Seeing the Strobe Light: Backscatter Digital Shootout Day 3
Digital Shootout Day Three
Katy Danca Galli
Today, our captain took us surfing on a 46 ft. surfboard. I’ll explain: after some lovely reef diving at the Meadows and Mixing Bowl sites, our ride back was a little bumpy (that’s an understatement), so in order to make it back to land unscathed, Captain Ben employed a pretty tricky technique — he rode a wave all the way back to the dock. Great dives PLUS boat surfing. They sure know how to treat a photo editor right!
During the first dive, I followed my buddy from Belguim, Michael Maes, over a ridge and onto a colossal wall with the biggest sponges I’ve ever seen. During Monday's seminar on strobe positioning, Berkley White talked about shooting vertically and using one strobe to light your subject. I thought I would give it a try, and it worked! It’s amazing what one little strobe can accomplish when placed properly.
On my second dive of the day, I followed a pair of filefish around for a bit and was taken completely off guard by a family of Caribbean reef squid during my safety stop. I was so stunned, that by the time I got my camera in place, they were gone. (Expletive deleted) Note to self: PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR SURROUNDINGS. Good words to live by. Another pleasant surprise I had today was the chance to sit down with the king of cephalopod camouflage, Dr. Roger Hanlon. After five minutes with him, I am now positive that octopus are the coolest critters in the sea. That’s it for now; check in tomorrow to see if I find one.
Katy Danca Galli
Today, our captain took us surfing on a 46 ft. surfboard. I’ll explain: after some lovely reef diving at the Meadows and Mixing Bowl sites, our ride back was a little bumpy (that’s an understatement), so in order to make it back to land unscathed, Captain Ben employed a pretty tricky technique — he rode a wave all the way back to the dock. Great dives PLUS boat surfing. They sure know how to treat a photo editor right!
During the first dive, I followed my buddy from Belguim, Michael Maes, over a ridge and onto a colossal wall with the biggest sponges I’ve ever seen. During Monday's seminar on strobe positioning, Berkley White talked about shooting vertically and using one strobe to light your subject. I thought I would give it a try, and it worked! It’s amazing what one little strobe can accomplish when placed properly.
On my second dive of the day, I followed a pair of filefish around for a bit and was taken completely off guard by a family of Caribbean reef squid during my safety stop. I was so stunned, that by the time I got my camera in place, they were gone. (Expletive deleted) Note to self: PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR SURROUNDINGS. Good words to live by. Another pleasant surprise I had today was the chance to sit down with the king of cephalopod camouflage, Dr. Roger Hanlon. After five minutes with him, I am now positive that octopus are the coolest critters in the sea. That’s it for now; check in tomorrow to see if I find one.
