Underwater Tips Needed!

[Daylon]

Okay, so I'm going on my first serious trip in January. 10 days in the Turks and Caicos shooting humpback whales on migration.

SO, I've got a rented d70, ikelite, 100 strobe, and a 18-70mm lens for the week. Bringing a few extra CF cards (I shoot raw) and a 105mm macro lens.

Any suggestions? TIps?

I figure if I see big stuff, the 18-70 should be fine, in between dives, the 105 should be perfect...


Comments?

Daylon

[jamesw]

Hi Daylon,

The 18-70 will not be wide enough for whales - or even divers. You need to get VERY close to get good shots underwater.

I recommend the Tokina 10-17 fisheye zoom. It will be perfect for this trip.

You'll need a dome port for the fisheye and a flat port for the 105mm.

Good luck,
James

[justin-branam]

ditto what James said. also for stuff that large, a strobe may not offer you much (except backscatter), so be familiar with setting the manual white balance or maybe use a red filter.

[austinh2o]

yep, strobe may also piss whale off and cause them to sound. The other tip from a student of mine was not to get to close to the tail because basically you'll get a smack you do not want :-)

[Daylon]

Strobes cause them to sound?!? Yikes.. my basic approach / hope / dream was the following:

1) Don't get between a calf and a parent
2) I hope a whale doesn't take a strong disliking of me
3) I hope a whale doesn't take a strong LIKING of me..

Either way, it's like interacting with something akin to a schoolbus I imagine...

D.

Originally Posted by austinh2o

yep, strobe may also piss whale off and cause them to sound. The other tip from a student of mine was not to get to close to the tail because basically you'll get a smack you do not want :-)