MARIA MUNN'S COLUMN: The importance of lighting

Hope that you all had a compactastic Halloween and very many thanks to everyone who popped past to see me at the Dive Show or those who I bumped into in the PADI Village, it was super inspiring to meet so many guests interested in making magic happen with their compact cameras!

The past year in the dive industry really has been the year of the video light. Seemingly out of nowhere all kinds of lights have been made for cameras, built-in video lights on flashguns, small focusing lights or dedicated stand-alone video lights to capture the underwater magic of both stills and video. The only problem you may have is deciding which one to go for! You could also simply use your trusted torch which will do a great job too!

Slipper lobster

Lights are great for putting those elusive macro critters hiding in nookies and crannies in the spotlight. The only problem you may have is that the more timid subjects may choose to look the other way when bathed in a torch beam. Fish’s tails don’t always look as attractive as their faces! Focusing lights and torches can be used for both still photography as well as video. Some lights have the ability to adjust the intensity which is handy to avoid overexposing your subject and leaving you with a white blob in the photo. If you are using a torch or light, don’t forget to take your camera off any custom white balance setting, otherwise you will end up with super pink pictures! Photography is an art, and sometimes a pinker look can work with some subjects, so keep experimenting!

This summer I finally had a chance to play with two different video light systems. Sealife has a great video light doubling as a photo light which comes in their Elite set-up and is very useful for beginners who are looking to take beautiful underwater photographs without having to change many settings. Light & Motion were the leaders last year in innovating small underwater video lights which easily attach to arm systems. I even used mine while walking my dog in the dark. They all come with three different light intensities giving a very powerful beam of light when needed and the Solar 600 also has infra-red capabilities. This is a really useful to not disturb shy subjects, particularly mandarinfish on dusk dives. While on a trip this summer to Lembeh, the curious thing was that by using the infra-red while following a cute little slipper lobster, Mr Slipper became extremely curious and eyed-up my camera as you can see in the picture above. The same thing happened when photographing a snake eel shortly afterwards; this time completely freezing in its tracks and staying completely still until I turned it back to white light. If you know why this could be, please get in touch, I’ve been asking around and no light has been shed on the matter - no pun intentended, I promise!

Snake eel

Finally, torches or video lights can also add a real creative effect to underwater photographs during the day, almost giving them a spooky moonlike effect. Simply using your buddy’s video light in the background behind your subject and adjusting either your camera’s shutter speed or reducing your exposure compensation tool will darken your background, turning the light into a moonburst. The cuttlefish shown here was really tame and my good friend Clement Lee, the owner of Borneo Divers, was photographing a different subject using his video light behind it. You can also position them to side light or backlight your subject, a particularly nice effect on leaf fish to give it an eerie feel - quite appropriate for this time of year!

Hope that this helps to give you some ideas for experimenting and as always I look forward to hearing how you get on. I’m just finishing turning my book into a DVD filmed by Scubazoo in Malaysia, which will be ready at the end of November, so if you are looking for a special gift for your compact camera’s Christmas stocking, just get in touch.

Have a lovely week,

Maria

Maria runs very popular one day courses to help you improve your underwater photography with your compact as well as at your own dive club. She will be launching a brand new DVD at the Dive Show dedicated to helping you develop your own skills which has been shot by Scubazoo. She also runs courses around the country in her brand new VW Camper "Photobus." Visit www.oceanvisions.co.uk for more information or just drop her a line if you need any help or advice.

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