MARIA MUNN'S COLUMN: Capturing those elusive critters

However much of a passion I’ve always had for wide-angle photography, I have to admit that recently some serious macro magic has been waved upon me. There really is something to be said for underwater photography beginners concentrating on macro subjects. All manner of creatures that can be overlooked when first starting out in diving can all of a sudden seem more fascinating. Shrimps living in anemones, tiny gobies hiding on whip corals, juvenile fish taking refuge in coral gardens all make fascinating subjects for both the beginner and the more advanced photographer to practice on. For starters, neither crystal clear visibility, nor sunshine is so important to grab those shots of tompot blennies hiding in crevices, and anyone with even just a camera in a housing is guaranteed fabulous shots just by using the macro mode, built-in flash and a low ISO. Always practice on a subject at home on land first to make sure that you know your correct focusing distance for macro subjects so that when that elusive blenny pops out of a hole, you are guaranteed a beautiful sharply focused shot.

Harlequin Shrimp

To capture shyer subjects or to add extra definition to smaller sized critters, add-on macro lenses are essential and also help to control lighting subjects with a strobe. Most dedicated underwater camera manufacturers make their own macro lenses which simply fit on the front of your camera set-up such as Sealife and Sea & Sea. Other dedicated suppliers such as INON or Dyron make lenses which can either be attached via a screw-thread system to your housing, or by using an adaptor. Just be careful when taking off the lens underwater that you don’t accidentally lose it. A lens caddy system is an essential piece of kit to keep those lenses safe underwater and is attached to either the underside of the camera unit in the case of those with Sealife systems or on an additional arm with all of the others.

When using these lenses, for best results and greater sharpness to your subject, always choose the camera’s maximum aperture, which is f8 on most compacts. Some of the more advanced compacts such as Sea & Sea’s D-2G have a maximum aperture of f9.1. If you would like to create a little blur around the centre of your subject choose a slightly wider aperture such as f5.6 or f6.3 for creative effects.

INON’s lenses can also be stacked to enhance magnification. Sometimes tricky to master, for those of you in pursuit of the minutest crinoids, then the patience and effort will be well worth it. Guess what part of my underwater photography skills I’m practicing on this week!

Reading up on macro subjects and talking to your local guides before planning an underwater photography dive will help immensely to master your dream shot, as will also learning about their behaviours, areas where they like to live and fellow subjects which they seek to snack on!

Recently my diving has taken on a new dimension watching blennies pop in and out of their burrows, harlequin shrimps munching on starfish or ghostpipefish playing hide and seek. Quite the opposite of the big-animal action that has been at the core of my underwater passion for over 10 years.

Black Ornate Ghost Pipefsh

I finally made it to Falmouth recently. It was an amazing day of diving with Patryck and Peter from Cornish Diving College and reminded me that the UK really offers a huge variety of shallow sites to practice your skills. More will be coming on this adventure next time. Patrick Shier’s recently published book “UK Dive Guide” offers a wealth of ideas on where to go, so do go and grab a copy for some inspiration.

Have a lovely week and as always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Happy macro shooting!

Maria

For more information on compact cameras and techniques, don’t forget to grab a copy of Maria’s award-winning book “Underwater Photography for Compact Camera Users”, join her on one of her free demo days in London and Leeds, or treat your compact to a fabulous day of learning in a fun and relaxed style in tropical 32 degree indoor pools. Visit www.oceanvisions.co.uk for more information.

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