Many customers love the Thinktank rolling bags for travel, but how do you pick the right one?

With a variety of options, its best to look at the size and features of each bag to help you determine what you need. Check out the three top Rolling Bags below and a sample packing configuration to help you decide which will be the best for your camera set up!

Why we love the Thinktank Bags

These bags don’t look like a heavy camera bag from the outside. They could easily be seen as a standard carry-on piece of luggage, meaning there’s a chance you may sneak through without being weighed in some locations. In addition, they are well padded and come with removable divider inserts, allowing you to pack exactly as you need for your camera set up. Special pockets for laptops and accessories make these bags great as an all in one carry-on.

Rolling Bag Line Up

Thinktank Airport International – This is the go to bag for many of our customers. It is designed to meet international carry on requirements, making it a no brainer for all dive travel. In addition it offers a large interior, capable of holding a DSLR system. The bag now features a dedicate laptop / tablet pocket and user replaceable parts (like wheels, should you have an issue). This is Scott Gietler’s bag of choice!

BUY THIS BAG!

In this bag:

• Sea & Sea D810 Housing (with D810 camera body inside)
• Zen Mini Dome
• Dual YS-D2 Strobes
• Sola 800 Photo Light
• Nikon 16-35mm F4 Lens
• Nikon 60mm Macro lens
• (arms & clamps packed in separate, checked baggage)

Thinktank Roller Derby – This bag is very similar in size to the International version (now that the International offers a laptop pocket!), but comes with 4 wheels instead of two. Four wheels make for a smoother, lighter push with more maneuverability. In addition, its easy to stack a lightweight backpack or shoulder bag on top for less fatigue when moving through the airport. The four wheel design does mean a little loss of space inside the bag, but it is still fairly large! This bag will easily fit a full mirrorless system, and can fit most of a DSLR system too. Kelli Dickinson loves this bag!

BUY THIS BAG!

In this bag:

• Nauticam OM-D E-M1 Housing* (with Olympus OM-D E-M1 camera body inside)
• Olympus 7-14mm PRO Lens
• Olympus 8mm Pro Fisheye Lens
• Olympus 75-300mm Telephoto Lens
• Nauticam 7″ dome port with adapter and zoom gear
• Nauticam 4″ Dome port and extension ring
• Dual YS-D1 Strobes
• Dual Sola 2000 Video Lights
• GoPro with Red Filters
• Backup hard drive, batteries, chargers, spare O-rings, grease and other accessories in zippered pockets
• Some arms / clamps pack in this bag, the rest packed in checked luggage.

*The handles were removed from the housing to make packing easier and packed separately.

Thinktank Airport Takeoff – this is one of the latest bags from Thinktank. The cool thing about this bag, is that it is convertible! This two wheeled, rolling bag turns into a backpack, with comfortable padded straps, when you need it! Slim and designed for traveling it meets most international airline requirements, has a laptop/tablet pocket and a customizable interior like all Thinktank bags. It is comparable in size to the Airport International Roller.

BUY THIS BAG!

In this bag:

• Nauticam A6500 Housing (camera body can be stored inside housing)
• Nauticam Battery Pack for A6500
• Nauticam Macro Port 45 and Zoom Gear for 16-50mm Lens
• Dual YS-D2 Strobes
• Venom 38 Video light with spare battery
• Spare camera battery, o-rings, 2 x 5″ arms, 2 x 8″ arms with Six Floats and more accessories too!
• Note – this customer even slid the Cinebags Work Mat into the front pocket!

Comparison of three Thinktank bags, packed for a trip to Galapagos! (Airport Security*, Airport International & Roller Derby)

*At this time we don’t stock the Airport Security as it is too large for many international destinations, however it can easily be special ordered, just give us a call!

The post ThinkTank Rolling Bags Comparison first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

In January I had a chance to take the new Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera  and PT-EP14 housing out for a spin while on vacation in Iceland. We were diving Silfra, famed for its extremely clear water. This dive falls on many must do lists, and I would highly recommend it, just not in the dead of winter! It was about 17° Fahrenheit (-8° Celsius) outside, making the 40°F (5° C) feel really inviting! If interested, definitely hit it up during summer, when the warmer air makes getting into and out of your drysuit easier, and the long summer sunlight will add to your photo taking experience!

The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II however performed admirably! Even with the low light conditions of winter, the quality from shooting at a higher ISO is not noticeable, and the image stabilization for shooting at a slower shutter speed worked well. I was impressed with the Olympus housing in particular. It was comfortable and easy to use. Controls were placed where they were easy to access and the housing offered full camera control. The locking bayonet ring to attach the ports is so much nicer than the old push and turn style of the PEN housings, making port changes a breeze. All in all the camera was laid out well and the housing matched that.

With a full line of lens options to choose from and even a new dedicated macro port for the 60mm, the Olympus housing is a great option for someone looking to get shooting on the new E-M1 Mark II, but not ready for the expense of the higher end aluminum housings like Nauticam and Aquatica.

Here are a few sample images from the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II from Silfra!

A diver cruises through the chasm between two tectonic plates (ISO 800, F5, 1/80)

A silhouetted diver floating in the channel. (ISO 250, F5.6, 1/500, no strobes)

Carefully a diver fins across the shallow sandy lagoon. (ISO 250, F5.6, 1/500, no strobes)

Entering the shallow lagoon area. (ISO 250, F5.6, 1/500, no strobes)

Get the Gear!

• Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Camera
• Olympus 8mm Fisheye Pro Lens
• Olympus PT-EP14 Underwater Housing
• Olympus PPO-EP02 Dome Port
• Ultralight Control Systems Tray, Arms and Clamps
• Dual Sea & Sea YS-D2 Strobes

Contact us at sales@bluewaterphotostore.com with any questions or to get a full OM-D E-M1 Mark II quote!

The post Diving Silfra with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Diving in the Galapagos isn’t for the faint of heart. From the heart pounding surge and currents at Wolf and Darwin, to the chilly waters around the main islands, like Isabela, the Galapagos can really test a diver’s skill. Knowing that I was headed for the adventure of a lifetime, and what could be my most challenging diving to date, I wanted to make sure I had the right tools for the job.

Aquatica housings, engineered and designed in Canada, are well known for standing up to harsh ocean conditions. This trip was the perfect chance to test out the new Aquatica A7R II underwater housing.

Right from the start, the Galapagos provided wondrous marine and terrestrial life. As we waited for the panga to take us to the boat, the group watched pelicans diving for small fish off nearby rocks while sea lions and marine iguanas soaked in the sunlight. Aboard the Galapagos Master Deep Blue, we were briefed on the many regulations of this national park, as well as given a glimpse of the excitement to come. After a quick checkout dive and dinner, it was time to start prepping gear, and the Aquatica housing proved easy to assemble after having been fully dismantled for traveling.

In order to pack as much as possible in a small carryon, I had removed the sturdy molded handles, which came off easily by removing one large bolt. Reassembly was a cinch, and setting up the ports took no time at all. The housing uses a standard bayonet mount, so a little muscle was needed to lock the ports in place, however, they include a textured section on all extension rings making it easier to grip the otherwise smooth aluminum finish. If you need a bit more leverage, make sure to throw a strap wrench in your bag.

Male Frigate bird in mating display.

Land Iguana chomps down on a cactus for lunch.

The first full day on the trip we explored a small island called North Seymour, watching Boobies, Frigate Birds and Marine Iguanas wander around the desert landscape. Afterwards we dove off the a small sand bar called Mosquera in chilly waters with light current. From there it was a long overnight motor to the prime destinations of the trip: Darwin’s Arch and Wolf Island. These sights promised hammerheads and other large sightings, including the hope of a whale shark or two now that it was the end of June. Prior to the trip I had been warned about the conditions. Often beset by strong currents with the possibility of rough surface conditions, diving here was not expected to be easy. As it turned out, rough was an understatement, and if not prepared, the dives at Darwin could easily have been disastrous.

We hopped into the pangas as quickly as possible for what felt like a long, slow ride over to the arch. Choppy seas tossed the little boat around, with waves breaking over the bow a few times until we pulled up as close to the arch as we could get. A negative entry was key, back rolling off the panga and continuing straight down to grab onto the rocks below. Once again I wa glad to have the Aquatica housing. These housings are designed and tested with rough, cold water in mind and have been known to endure challenging ocean conditions. This sturdy construction paired with the Surveyor Vacuum Sensor System assured me that my housing had and would maintain a proper o-ring seal, even when rolling off the panga with me versus being gently handed down after I hit the water. I had no issues with the seal on the trip, and the housing continued to perform well with each dive. The security of using a vacuum check system, especially when plunging off a panga to catch dolphins swimming by, or constantly opening and closing the housing to change the ever dying Sony battery is priceless.

Another great benefit to having the Aquatica housing on this trip was the ability to customize and use the control dial on the back of the camera. Aquatica is the only manufacturer who included the dial control on their housing. There are many options you can choose to assign to this button, but I chose ISO control. What this meant is that I now had immediate control of my ISO through the rear control dial, just like changing aperture or shutter speed from the other two dials. Any other method of changing ISO involves clicking a button, scrolling over to the desired ISO and then hitting OK. While not too involved it does add time. When you’re swimming as fast as you can after a whale shark, being able to adjust all key settings on the fly, including ISO, can make or break getting the shot. This feature is also extremely useful when shooting video.

Upcoming Galapagos Trips with Scott Gietler

• Join our April 2017 Galapagos Trip
• Join our Jan or May 2018 Galapagos Trip

Huge, pregnant female whale sharks come to Darwin in June

Hammerheads cruise by the rocky reef.

After the rough seas of Darwin, the calmer water around Wolf was a blessing. There was still plenty of surge, and chance of current, so I continued to back roll with the camera, confident in the housing’s construction. We found sanctuary at the site Shark Bay, where hundreds of hammerheads swam in front of our waiting cameras. Like watching a movie, they just kept swimming back and forth in the depths that stretched before us. In addition we did one dive with the macro lens, looking for the odd little Red Lipped Batfish. Having pre-programed my Sony to split out the autofocus, the Aquatica housing made it easy to focus using the Custom 1 button. This allowed me to keep focus locked and shoot several shots quickly and accurately.

If you stay still and find the right spot, the hammerheads will even swim right over you!

Curious Fur Seals frolic in the shallows of Shark Bay.

The rest of the trip continued smoothly as we explored the calmer, yet colder waters off the main group of Islands. I had the housing set up with Electronic Sync Cables, which worked fine, however I would highly recommend opting for the internal flash trigger and fiber optic cables with this housing. It means one less o-ring to manage, and makes for much easier changes if you want to remove the strobes and add video lights, or take just the housing down for ambient light shots while snorkeling.

The frigid waters off Isabela brought us up close and personal with large mola mola, and offered us beautiful sea fans akin to the temperate waters of Southern California. We spent an afternoon frolicking with hungry marine iguanas as they dived in the shallows to munch on green and red algae. Evenings on this trip were spent marveling over the sights from earlier in the day, sharing images with each other and giving photo workshops to help improve for the next day. Each night we collapsed into bed exhausted from adventure and dreamt of the next day’s excitement. The trip included two land tours, the birds and iguanas at the start, and an afternoon with giant tortoises on Santa Cruz Island to cap it off. As long as ten days on a boat may seem, suddenly it was over. Time to bid farewell to this magical land full of incredible creatures.

Mola Mola (or Mola Ramses) comes up from the deep to get cleaned by these little wrasse.

Marine Iguanas dive deep and hold their breath while chowing down on the algae growing on the rocks.

Found no where else, the Giant Tortoises are a must see when visiting the Galapagos.

The Galapagos is definitely a must dive location, but it pays to be prepared. Get the right gear, know how to use it and be prepared for some adventurous diving!

Check out these links for useful information on the Sony A7R II and the Aquatica Housing:

• Aquatica Housing for Sony A7R II Camera
• Sony A7R II Review
• Aquatica A7R II Review
• Best Underwater Settings for Sony A7R II

The post 10 Days in the Galapagos with the Aquatica A7RII first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

The sense of being out in the middle of nowhere is strong during the crossing to the Archipelago Revillagigedos, also known as the Socorro Island. It takes 24-30 hours of motoring to reach this small island chain, but the wait is well worth it. Consisting of four islands, three of which are close enough to each other that you can dive them in one expedition, this area is well known for its big animal encounters. The islands and small sea mounts attract a variety of small life, which in turn brings in the big guys. Sharks abound, mantas gracefully fly through the water and dolphins twirl and dance in front of you under these waters.

This was my first experience diving Socorro, and it was nothing short of incredible. The water was around 76-78°, perfect for a 5mm suit. We had excellent visibility most of the time, with views stretching past 100 ft on many dives. While nothing is guaranteed, this trip everyone on our group got plenty of time watching the manta rays glide through the water, brushing over our bubbles. We saw a large school of hammerhead sharks cruise by in the distance, watched white tips pile upon each other at Roca Partida and we danced with dolphins, who playfully cruised past the group, diving down into the depths and back up, daring divers to follow along.

A haven for the big guys, it also is home to an incredible amount of varied fish life. Large trevally and jacks school around the sea mounts, and small baitfish dart in and out of rocky crevasses. Yellowfin tuna can be spotted quickly darting through the school in the distance, though rarely coming close. We watched rainbow runners clean themselves on the side of a silky shark, and eyed wahoo as they swam near the surface during our safety stops.

Of course, not every dive was big animal heaven… these creatures move around often, and we had several dives of vast empty blue ocean stretching out in front of us. Luckily during those dives you can enjoy watching the small fish, eels, and more, but remember, if you focus too much on the little guys, you won’t know when the big ones show up!

The trip on the Rocio del Mar is very comfortable, with an incredible staff, excellent food and great accommodations. Knowledgeable dive masters lead the way underwater, while topside your gear is looked after, and delicious meals keep you energized throughout the day.

Here is just a selection of some of the fantastic sights we experienced through our adventure in Socorro.

Equipment Used

Nauticam Sony A7r II Underwater Housing

Sony 16-35mm F4 Lens

The post Diving Socorro with the Sony A7R II first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

At the end of last year I had the opportunity to take a demo of the Aquatica A7R II housing out for a test. Overall I was very happy with the performance, and had a blast diving with a couple of friends. The housing performed beautifully, allowing me to enjoy the dive and shoot some images without feeling like I was constantly fussing with the new gear. As with all Aquatica housings, the ports with easy to attach and change, controls were well placed and easy to use and everything I needed to access was available on the housing.

The Aquatica Housing uses the same port system as all Aquatica DSLR cameras, so there are no compatibility issues with the larger diameter Sony lenses and port options are available for using the Canon EF lenses and Metabones adapter. The housing comes with your choice of strobe connector, including a fiber optic trigger – which costs no more than any other option, something unheard of with other DSLR and MIL housing manufacturers. In addition, vacuum electronics are available and an optional bulkhead valve is available for added security when using this housing.

Here are a few sample photos from the dive, overall I have been very impressed with the quality, detail, colors created with the Sony A7R II camera, and the Aquatica housing makes it easy to use and love this camera underwater.

For more information on the Sony A7 II / A7R II / A7S II cameras or the Aquatica housing please check out our full review here.

To purchase the Aquatica A7R II Housing, please click here. 

Underwater Images with the Aquatica A7R II Housing:

Going, going, gone! Aquatica A7R II with Sony 28mm + Fisheye Conversion Lens (F9, 1/100, ISO 100)

Diver in the Channels – Aquatica A7R II with Sony 28mm + Fisheye Conversion Lens (F9, 1/125, ISO 100)

Juvenile Garibaldi – Aquatica A7R II with Sony 90mm Macro (F15, 1/160, ISO 100)

Diver in the Kelp – Aquatica A7R II with Sony 28mm Lens + Fisheye Conversion Lens (F5.6, 1/80, ISO 100)

Diver and Sea Fan – Aquatica A7R II with Sony 28mm Lens + Fisheye Conversion Lens (F5.6, 1/80, ISO 100)

The post Aquatica A7R II Housing Photos first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

The biggest drawback to using fiber optic cables on the mirrorless and compact cameras is often the slow recycle time of the on-board camera flash. While underwater strobes are designed to recycle quickly, the flash on the cameras often recycles much, much slower. With fiber optic cables your underwater strobe is dependent upon the camera flash so unfortunately that means it will have to wait as well.

With previous Sony cameras that offered a hotshoe, tempting users to switch to electronic sync cords, an issue kept appearing. Sony had programmed the cameras LCD screen to match the camera settings when not using the flash. While ideal for knowing what your shot will look like if shooting purely ambient light, it caused an problem for those wanting to use an underwater strobe with electronic sync cords as the screen would be black with the common underwater settings where all ambient light is blocked. This meant that you could not see anything to compose the image or check focus, making it not possible to use sync cords.

With later camera models (RX100 III & IV, A5000 & 5100) Sony removed the hot shoe from the top of the camera so the ability to use sync cords disappeared completely. Then they brought it back with the higher end a6000 camera. The on-board flash on this camera is still dreadfully slow to recycle, so we tested it here in the shop with sync cords and the results were incredible. One problem though, the screen still went dark.

Luckily, Sony has stepped up and solved this problem by allowing the user to override that function. In the main menu, under the set up menu (little cog icon) you can scroll over until you see the option for “Live View Display”. The default is “Setting Effect ON” which is what causes the LCD to dim when you block out ambient light with the flash off. Simply turn this to “Setting Effect OFF” and your LCD will remain bright regardless of the exposure settings. Just remember what you see isn’t necessarily what you are going to get, so review your images and watch your histogram.

To set up your Nauticam housing to accept electronic sync cords, simply install the Universal bulkhead and you’re good to go. Keep in mind, the a6000 only has one bulkhead port, so if you plan to also use the vacuum system you will need to purchase the Offset Vacuum Bulkhead Kit.

Here’s a quick comparison of the two methods, fiber optic cable, vs sync cord. Its obvious to see which is better.

One last thing to consider is the differences between fiber optic cables and electronic sync cords. Primarily with fiber optic cables you have a system that is never going to allow a flood in the housing since the cables do not penetrate through, they simply plug into a port and read the light through a window. In addition the cables themselves have no electronics inside so they rarely fail. Unless you bend or break a cable causing damage to the fiber optics inside they will last forever. Electronic sync cords are bigger and slightly heavier (if you’re counting ounces to make airline restrictions). They can short out if water gets inside the connections (flooded) so we highly recommend always have a backup. Lastly since there is an electronic signal transmitting from your camera to the strobe the bulkhead for the cables actually penetrates through the housing so that you can attach it to the camera. If not installed properly, or if the cable is not connected correctly to the housing it can cause a flood, resulting in more damage. For the Nauticam housings we highly recommend using the vacuum check system to help prevent any problems.

The post Using Sync Cords with Sony a6000 first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Wide angle compositions are often the hardest to nail perfectly. During the SoCal Shootout participants have to do just that. There is very little editing allowed, so getting correct lighting, exposure and above all, that striking composition is key. Ben Hofilena succeeded with his first place image in our open wide angle category. While he claims just a lucky shot, he at least knew the most important part of luck, which is preparation. Proper settings and being ready for the moment allowed this excellent shot to get captured. Here’s the details on our first place winner.

Title: Ocean Bouquet

Location Captured: Eureka Oil Rig (off the coast of Long Beach, CA)

Camera / Housing: Canon 70D with Tokina 10-17mm Lens, Sea & Sea Housing

Strobes / Lights: Dual Sea & Sea YS-D1 Strobes

Camera Settings: F8, 1/125th, ISO 200

The Story: The first time I took a camera underwater was about a year ago. Prior to that, my topside photography was limited to point and shoot cameras in AUTO mode and taking pics on my iPhone. That being said, I’m a newbie to underwater photography and this was a lucky shot. This photo was taken on the Sunday of the SoCal Shootout while aboard the Pacific Star. We were lucky to have good visibility and a bait ball at the Eureka Oil Rig. I was able to get really close to a section of the bait ball and compose my shot. It was awesome to be able to capture what I saw as a solid wall of fish and bouquet-like image in the middle.

The post SoCal Shootout: Story Behind the Shot, Ben Hofilena first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Shooting Portraits underwater can be especially challenging as most subjects like fish are moving constantly. You must nail that perfect composition, eye contact and focus. With that in mind we loved this playful capture of a Bat Ray from Cindy Shaw which took First Place in the Open Portrait Category. Here are the details that went into this winning image.

Title: Wanna Play?

Location Captured: Farnsworth Banks, Catalina Island

Camera / Housing: Olympus OM-D E-M5 with 12-50mm Lens in Nauticam Housing

Strobes / Lights: Dual Sea & Sea YS-D1 Strobes

Camera Settings: F8, 1/125th, ISO320

The Story: We arrived at Farnsworth early after crossing over from San Pedro on the Perfect Mistress with Captain Derek.  There were four divers, two of us with cameras set for the shootout.  We weren’t sure we would be able to dive the pinnacle when we saw so many boats there even earlier than our arrival.  Most were fishing boats and we smiled when we saw that the dive boat Vision was anchored at the high spot with divers already in the water.  Our Captains managed a smooth switch so we moved onto the pinnacle as they slipped off, all divers back on board.  Nicely done Captains!  We dropped into the water and could actually see the purple on the top of the pinnacle from the anchor line.  One of our divers had never been able to dive Farnsworth before and I loved knowing his first experience would be an epic dive.  We were able to stay for 2 full dives before the conditions encouraged us to move on.  I absolutely love California diving because you really never know what you will find until you go in and see.  We have incredible diversity and myriad of opportunities here.
At about 80 feet, it was darker, so I bumped my ISO  to try and allow more light in while still keeping blue water.  I shot LOTS of purple hydrocoral shots and loved doing it, but then I swam over a rise and saw this magnificent bat ray in a shallow sandy spot.  Her wingspan was easily 6 feet across I am sure because it was head to booties for me when I approached sideways.  I Quickly went to the most versatile camera settings I could in case she decided to fly.  Then I settled down slowly and moved my lens to 50mm a good distance back.  I took a series of shots as I approached closer ever so slowly and moved my lens to 12 mm.  We spent about 5-10 min together, but it felt much longer making me quietly check my remaining air frequently because of course I found her at the end of my second dive.   I approached from a slightly sideways angle hoping to frame her diagonally and she kept constant eye contact.  She shifted perfectly for me and rose up a little to prepare to fly but stayed as I put the camera down and we just hung out.  As she seemed more comfortable but didn’t settle flat again I picked up the camera and took 2-3 more portraits before she slowly rose, circled and dipped a wing in farewell.

The post SoCal Shootout: Story Behind the Shot, Cindy Shaw first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Our new Mirrorless categories were a hit and almost had more competition than the Open categories in this year’s SoCal Shootout. The macro category was won by Desmond Ho with his crisp and colorful shot of a round ray’s eye. Here are the details of this unique underwater shot.

Title: Round Ray Eye

Location Captured: Anacapa Island

Camera / Housing: Olympus OM-D E-M5 with Olympus 60mm Macro in Olympus Housing with Bluewater +7 Diopter

Strobes / Lights: Dual Sea & Sea YS-D1 Strobes

Camera Settings: F11, 1/250th, ISO200

The Story: I spotted this well camouflaged round ray right outside the kelp forest at the dive site on Anacapa. While my experiences tell me that well buried rays tend to stick around, I did not want to take the chance so I approached it very slowly to avoid spooking it and more importantly, avoid getting stung. With the use of the macro diopter, I needed to get within a 1-2 inch range from the eye to get the maximum magnification. The shot took approximately 15 minutes to take because of my slow rate of approach, inching closer by the minute and snapping shots until I got this shot of the eye. As I backed away, the ray took off at full speed the other direction. It was one of the most exhilarating shots I have taken mostly due to fear of getting stung by the ray while trying to obtain the best shot possible.

Check out all the winning images from the 2015 SoCal Shootout here.

The post SoCal Shootout: Story Behind the Shot, Desmond Ho first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

This year’s Best in Show was won by Brook Peterson with this excellent image of a young sea lion cruising through the water. Congrats Brook! Read on to learn more about this image.

Title: Young Sea Lion at Play

Location Captured: Sea Lion Rookery at Santa Barbara Island

Camera / Housing: Nikon D810 with Sigma 15mm Lens in Sea & Sea Housing

Strobes / Lights: Dual Sea & Sea YS-D1 Strobes

Camera Settings: F14, 1/125, ISO 320

The Story: The juvenile sea lions were eager to greet the divers as we jumped into their playground. At first they hung upside down from the surface watching the divers.  As they grew more confident, they would come close and try out different poses in front of the camera.  Soon they began playing (sometimes aggressively) with each other and occasionally they tried to include the divers.  I noticed this young sea lion trying to engage me in its play by blowing bubbles and opening it’s mouth every time it swam by.  It came closer and closer, giving me several opportunities to grab its image.  The most difficult part of the shot was getting myself in a position so that I wasn’t shooting directly into the sun.  Finally all the stars aligned and I was able to get the shot.

Check out all the winning images from the 2015 SoCal Shootout here.

The post SoCal Shootout: Story Behind the Shot – Brook Peterson, Best in Show first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.