Digital Shootout Day Five

Katy Danca Galli

I have completely lost all track of time here, which is easy to do when you’re surrounded by gorgeous vistas, great food and an awesome dive staff waiting on you hand and foot. I could get used to this kind of treatment, that’s for sure. Today’s diving was an interesting mix of stunning walls and low-lying reef with some of the most uncooperative fish I’ve ever encountered. I followed around a puffer fish for half of my first dive and was embarrassingly unsuccessful in getting any images of the darn thing. I could almost hear it mocking me as it swam around in circles repeatedly while I kicked around like a half-drunk turkey. However, following the puffer led me to a very cooperative trumpet fish that had no fear of me or my giant camera. The wall diving at the Nancy’s Cup of Tea site was definitely my favorite of the day, and my Belgium buddy modeled for me like a pro. Although diving with a buddy while photographing underwater can be extremely tricky (again, multitasking is not one of my strong suits), they can come in handy as a model to add depth and interest to your images. Make sure to tell your buddy/model to watch their form, (i.e. no splayed legs or flapping arms), and have some kind of hand signals in place that you both understand and can use when you are ready for them. After a quicky nap and some editing, I was off for yet another dive at dusk — and WOW! I have never seen that many fish in one place! The colors of the reef really shine at night, and this was no exception. Parrotfish, squid and even a shark came out to feed and, uh, find a mate. Awkward…. Come back tomorrow for coverage of my last day at the Digital Shootout.