot G11 | 13.761mm | ISO 100 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© Steve Mayka | Canon PowerShot G11 | 8.108mm | ISO 100 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© Susan Johnson | NEX-5 | 34mm | ISO 200 | 1/100 sec at f / 5.6

© Tim Neumann | NIKON D3X | 105mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 22

© Tim Neumann | NIKON D3X | 105mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 22

© Tim Neumann | NIKON D3X | 105mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 22

© Tom McDonald | NIKON D7000 | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/60 sec at f / 13

© William E Stohler | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 100mm | ISO 100 | 1/200 sec at f / 9

© William E Stohler | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 100mm | ISO 400 | 1/200 sec at f / 22

© William E Stohler | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 100mm | ISO 400 | 1/200 sec at f / 25

© Becky Briggs | NIKON D70 | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/200 sec at f / 6.3

© Becky Briggs | NIKON D70 | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/200 sec at f / 6.3

© Becky Briggs | NIKON D70 | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/200 sec at f / 5.6

© Bill Hunt | Canon EOS 7D | 50mm | ISO 800 | 1/100 sec at f / 8

© Bill Hunt | Canon EOS 7D | 50mm | ISO 400 | 1/60 sec at f / 11

© Bill Hunt | Canon EOS 7D | 50mm | ISO 800 | 1/60 sec at f / 5.6

© Boaz Meiri | Canon PowerShot G10 | 6.785mm | ISO 200 | 1/400 sec at f / 4

© Boaz Meiri | Canon PowerShot G10 | 7.407mm | ISO 80 | 1/250 sec at f / 5

© Boaz Meiri | Canon PowerShot G10 | 18.098mm | ISO 80 | 1/250 sec at f / 4

© Marcie Bilinski | Canon EOS 5D | 100mm | ISO 200 | 1/100 sec at f / 5.6

© Marcie Bilinski | Canon EOS 5D | 100mm | ISO 200 | 1/100 sec at f / 5.6

© Marcie Bilinski | Canon EOS 5D | 100mm | ISO 200 | 1/100 sec at f / 5.6

© MIranda Johnson | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 60mm | ISO 400 | 1/200 sec at f / 8

© MIranda Johnson | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 60mm | ISO 400 | 1/200 sec at f / 8

© MIranda Johnson | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 60mm | ISO 400 | 1/200 sec at f / 8

© Philip Seys | NIKON D700 | 105mm | ISO 250 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© Philip Seys | NIKON D700 | 105mm | ISO 250 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© Philip Seys | NIKON D700 | 105mm | ISO 250 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© Randy Johnson | DSLR-A700 | 50mm | ISO 200 | 1/200 sec at f / 5.6

© Randy Johnson | DSLR-A700 | 50mm | ISO 800 | 1/200 sec at f / 5.6

© Randy Johnson | DSLR-A700 | 50mm | ISO 800 | 1/200 sec at f / 5.6

© Steve Cheng | Canon PowerShot S95 | 22.5mm | ISO 400 | 1/250 sec at f / 7.1

© Steve Kopp | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 400 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© Steve Kopp | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 400 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© Steve Kopp | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 400 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© Tim Dimacchia | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 400 | 1/250 sec at f / 3.5

© Tim Dimacchia | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 400 | 1/250 sec at f / 3.5

© Tim Neumann | NIKON D3X | 105mm | ISO 400 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© Tim Neumann | NIKON D3X | 105mm | ISO 400 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© William E Stohler | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 100mm | ISO 800 | 1/200 sec at f / 6.3

© William E Stohler | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 100mm | ISO 800 | 1/200 sec at f / 5

© William E Stohler | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 100mm | ISO 800 | 1/200 sec at f / 5

© Bill Hunt | Canon EOS 7D | 50mm | ISO 100 | 1/200 sec at f / 22

© Bill Hunt | Canon EOS 7D | 100mm | ISO 160 | 1/125 sec at f / 22

© Boaz Meiri | Canon PowerShot G10 | 6.1mm | ISO 80 | 1/60 sec at f / 6.3

© Boaz Meiri | Canon PowerShot G10 | 8.898mm | ISO 80 | 1/250 sec at f / 5

© Boaz Meiri | Canon PowerShot G10 | 6.1mm | ISO 80 | 1/125 sec at f / 6.3

© Cayce Harburg | NIKON D90 | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/160 sec at f / 10

© Cayce Harburg | NIKON D90 | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/160 sec at f / 16

© Chris Bernhardt | | mm | ISO | sec at f /

© David Gordon | NIKON D7000 | 60mm | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec at f / 22

© David Gordon | NIKON D7000 | 17mm | ISO 200 | 1/60 sec at f / 5

© Jeff Honda | Canon EOS 7D | 10mm | ISO 320 | 1/100 sec at f / 10

© Jeff Honda | Canon EOS 7D | 10mm | ISO 200 | 1/50 sec at f / 9

© Jeff Honda | Canon EOS 7D | 10mm | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec at f / 16

© John Lum | Canon PowerShot S95 | 6mm | ISO 200 | 1/200 sec at f / 8

© John Lum | Canon PowerShot S95 | 6mm | ISO 200 | 1/640 sec at f / 8

© John Lum | Canon PowerShot S95 | 6mm | ISO 200 | 1/100 sec at f / 8

© Judy Bennett | NIKON D200 | 10mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 16

© Judy Bennett | NIKON D200 | 10mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 6.7

© Judy Bennett | NIKON D200 | 10mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 9.5

© Karoline Ligthart | Canon EOS 7D | 13mm | ISO 320 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© Karoline Ligthart | Canon EOS 7D | 10mm | ISO 400 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Karoline Ligthart | Canon EOS 7D | 10mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Kevin Ferrero | Canon EOS 5D Mark II | 33mm | ISO 160 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Kevin Ferrero | Canon EOS 5D Mark II | 15mm | ISO 320 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Kevin Ferrero | Canon EOS 5D Mark II | 15mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Kirsten Ballard | E-PL2 | 28mm | ISO 200 | 1/180 sec at f / 8

© Kirsten Ballard | E-PL2 | 28mm | ISO 200 | 1/180 sec at f / 8

© Kirsten Ballard | E-PL2 | 33mm | ISO 200 | 1/180 sec at f / 8

© Marcie Bilinski | Canon EOS 5D | 31mm | ISO 200 | 1/160 sec at f / 14

© Marcie Bilinski | Canon EOS 5D | 31mm | ISO 200 | 1/160 sec at f / 18

© Marcie Bilinski | Canon EOS 5D | 31mm | ISO 200 | 1/160 sec at f / 13

© Marilyn Dahle | Canon PowerShot G12 | 30.5mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Mike Huffman | NIKON D80 | 24mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Mike Huffman | NIKON D80 | 10mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Mike Huffman | NIKON D80 | 22mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Michael Light | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 10mm | ISO 400 | 1/200 sec at f / 8

© Michael Light | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 10mm | ISO 400 | 1/200 sec at f / 11

© Michael Light | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 10mm | ISO 200 | 1/200 sec at f / 6.3

© Miranda Johnson | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 60mm | ISO 100 | 1/60 sec at f / 9

© Miranda Johnson | NIKON D7000 | 18mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Miranda Johnson | NIKON D7000 | 18mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Peter A. Riekstins | NIKON D2X | 17mm | ISO 125 | 1/125 sec at f / 10

© Peter A. Riekstins | NIKON D2X | 11.5mm | ISO 200 | 1/160 sec at f / 7.1

© Peter A. Riekstins | NIKON D2Xs | 10mm | ISO 125 | 1/160 sec at f / 10

© Philip Seys | NIKON D700 | 15mm | ISO 200 | 1/50 sec at f / 13

© Philip Seys | NIKON D700 | 15mm | ISO 640 | 1/100 sec at f / 7.1

© Philip Seys | NIKON D700 | 15mm | ISO 250 | 1/80 sec at f / 9

© Phyllis Tyson | Canon EOS 5D Mark II | 20mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 16

© Randy Johnson | NEX-5 | 18mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 5.6

© Randy Johnson | DSLR-A700 | 16mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Randy Pysher | Canon EOS 7D | 17mm | ISO 400 | 1/125 sec at f / 16

© Reggie Henkart | E-PL1 | 9mm | ISO 200 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© Reggie Henkart | E-PL1 | 9mm | ISO 200 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© Reggie Henkart | E-PL1 | 16mm | ISO 200 | 1/60 sec at f / 4

© Shelly McGahee | NIKON D2X | 14mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 9

© Shelly McGahee | NIKON D2X | 12mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© Shelly McGahee | NIKON D2X | 24mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 16

© Steve Holtegaard | NIKON D300S | 10mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Steve Holtegaard | NIKON D300S | 13mm | ISO 200 | 1/160 sec at f / 8

© Steve Holtegaard | NIKON D300S | 17mm | ISO 200 | 1/160 sec at f / 8

© Steve Cheng | Canon PowerShot S95 | 22.5mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Steve Cheng | Canon PowerShot S95 | 6mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Steve Kopp | Canon EOS 7D | 17mm | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© Steve Kopp | Canon EOS 7D | 13mm | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© Steve Kopp | Canon EOS 7D | 60mm | ISO 100 | 1/200 sec at f / 13

© Steve Mayka | Canon PowerShot G11 | 18.098mm | ISO 80 | 1/60 sec at f / 4

© Steve Mayka | Canon PowerShot G11 | 15.673mm | ISO 100 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© Steve Mayka | Canon PowerShot G11 | 6.1mm | ISO 100 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© Sylvia Meraz | E-PL1 | 9mm | ISO 100 | 1/160 sec at f / 8

© Sylvia Meraz | E-PL1 | 9mm | ISO 100 | 1/160 sec at f / 8

© Sylvia Meraz | E-PL1 | 42mm | ISO 100 | 1/160 sec at f / 8

© Tim Dimacchia | Canon EOS 7D | 17mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© Tim Dimacchia | Canon EOS 7D | 17mm | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© Tim Dimacchia | Canon EOS 7D | 17mm | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© Tim Neumann | NIKON D3X | 14mm | ISO 400 | 1/125 sec at f / 11

© Tim Neumann | NIKON D3X | 14mm | ISO 400 | 1/250 sec at f / 14

© Tim Neumann | NIKON D3X | 19mm | ISO 800 | 1/125 sec at f / 9

© Tom White | NEX-5 | 16mm | ISO 200 | 1/80 sec at f / 8

© Tom McDonald | NIKON D7000 | 17mm | ISO 200 | 1/100 sec at f / 9

© William E Stohler | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 10mm | ISO 400 | 1/100 sec at f / 5.6

© William E Stohler | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 22mm | ISO 400 | 1/200 sec at f / 11

© William E Stohler | Canon EOS 5D Mark II | 17mm | ISO 160 | 1/250 sec at f / 7.1

© Becky Briggs | NIKON D70 | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 11

© Becky Briggs | NIKON D70 | 10mm | ISO 200 | 1/160 sec at f / 9

© Becky Briggs | NIKON D70 | 10mm | ISO 200 | 1/160 sec at f / 10

© Boaz Meiri | Canon PowerShot G10 | 6.1mm | ISO 400 | 1/200 sec at f / 4

© Boaz Meiri | Canon PowerShot G10 | 6.785mm | ISO 80 | 1/100 sec at f / 4.5

© Boaz Meiri | Canon PowerShot G10 | 6.1mm | ISO 80 | 1/250 sec at f / 5

© Cayce Harburg | NIKON D90 | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/160 sec at f / 11

© Cayce Harburg | NIKON D90 | 60mm | ISO 200 | 1/160 sec at f / 9

© Cayce Harburg | NIKON D90 | 14mm | ISO 200 | 1/160 sec at f / 11

© David Gordon | NIKON D7000 | 17mm | ISO 200 | 1/100 sec at f / 5

© David Gordon | NIKON D7000 | 17mm | ISO 200 | 1/60 sec at f / 5

© Harry Martin | | mm | ISO | sec at f /

© Harry Martin | | mm | ISO | sec at f /

© Harry Martin | | mm | ISO | sec at f /

© Jeff Honda | Canon EOS 7D | 13mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 14

© Jeff Honda | Canon EOS 7D | 10mm | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec at f / 9

© Jeff Honda | Canon EOS 7D | 5mm | ISO 320 | 1/250 sec at f / 10

© John Lum | Canon PowerShot S95 | 6mm | ISO 200 | 1/200 sec at f / 8

© John Lum | Canon PowerShot S95 | 6mm | ISO 200 | 1/640 sec at f / 8

© John Lum | Canon PowerShot S95 | 6mm | ISO 200 | 1/100 sec at f / 8

© Judy Bennett | NIKON D200 | 10mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 11

© Judy Bennett | NIKON D200 | 10mm | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec at f / 16

© Kevin Ferrero | Canon EOS 5D Mark II | 15mm | ISO 100 | 1/200 sec at f / 6.3

© Marcie Bilinski | Canon EOS 5D | 100mm | ISO 200 | 1/200 sec at f / 22

© Marcie Bilinski | Canon EOS 5D | 31mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 22

© Marcie Bilinski | Canon EOS 5D | 31mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 16

© Marilyn Dahle | Canon PowerShot G12 | 6.1mm | ISO 200 | 1/40 sec at f / 5.6

© Michael Light | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 10mm | ISO 400 | 1/200 sec at f / 8

© Michael Light | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 10mm | ISO 400 | 1/200 sec at f / 11

© Michael Light | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 10mm | ISO 200 | 1/200 sec at f / 6.3

© Peter A. Riekstins | NIKON D2X | 10mm | ISO 125 | 1/160 sec at f / 8

© Peter A. Riekstins | NIKON D2X | 14mm | ISO 125 | 1/160 sec at f / 8

© Philip Seys | NIKON D700 | 15mm | ISO 320 | 1/100 sec at f / 18

© Philip Seys | NIKON D700 | 15mm | ISO 320 | 1/80 sec at f / 11

© Philip Seys | NIKON D700 | 15mm | ISO 320 | 1/80 sec at f / 11

© Phyllis Tyson | Canon EOS 5D Mark II | 20mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 11

© Phyllis Tyson | Canon EOS 5D Mark II | 20mm | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec at f / 8

© Randy Johnson | NEX-5 | 18mm | ISO 200 | 1/80 sec at f / 4.5

© Reggie Henkart | E-PL1 | 18mm | ISO 200 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© Reggie Henkart | E-PL1 | 22mm | ISO 200 | 1/125 sec at f / 5.6

© Reggie Henkart | E-PL1 | 15mm | ISO 200 | 1/80 sec at f / 8

© Rick Levesque | Canon EOS 5D Mark II | 14mm | ISO 100 | 1/200 sec at f / 18

© Rick Levesque | Canon EOS 5D Mark II | 14mm | ISO 100 | 1/200 sec at f / 22

© Rick Levesque | Canon EOS 5D Mark II | 14mm | ISO 100 | 1/200 sec at f / 18

© Steve Holtegaard | NIKON D300S | 17mm | ISO 200 | 1/160 sec at f / 8

© Steve Kopp | Canon EOS 7D | 15mm | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec at f / 9

© Steve Mayka | Canon PowerShot G11 | 6.1mm | ISO 100 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© Steve Mayka | Canon PowerShot G11 | 9.784mm | ISO 100 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© Steve Mayka | Canon PowerShot G11 | 9.784mm | ISO 100 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© Susan Johnson | NEX-5 | 34mm | ISO 200 | 1/100 sec at f / 11

© Sylvia Meraz | E-PL1 | 9mm | ISO 400 | 1/160 sec at f / 8

© Tim Dimacchia | Canon EOS 7D | 17mm | ISO 400 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© Tim Dimacchia | Canon EOS 7D | 17mm | ISO 400 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© Tim Dimacchia | Canon EOS 7D | 17mm | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec at f / 8

© Tim Neumann | NIKON D3X | 105mm | ISO 400 | 1/200 sec at f / 22

© Tim Neumann | NIKON D3X | 24mm | ISO 400 | 1/250 sec at f / 13

© Tim Neumann | NIKON D3X | 20mm | ISO 800 | 1/160 sec at f / 9

© Tom McDonald | | mm | ISO | sec at f /

© Tom McDonald | NIKON D7000 | 17mm | ISO 125 | 1/60 sec at f / 8

© William E Stohler | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 10mm | ISO 100 | 1/200 sec at f / 5

© William E Stohler | Canon EOS REBEL T2i | 17mm | ISO 200 | 1/200 sec at f / 9

© William E Stohler | Canon EOS 5D Mark II | 27mm | ISO 100 | 1/200 sec at f / 10

© | | mm | ISO | sec at f /

STAFF THOUGHTS

Berkley White: Dive boat rotation today put me with dive guide extraordinare, Nello, who took us over to the secret baitball further north. It was magic! Initially, the baitball was in the shallows and made for very difficult exposures. Halfway through the dive, the ball moved out onto the reef and into nice blue water. I was shooting again with the Gates VL24 lights which I found to be invaluable. The bait ball would close up and black out the sun frequently, but with the lights running I could still get good images without adjusting exposure. Very fun dive! I really like the daylight balanced Gates LEDs as I can set white balance to the lights and still get a nice blue water background.

This afternoon I gave a brief seminar on shooting splits (over / under) images. After joking about us all polishing our domes, we jumped in the shallows as a group. Jen, Rusty, and Marissa were nice enough to be our models and many guests captured great images. What a fun classroom!

Back in the dry classroom, Erin gave a great Photoshop "Dirty Tricks" seminar and all other staff helped guests work on their photo and video contest entries. Fingers were flying in there!

Sterling Zumbrunn: Today was free of seminars and obligations, so everyone was encouraged to do whatever they felt like. I could see a lot of ambitious photographers trying to cram in as many dives as possible to get those last few images for the competition, which closes tomorrow at 9 am sharp.

Marissa was kind enough to loan out one of her Pegasus Thrusters to take out on the dives. These scooters are one of the coolest gadgets I had the opportunity to play with at the Shootout. As I primarily tend to shoot still photography, I’ve tended to shy away from using larger DPVs like the outstanding Dive-X Sierra. But the Pegaus Thrusters are a game changer. It’s a simple matter to strap one to your tank, and you barely even realize it’s there. In water, you can take five pounds off your weight belt. The Thruster has a simple trigger mechanism that keep your hands free, and you can steer by just leaning your shoulders. It’s a blast!

We took a set of scooters out to one of the local piers, and jumped in by where a bait ball had been spotted. Using the scooters, we drove the bait fish crazy, and pushed them out into deeper, bluer water. I had so much fun pretending I was a tarpon and slicing through the school, watching thousands of fish swim away from me in multiple directions. I think these scooters have great potential for all kinds of underwater imaging. I can’t wait to use one again!

Jennifer Penner: If you haven't been diving in Bonaire, what are you waiting for? It's the shore diving capital in the world for good reason. Year-round tropical climate, warm, clear waters with little to no current. Over sixty gently sloping dive sites, all clearly marked with yellow painted rocks. Boat diving is great as it gets you to the sites faster, and to the less accessible like those on Klein. But if you want some variety to your diving, you can rent a vehicle (almost always a pickup truck), grab some tanks (every resort has a drive through tank station) and go!

When we first arrived last week, we'd been given a tip about a shoal of bait fish north of the Divi Flamingo. On our first attempt to find it, our tourist sensibilities and lack of time prevented us from finding the mother lode. After more careful interrogation of the locals, we again got in the truck filled with tanks to find our Eureka!

Jim Decker: After going on the boats in the morning, we had a little in-field class session in the afternoon on how to do split images. These are ones that you see both top side and underwater in the same shot. The secret to these shots is taking hundreds of them at hi speed. The water line can move so much in a split second that it is strictly a law of averages before you get one that works. I used a Canon 7D for the splits with a Tokina 10-17.

Gear tested today
On the heels of testing the Panasonic LX-5 video mode, I tried the Canon G12 in video mode today. The custom white balance on the Canon G12 is spot on. That goes the same for all of the Canon cameras. The colors are just amazing. I shot all ambient light with a wide angle lens. If one was considering a compact camera with and was very interested in video capability, this camera would certainly do the trick.

Rusty Sanoian: We headed out to Klein Bonaire which is a small island offshore from the main. The first site we headed to had an amazing wall with some clean corals and clear water. Today I am shooting the Panasonic GH2 camera in the Nauticam housing, an Xit 404 tripod and Sola 1200’s with the hope of getting some super macro video.

I was shooting the Panasonic 45 lens with the Inon UCL-330 close up lens. The blenny stills I got a couple days before turned out good so I wanted to try and capture some video of the same subjects. There will be video examples at www.backscatter.com from the two dives of today showing some of the macro video I captured. I compared it with some Canon 5D MKII macro footage and it's very hard to tell any difference between the two. I think the GH2 gives sharper and better HD video than most competing SLRs.

The Canon 5D MKII is favoured for its extreme shallow-focus capability, but it suffers bad aliasing that produces interference patterns on fine textures. It is suggested that this is because the EOS5D (and other Canon SLRs) do not have the processing capability to properly downsample from the high resolution sensor, and instead just use every third pixel. The GH2 on the other hand appears to downsample without significant aliasing, giving it a special place in the world of video and film making.

The new Xit 404 tripod legs are amazing! This was my first chance to try the new twist/clamp mechanism that allows you to tighten the clamp by spinning the entire leg clockwise. This makes adjustments much easier than a traditional Ultralight style clamp that has to be overtightened and when an adjustment is needed can cause you to move the entire rig changing the lighting and focus you just setup. When paired with the Xit 404 tripod plate, it’s the best underwater tripod I have ever used.

Erin Quigley: Reality is finally sinking in, as everyone realized that today was the last day of shooting for the contest. Some of the images I saw from DSO-ers were off-the-hook. Really varied, too. Everything from super macro shots of teensy sexy shrimp to wide angle action video of tarpon feeding on a huge school of baitfish. Dang! I'm impressed at how far people have come with their shooting and editing skills in just a few days. Now begins the scramble to select and submit the best shots for the Shootout competition. Judging is going to be tough!

Image Prep

Jean Bruneau: We did Klein Bonaire again today, and since we rotate boats, I actually did the same site. It’s a great Macro site... if you are setup for macro. As it happened, I had the Tokina 10-17 + 1.4x on my D300s, but hey I made it work. That is what counts in the end... got me another beautiful shot of a lavender coloured sponge. (They will call me sponge Bob, by the end of the week !!!)

One thing that amazes me as a technical support specialist is the lack of preparation from certain individuals. It runs the gamut from missing handle bolts, untested zoom gear, missing screws on gears, missing AA chargers. Little glitches to big ones, all things that could have been avoided. Have a check-list and complete test dives to make sure that everything is smoothly running before boarding a plane to end up a couple of thousand miles from home.

So folks, put your gear together and take it out on a dive before you bring it to such an important trip. If something is not up to speed, then it will be simpler to resolve before a trip than during. Once satisfied everything is in good order, take it apart and keep it together, housing stuff with housing stuff, strobe stuff with, you guessed it, strobe stuff, etc. Make it a habit, you will be happier for it!

Chris Parsons: Wow. Incredible. Amazing. No wait.. wrong set of adjectives. Let me try this... Groovy. Trippy. Cool. [google more funny 60's adjectives]

I finally got my chance to do a night dive with the fluorescence gear from my new friends at NightSea. Try to imagine diving the reef lit up by a black light, with coral heads glowing in wild green, yellow, orange and red neon colors. Did I mention amazing? Being a staff person, I didn't want to keep any guests who wanted to try it from doing so, so I go geared up to get in the water after they were done. My buddy and roommate, Sterling, had done this the night before and it worked well. Sterling is obviously as hooked on this as I am and was back for more tonight. Three and a half hours and two tanks later I surfaced from this crazy dive with a huge grin on my face. I also happened to surface in the middle of a wild little thunderstorm which made it all the more surrealistic. Oh, and it was also 2 o'clock in the morning, and I had to wake up at 6:30 that day. No problem!

The physics geek in me really likes to hear Charlie from NightSea talk about the technology they employ to make this fluorescence experience work. He can certainly explain it better than me, but in a nutshell, they use a bright light source in a narrow frequency band (the color blue) to excite the molecules in a particular protein that only some of the creatures have in their tissue. Being excited in physics is different from being excited in other contexts - what it means is that those molecules give off light, and so we see the glow in those particular colors. The really clever part comes next - we don't want to see all of that blue light because it is brighter than the fluorescent glow, so NightSea uses a complimentary filter (yellow in this case) to remove the blue light, leaving only the glow.

So to make this work, we modify the lights we use (strobes, video lights, spotting lights) to produce the correct blue light, and then we put a yellow filter over our camera lens and our eyes. I was shooting my 7D with a Canon EF-S 60mm macro lens behind the Nauticam Macro Port. This port has a 67mm thread on the front, so attaching NightSea's filter was simple. I've included a couple of shots here, and will have more shots plus some video posted soon on my own website.

Marissa Wiganowske: The Thrusters managed to find themselves a home on the boat that had a mission for the bait ball. At times, it was hard to tell who was ahead of who amongst the fish but it allowed for more shots and better angles. Just another site where Thrusters prove themselves useful and popular. On the second dive, numerous divers had the itch to get a feel for the Pegasus. I mounted straps and bases to various tanks, and while I was under water was able to switch the Thruster from tank to tank so everyone could have a dabble with it. Needless to say, many didn’t want to let it go. The afternoon was spent assisting with split shots in the shallows, a little tricky keeping the Thruster underwater for all the shots but we made do...

Charlie Mazel & Ross Kniffin: It’s been more of the same, but in this case that’s a GOOD thing. Shootout participants and staff alike keep showing up to experience and photograph fluorescence. Randy and Sue Johnson were repeat visitors already, he shooting stills and she video, and this time their daughter Miranda joined them. She was only certified recently and this was her FIRST night dive. Doing a first night dive and taking photos of any kind, much less fluorescence photos that mean working in the dark, is a challenge, but she did a great job and came back happy.

Some more shots of fluorescence here, and also a shot of lots of blue light in the water. We hope that some day when planes land on Bonaire at night they’ll see the west side of the island ringed in blue from all the fluorescence divers!

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