Many people don’t realize that you can get a 1/320th sync speed when shooting with the Nikon D300, D300s, and the D7000.  By default, the sync speed is 1/250th. However, if you go into the flash / bracketing menu, setting E1 will you to set your max sync speed to 1/320th. Read more about sync speed and shutter speed.

This is useful when shooting into the sun. By setting your camera to ISO 100, 1/320th, you can use a slightly larger aperture to shoot your subject then you would at 1/250th, getting a little more strobe power onto your subject. Chances are that your strobe will be on full power, unless it is very, very close to the subject.

You may or may not lose a little flash power going from 1/250th to 1/320th. I would do a test at F22 with your strobes on full power. I haven’t noticed a difference with my YS-D1, but I am going to test it again tonight and then re-update the post.

Nikon menu setting E1 – flash sync speed

Cuttlefish in Raja Ampat. F18, ISO 100, 1/320th shutter speed, dual YS-D1 strobes

I hope you found this information useful!

The post Fast 1/320th sync speed with Nikon D7000 & Nikon D300 first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Colorful, beautiful, and devilishly quick.  Those are just some of the words I’ve heard people use to describe juvenile garibaldi.  These tiny versions of their parents, sporting their temporary iridescent blue spots, spend their days darting in and out of the shallow reefs.

Mirrored image? These two seem to be playing an optical illusion trick on us. 1/10, F22, ISO 100.

This past weekend I set out with the intent of capturing these speedy subjects, and portraying their elusive nature.  But how?  Certainly focusing, and then maintaining focus while they dart around would be near impossible, and frustrating to say the least.  My approach: let them come to me.

These little guys and gals seem to stay in a relatively small area of the reef (at least from my observations).  With that in mind, I set my dSLR to AF-C (release), utilizing the AE-L/AF-L button to focus.  This would allow me to set my focal plane at a specific distance, and leave it there.  By using the AE-L/AF-L button to focus, this freed up the shutter button to only release the shutter, so I could fire the trigger whenever my heart desired, whether or not the subject was in focus.  This allowed me to do two things:

1. By predetermining the focal distance, I could focus on another object at the same distance (a rock, for example), and then position my strobes for the ideal lighting and take test shots.
2. Once the focal plane and strobes were set, I could concentrate on timing and composition.

I decided on an aperture of F22 or higher to provide the depth of field I would need to get a majority of the fish in focus.

Anything but cryptic, this juvenile looks surprised as it peers from behind its algae hide-a-way. 1/10, F25, ISO 250.

You could do the same thing with any camera by determining the distance you want to compose the image, then keep the shutter pressed halfway down until the fish came into focus.  You would just have to repeat the pre-focus after each shot if you did not have a separate button for focusing.

For this shoot, I really wanted to capture and portray the speed and elusive nature of these colorful critters, so I decided to use really slow shutter speeds to show the movement (e.g. 1/1oth of a second).  By setting my camera to rear-curtain sync, the camera would expose the movements of the ambient light, before the strobes would fire at the end of the exposure, therefore freezing the motion and allowing for a colorful and sharp photo.

A pair of juvies chase each other around the reef. Their speed, combined with a shutter speed of 1/1o, shows the “streaks” of their movement and brings a sense of motion to the photograph.  1/10, F22, ISO 100.

All photographs were taken with a Nikon D7000, Sea&Sea Housing, Nikon 105mm macro lens, and dual Ikelite strobes.  Special thanks to Selky Charters for a great day on, and under, the water!

A young garibaldi, streaking across the frame, proudly showing off its gorgeous blue markings. 1/10, F22, ISO 100.

These two seemed to chase each other for most of the dive. It was great just to pull the camera from my eye and watch them hide behind my housing. 1/10, F22, ISO 100.

The post Capturing the Elusive first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Senorita poses in front of a red gorgonian. Nikon D7000 in Sea & Sea housing, Tokina 10-17mm at 10mm. 1/200, F16, ISO 200, uncropped.

Wow.  Just wow.  Get it while the gettin’s good!  Warm, blue water, and amazing viz awaited us as we made our way from the Catalina Express to the Dive Park at Avalon this past weekend.  When I say “warm” I mean 69°F at 70fsw.  Viz was easily 70’+.  It was gorgeous.  We planned on three dives, and we made the most of every descent.

Kelp bass stalk the vast schools of bait fish in the Dive Park.

This trip was designed to get my friend, Tracey, used to her brand-new MDX-7000 Sea & Sea housing that she bought from Scott at Bluewater Photo.  She’s preparing for a long trip to Raja Ampat in December with Underwater Photography Guide.  She and her husband flew in from Chicago to dive for the weekend.  Boy, did they get some great conditions!  Our first dive took us to the Sujac, and subsequent dives took us to the other end of the park.  For me, I enjoyed watching the kelp bass prey on the massive schools of sardines and other bait fish.  The sun shone brightly through the blue water throughout the day, making for some amazing underwater photo ops!  Get out there and dive!

A Garibaldi greets me at the west end of the Dive Park. Viz was amazing!

The post Great Conditions at the Dive Park first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

…and take notes.  Remember those days?  With all the aspects of underwater photography to remember (e.g. macro, wide-angle, silhouettes, lighting, and on, and on…), I decided early on to keep a journal of my adventures as an underwater photographer.  This allows me to make notes after an experience, good or bad, and refer back to them before my next outing.  For example, after a trip with Bluewater Photo to La Paz, Mexico to photograph whale sharks, I dialed-in on some settings that worked very well for me.  I made note of them, and now I’m ready to rock the next time I’m in a similar situation.

Make it your own, and use it as another tool to help you improve as an underwater photographer.  Document your experiences, ideas for up-coming trips, and things to work on.  Have fun!

Aperture Priority Mode, F11, Autofocus Mode: AF-C, AF-Area Mode: Auto-area, AF Release mode: CL at 3fps, ISO: 640, EV: -1

The post Be A Good Student first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

I love it when I experience a “first” as a diver.  This past Saturday I enjoyed my first dives at Point Loma in San Diego, and I spotted my first sea spider (Anoplodactylus species).  I only knew they existed after perusing the LA Diving Field Guide countless times in search of ID’s of other critters for which I needed a name.

The sea spider was the very first subject I locked focus on (pun intended) that day.  I spotted it on a blade of kelp, which was anchored to the reef wall at about 70fsw.  Its leg span was about 2cm across, and it moved relatively slowly.  From what I can tell, they seem to be most prevalent in the Point Loma area.  I say that because the only pictures I’ve seen of them were taken in that area.  Have you seen them elsewhere?  I took a photo of three of them together on my second dive, and only noticed when I saw the photo (not the best) on my computer screen that one of them was carrying eggs.  I’ll be sure to look more closely the next time I venture down to San Diego!  Thanks to Waterhorse Charters for a fantastic day on and under the water!

Using my 60mm macro lens attached to my Nikon 7000, I set my camera to: 1/250, F10, ISO250.  I focused using AF-C, single shot, and rocked back and forth until the body was sharp through my viewfinder.  The photos attached are cropped slightly for composition.

Nikon D7000, 60mm lens, 1/250, F10, ISO 160. Cropped slightly.

The post Sea Spiders in San Diego first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

There has been exceptional visibility this past weekend at Catalina Island (including the dive park), ranging from 60-90ft, at Santa Barabara Island, Anacapa Island,and also at the Oil Rigs and Farnsworth Banks. Get out diving while you can!

Bat rays are out in full force, and there  are also a lot of sea lions out. Black sea bass are scattered around the islands. A Mola Mola was seen at the Oil Rigs this weekend.

Many people are saying it is the best visibility that they have seen in years.

Roeland and a sealion, photo by Michael Zeigler

Water temps are also quite warm, with most islands experiencing water temps between 65 and 70 degrees from the surface down to 60ft deep. We haven’t had such great conditions in Southern California for years, so enjoy! I’d expect these conditions to expect to last for at least the next few weeks. The swellwatch is not showing any significant swell until Sept. 25th.

Photos shown were taken at Santa Barbara Island on Saturday, Nikon D7000, Tokina 10-17mm fisheye lens. First photo (taken by Scott) is at 17mm, F4.5, ISO 125, 1/100th.

The post Great vis in Southern California first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.