Underwater photography is a captivating realm that unveils the secrets of the underwater world, revealing stunning marine life and breathtaking seascapes. While the art of underwater photography has been widely explored, there exists a fascinating and relatively obscure aspect that adds an enchanting twist to these images – biofluorescence. In this blog post, we’ll dive into the mesmerizing world of biofluorescence and its relationship with underwater photography, uncovering the hidden beauty that can only be captured through the lens.

The Enigmatic Dance of Biofluorescence

Biofluorescence is a phenomenon where certain organisms absorb light at one wavelength and then re-emit it at a longer wavelength. Unlike bioluminescence, which involves the emission of light generated through chemical reactions, biofluorescence is a passive process that relies on the absorption and re-emission of external light. While the exact biological purpose of biofluorescence is not entirely understood, it is believed to play a role in communication, camouflage, and attracting prey.

Underwater, biofluorescence takes on an entirely new dimension. Organisms that appear unassuming during the day transform into radiant, neon-colored creatures under specific lighting conditions. This transformation is the photographer’s gateway to capturing otherworldly and captivating images that transport viewers to an alien underwater realm.

The Art of Biofluorescence Photography

Capturing biofluorescence through the lens of an underwater camera requires a delicate balance of skill, technique, and equipment. Unlike traditional underwater photography, where natural light or artificial strobes are used to illuminate subjects, biofluorescence demands specialized lighting setups. Ultraviolet (UV) or blue lights are essential for triggering the biofluorescent response in organisms, allowing photographers to capture the stunning display of colors.

1. Equipment: To embark on a biofluorescence photography journey, photographers need a camera capable of capturing high-quality images in low-light conditions. A sturdy underwater housing is crucial to protect the camera from the aquatic environment.
2. Lighting: Specialized UV or blue lights are the keys to unlocking the biofluorescent magic. These lights often need to be positioned strategically to avoid overexposure and to bring out the intricate details of the subjects.
3. Subject Selection: While biofluorescence can be found in a variety of marine organisms, certain species, such as corals, anemones, and jellyfish, are particularly known for their vivid biofluorescent displays.
4. Patience and Technique: Biofluorescence photography requires patience and an understanding of underwater photography techniques. Achieving the right exposure, composition, and focus is crucial for capturing the ethereal beauty of biofluorescent organisms.

Unlocking a Hidden World

The results of biofluorescence photography are nothing short of mesmerizing. Photographers armed with the right tools and techniques can unveil a hidden world of glowing corals, shimmering anemones, and neon-hued fish. These images not only offer a unique visual experience but also contribute to our understanding of marine ecosystems and the intricate ways in which organisms interact with their environment.

Beyond its aesthetic appeal, biofluorescence photography has the potential to raise awareness about the delicate balance of underwater ecosystems and the need for conservation efforts. As photographers share their captivating biofluorescent images, they can inspire viewers to appreciate and protect these fragile underwater worlds.

Conclusion

Biofluorescence photography is a captivating niche within the broader realm of underwater photography, offering a glimpse into a world of hidden beauty that only reveals itself under the right conditions. As photographers continue to explore this intriguing phenomenon, they bring to light the enigmatic dance of biofluorescence and its mesmerizing interaction with marine life. Through their lenses, they unlock a captivating visual tapestry that not only delights the senses but also encourages us to safeguard the delicate ecosystems that thrive beneath the waves.

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The post Illuminating Underwater Photography with Fluorescence first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

While travelling over the past year, my partner Lisa and I took a lot of GoPro video, and used it to make professional-looking underwater videos. As an underwater photographer, I am always thinking about lighting – more importantly, how to light up my subjects in a way that shows the brilliantly beautiful colors of the underwater world. Just as in photography, with video, the most important ingredient is lighting. GoPros can and do take exceptional, high-quality video when provided with the right lighting conditions. The problem with most underwater GoPro footage is not the GoPro itself, or the subject matter, but rather the lighting.

How Light Behaves Underwater

Water absorbs light very quickly, starting with the slowest wavelengths – red, then orange, then yellow. After passing through only 15 ft of water, light loses all red wavelengths, and then the other colors follow.

GoPro Version Matters

Before I go too far, let me qualify the piece about lighting. Great lighting with an old GoPro will give you decent footage, but old GoPros can’t compete with the latest GoPro image quality. The performance step change from the GoPro 5 to the GoPro HERO6 Black was massive. Check out the underwater photography guide’s review of the GoPro HERO6 Black. The improvement from the 6 to the 7 was not very big for image quality, but it was huge for image stabilization. So to get nice image quality from your GoPro, upgrade to at least a 6. If you want incredibly smooth, professional-looking footage when shooting handheld, the 7 is by far the best choice, as you can see in the GoPro HERO7 Black detailed review.

What Lighting to Use?

My partner Lisa, being new to underwater imaging, was at first very resistant to using any lights with the GoPro. Lights are big, heavy, and expensive. Doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose of the GoPro? So we started off with a Light & Motion Sidekick Duo, which is a very compact underwater light designed to be connected directly to the GoPro mount, thus not adding much in the way of size or weight. In some situations it added some nice color, but overall we found it was just too limited in terms of positioning, power and beam angle. Some videos it would add some nice color, but others it would create a hotspot on the subject, or just light up a ton of particles in the water, making it look like it was snowing.

We also used a Sealife Aquapod Mini, which gave us extra reach with the GoPro, theoretically allowing us to get closer to subjects without scaring them. It was useful when snorkeling with sharks in French Polynesia, and for dipping in the water from a boat to capture action at the surface. However, for day-to-day use while diving, we found that the benefit of getting closer to subjects was outweighed by the disadvantage of having the GoPro on a long stick; stability. It was very hard to get stable video, especially in any kind of current. Not to say a setup with a Sealife Aquapod and Sidekick light are bad; I would say it is a pretty decent setup for casual snorkelers who just want some videos of their trip so they can remember things. However, we were interested in higher quality video.

Our current GoPro rig – Hero 7 black, Macromate mini flip diopter, tray with ball mounts, 2x Kraken 3500+ WRSU lights.

As it became apparent that we had outgrown our video setup, and wanted something better, we decided to go for it. We bought a tray with handles and two small video lights. This is when things got good. The tray helped us get stable video – holding the GoPro close to the body with two hands was a lot more stable than holding it on a long stick with one hand. And we could not place the tray down on a rock or on the sand to get it really stable. We tried some different lights, including SeaLife Sea Dragon 2000 lumen lights, which gave us some nice results. Now we have landed on the Kraken 3500+ WRSU lights, which provide a ton of power, as well as versatility of modes: flood beam, spot beam, red light and UV light, all with different power settings available.

Check out our sample footage using the Sealife Sea Dragon 2000 lumen lights below, and you can read more about these lights on the UWPG’s Sealife 2000 lumen video light review. The review also contains a comparison video showing footage taken with two lights vs footage taken with just a red filter, vs footage taken without any lights or filters.

How Many Lights? How Many Lumens?

For wide angle video, having one light is much better than no lights, and also much better than a filter. However, having two lights will allow you to position them further away from the GoPro lens, which means you light up less particulates in the water and get cleaner video.

The amount of lighting power you need depends on the conditions you will be using them in. The brighter the ambient light, the more powerful the video lights need to be, if you want to overpower the dull blue ambient light and restore the colors. Though if you go really shallow, you can capture nice colors with ambient light, especially with the sun at your back. So with that said, a good starting point for light power is the 2000-4000 lumen range. Under 2000 lumens and you really don’t have enough power or reach for many situations, and over 4000 lumens you are starting to get into higher end, more professional light systems. With 2000 lumen lights, you can get very nice colors, but only if you are no more than 1-2 feet from your subject. Anything more than that and you’ll want more lumens…but even with really powerful video lights you won’t see much effect beyond about 5 ft.

On the other end of things, if you really want the best quality underwater video you can get, then go for the 10,000 lumen + range – it sure will look nice! The store recently got in the new Sola Pro 12,000 and 15,000 lumen lights, which will give you some amazing video quality.

For macro video, you have to bring the lights in close anyway, so one light should do the trick. A second light does give you more lighting options, but you can make very nice macro video just using one. If you want to learn more about shooting GoPro macro video, check out our beginner’s guide to GoPro macro video, up on the UWPG. Additionally, since you will only be a few inches from your subject, 2000-3000 lumens is more than enough light for nice, bright colors and sharp details.

The below sample macro footage is shot with a GoPro 7 and Macromate mini, and a variety of video light powers (2000, 2500 and 3500 lumens).  Without lights, macro video tends to look quite colorless and flat, as expected…it really loses its magic. So I would not recommend trying your hand at macro without a light!

The Bottom Line

We have used our GoPro with tray, video lights and macro lens to create promotional videos for a few dive resorts, and they have all been very happy with the results.

As they say in the movies…lights, camera, action! With just the camera, and no lights, you can get some decent footage under ideal conditions (ie at or near the surface of the water). But if you really want to get consistently great underwater footage, you need all 3. Sufficiently powerful video lights, a GoPro 6 or 7, and some great underwater action!

Hit me up at bryan AT uwphotographyguide.com if you have any questions!

The post Getting professional-quality video by using video lights with a GoPro first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Ikelite officially released their new lighting system today. This system includes a brand new ball arm system, that looks very familiar to popular ball / clamp arm systems used by many other companies.

From Ikelite:

The ever growing selection of lighting accessories on the market demands a mounting system that’s highly expandable, flexible, and streamlined. In answer to this need, the second generation of our 1-inch ball arm system provides improved ergonomics and versatility in a lighter, sleeker package. Possible combinations are virtually endless, with opportunities to mount an additional lightweight accessory almost anywhere along the length of the arm.

The 1-inch Ball Arm System Mark II features 1-inch ball components with a groove and o-ring to prevent slippage for improved holding power with less force. While underwater, clamps may be finger-tightened to keep lighting in place yet allow repositioning without loosening the clamp. All parts are hard coat type III anodized for a long lasting, scratch resistant finish.

This new design with 1″ ball and o-ring will allow the new Ikelite arms to be compatible with other brand arms like Ultralight, BTS, Nauticam and iDas. Contact us for more details or to purchase!

The post Ikelite Announces New Ball Arm System first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

One of the most commonly asked questions in the world of amateur underwater photography is “one strobe, or two?” Often this question is one of economic forethought, but it may also be a question of artistic merit. After shooting with both one strobe and two, I have come to the conclusion that with recent advancements in strobe quality and performance neither is a better option. An underwater photographer should be able to shoot beautiful photos using either option.

An evenly lit nudibranch taken with a single Sea and Sea YS-D1 strobe

The use of a second strobe makes the most difference in macro photography and very wide-angle reefscapes. When shooting macro with one strobe, the light will only be coming from one direction and thus there is usually shadow in the image. A second strobe can provide light coming from a second direction which can be used to fill in shadows. This produces an image with more even lighting and less shadow/contrast.

Even lighting with two Sea and Sea YS-D1 Strobes

Although many photographers prefer an image with less contrast, a single strobe usually doesn’t produce a significant enough shadow to ruin the image (if positioned correctly), and it can often be the better option when illuminating transparent organisms such as shrimp, coral and anemone polyps and some nudibranchs. If the effect with one strobe is needed, a photographer with two strobes can switch off one strobe. However, having one strobe can make a camera setup much more maneuverable while shooting macro, and there is less chance of damaging the reef.

A high contrast image of an orange cup coral take with a single Sea and Sea YS-D1 strobe

As I mentioned before, with new, very powerful strobes such as Sea and Sea’s YS-D1, an underwater photographer can easily shoot great wide angle photographs with just one strobe. Even with a fisheye lens, I have been able to light a full frame with just one strobe. In order to do this, I will often put a diffuser with a wider angle (120 degrees) over the strobe. Because the YS-D1 is so powerful, I can still shoot the full range of wide-angle – from close focus to sunbursts. Using two strobes for wide-angle does have its merits. Two strobes will certainly brighten more of the reef and illuminate more of its details.

The details of the Wakatobi Reef and a sunburst lit with two Sea and Sea YS-D1 strobes

However, one of the most interesting effects of shooting wide-angle with one strobe is a spotlighting effect. This enables an underwater photographer to give more focus to the subject of the image. As with macro photography, if a photographer with two strobes would like the effect of one, he/she can merely turn off one of the strobes. Maneuverability is slightly less important for wide angle, because the subjects are usually not as often hidden in the crevices of the reef.

An image of coral and a sunburst taken with a single Sea and Sea YS-D1 strobe with the spotlight effect

Shooting with one or two strobes are both great options. Both produce beautiful underwater photography. It is up to the photographer to decide how much money he/she would like to spend, and if they truly want the extra range of artistic tools that a second strobe brings to the table.

An evenly lit wide-angle photo of a tube anemone

The post One Strobe or Two? first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.