Shooting in Underwater World Sentosa

[Deming86]

Hi!

Been asked to help take photos at the underwater world. There will be some diving involved but I wouldn't be able or willing to buy underwater casings to go diving with them :sweat:, so I got some questions that I hope fellow CS-ers may help with:

1. Is flash photography allowed in the Aquarium (The glass tube + travellator)
2. Would bounce flash be useful in the cylinder shaped glass tube?
3. Would CPL be useful in cutting out reflections when shooting the fishes from the tube?

Thanks in advance!

Selamat Hari Raya Aldifiltri to our Malay friends!

 

[zac08]

Hi!

Been asked to help take photos at the underwater world. There will be some diving involved but I wouldn't be able or willing to buy underwater casings to go diving with them :sweat:, so I got some questions that I hope fellow CS-ers may help with:

1. Is flash photography allowed in the Aquarium (The glass tube + travellator)
2. Would bounce flash be useful in the cylinder shaped glass tube?
3. Would CPL be useful in cutting out reflections when shooting the fishes from the tube?

Thanks in advance!

Selamat Hari Raya Aldifiltri to our Malay friends!

The flash would not be able to reach in to the fishes. So shoot with a higher ISO and a steady hand.

Don't bother with the CP-L (it'll cut away valuable exposure, about 1 to 2 stops) and go perpendicular to the glass.

 

[antacid]

i shot there for a friend before. from that experience i would say "don't waste your time"

its really dim, so you have to push to ISO 1600 or higher to shoot without flash. what really irked me was that the acrylic or glass of the aquarium tube was curved and gave all sorts of weird distortions. it is also full of scratches and optically very poor, so your photos will come out blurry and lack definition.

 

[catchlights]

Hi!

Been asked to help take photos at the underwater world. There will be some diving involved but I wouldn't be able or willing to buy underwater casings to go diving with them :sweat:, so I got some questions that I hope fellow CS-ers may help with:

1. Is flash photography allowed in the Aquarium (The glass tube + travellator)
2. Would bounce flash be useful in the cylinder shaped glass tube?
3. Would CPL be useful in cutting out reflections when shooting the fishes from the tube?

Thanks in advance!

Selamat Hari Raya Aldifiltri to our Malay friends!

at first I thought underwater wourld engage you for the shoot and you are asking such questions here........ :what:

anyway..
#1, whatever areas your flash pointing at, your camera aim at, sure you will still see a reflection of your flash.
#2, read #1.
#3, this area is alread very dim, why want to waste two more stops of light, and CPL won't work here also.

 

[Dream Merchant]

I would classify this as a technical shoot, and usually, technical shoots are among the most difficult. Some of the thoughts that immediately come to mind are:

1) Are you a diver and do you have underwater photography experience?

2) Is rental of specialised equipment possible?

3) What standard of photography is required?

4) General photo of the fish, or shoot specific species?

5) What is the Art Direction/end usage of the photos?

6) How much budget/organisational support do you have?

I've heard of photographers who use several very large light banks (up to 10,000 w/s) to light up a large area of aquatic life from above, and frankly, if you study the way hard-core aquatic hobbyist photograph fish in captivity, it may be that that's one way of doing it - to light from above, and shoot right up against a clear section of the tube. You would need both a stable rig for the lights and your shooting platform. Exact angles you would have to plan carefully and test.

At any rate, it sounds like a fun, and demanding challenge that I would love to take on if given the budget, opportunity (and support).

All the best for your planning and execution!

 

[Deming86]

yeaps I know about the step down of light if I use CPL filters, I guess a combination of flash and CPL wouldn't work out in this case hmm... Thanks for the advice zac08, antacid and catchlights! Dream Merchant: haha yup it sounded like a demanding request but he's a good friend of me, so I actually told him in advance that I aint sure what the results would be, nonetheless I offered to help as no matter how bad my photos may turn out, its better quality than a PnS (i hope) hahaa... So budget wise, its a big no-no, but I'll still give it a shot for friendship =] Nothing professional or expert standard of photography sought out here, I just hope to take memorable photos for him to keep (using my basic set up) =] maybe if i find some soft spot in the underwater world to shoot, i shall share with CS-ers here again! *Cross Fingers*

Thanks everyone! =D

 

[tjhan]

Deming, rent a underwater PnS and jump in man!

 

[Deming86]

haha i would if my fren pays the $100 for me to jump in too! HAHAA!

 

[La Fontaine]

I have tried before.

This is what I did. Use a wide angle lens. With the hood on, put the lens against the glass/acrylic and fire your ext flash direct. I use a piece of towel to cover the lens to prevent the flash from causing flare.

Shutter speed - I used 1/250s to try to freeze the motion - all the fish swim and move, so the cause of unsharpness.

 

[Deming86]

Heys La Fontaine!

Hmmm interesting suggestion there, but I don't quite get the "use a piece of towel to cover the lens to prevent the flash from causing flare" part. Care to explain or probably include pictures of the set up and the pictures obtained from your set up? Thanks alot for your time and sharing!

 

[kuanwk]

haha i would if my fren pays the $100 for me to jump in too! HAHAA!

wats a hundred bucks betw friends? 8P

 

[tjhan]

I'm guessing he placed his lens straight onto the glass, and since it's a wide angle, the hood is petal shaped so light can leak through. So the towel covers the petal hood.

 

[Majest1c]

IMO .... i think it would be better for u to get a G9 with a casing and plunge in
than shooting with a DSLR inside the tube....

flash is out .... the glass is reflective isnt it? most likly the pic wont be nice...


the best angle and best shots are still in the water...
if can.. get your frenz in the water and carry another underwater touchlight lor.... hahaha

 

[Deming86]

hahaa underwater strobes! cool~~~ =P

 

[La Fontaine]

I'm guessing he placed his lens straight onto the glass, and since it's a wide angle, the hood is petal shaped so light can leak through. So the towel covers the petal hood.

Thanks bro tjhan for explaining what I failed to put it across.

 

[airforce1]

The lighting has changed. It is now brighter in the tunnel areas. Recommended shoot Iso 400 at F4 and f5.6. Try to use wide angle when shooting outside the tunnels. Best way is to check and meter the areas as certain ares is photography hotspots areas. The areas with enought lihght to get nice photos.

 

[Dream Merchant]

hahaa underwater strobes! cool~~~ =P

:think::dunno::dunno:

 

[Deming86]

The lighting has changed. It is now brighter in the tunnel areas. Recommended shoot Iso 400 at F4 and f5.6. Try to use wide angle when shooting outside the tunnels. Best way is to check and meter the areas as certain ares is photography hotspots areas. The areas with enought lihght to get nice photos.

Noted with thanks! :thumbsup: