Scuba Diving Lessons in Northern Virginia: Digital Underwater Photography Specialty Course

Underwater photography is one of the most popular diving specialties, and the rise of digital underwater photography has made it easier and more fun than ever. The PADI Digital Underwater Photographer course gets you going quickly with today modern digital equipment. Whether you use a point-and-shoot fixed lens camera, an adjustable focal length compact camera, or a sophisticated Digital SLR camera like the professional underwater photographers use, you can be taking beautiful under photographs in no time at all.

During the Course You Wil Learn

• How to choose the appropriate underwater camera system for you needs
• The PADI SEA method for getting great shots quickly
• The three primary principles for good underwater photos
• Tips for editing and saving your underwater photographs

Types of Digital Underwater Cameras:

The simplest camera is the fixed focal length camera.  This camera comes with a lens that is simply a point and shoot.  You cannot adjust the focal length, which makes it very easy to use in exchange for somewhat limiting the photos you can take.  This camera can come in its own waterproof housing or be placed in a commercial housing for underwater use.  It usually has a small built in strobe that has limited range underwater.

The compact adjustable focal length compact camera is very popular for underwater photography.  This type of camera often allows both still photography and video.  The housing can be part of the unit like the Sealife Mini Underwater Camera or a separate unit.  The Sealife DC-14oo is an example of a very good camera that can be taken out of the housing and used on land.  Prices for these two types can run from $139.95 to $599.95 or higher.  These cameras have a built in strobe and be also be used with an external strobe for greater lighting options.  The Sealife Digital Strobe is a very popular option of this type.  These are probably the most popular of the underwater cameras used today.

The Digital SLR Camera is a Custom Underwater Housing in the most sophisticated of the underwater camera systems.  This system allows the diver to select a very high quality camera for the utmost in photographic equipment.  The underwater housing is custom made to utilize all the features of this type of camera.  This is  by far the most expensive of the choices.  The camera and the housing can each cost well over $1000.00.  A custom lighting system will further add to the cost of this system.

The PADI Digital Underwater Photography Course

The PADI Digital UW Photography Course consists of both classroom sessions and two open water dives.   The first session is to go over the academic material and discuss proper camera use and equipment options.  The second class is ideally done after the dives so that the photographs can be looked at and suggestions for photographic technique and editing can be discussed.  The required student kit includes a digital photography manual and slate to use when adjusting white balance underwater.

The PADI Digital Underwater Photography Course is not only fun and informative but will pay dividends every time you take underwater photographs by giving you some lasting memories of your great Aquatic Adventures.

Scuba Diving Equipment: Underwater Photography & Underwater Camera Mistakes

At Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy, a Dive Center in Northern Virginia, one of the most popular PADI Specialty Diver Courses, is Underwater Photography.  Previously we talked about getting started in underwater photography and what to look for in an underwater camera system.  Today we will look at underwater camera mistakes that can spoil your underwater photos and perhaps ruin your entire vacation.

Not Having Good Buoyancy Control: Having good buoyancy control is the first and foremost skill necessary for good photography.  Fast jerky movements through the water scares fish away, makes your camera move causing blurred images, silts the bottom causing backscatter in your photos and is just plain bad diving technique.  An excellent PADI Specialty Diver Course that will help with your buoyancy is the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Course.

Using Your Hands to Guide You (Sculling): Many divers have reasonable good buoyancy control but try to fine tune their position in the water by moving their hands.  This is known as “sculling.” It is not only poor diving technique but the water movement scares the fish and creates water movement that chases away other photographic subjects such as plume worms and Christmas tree worms.

Being Too Far from your Subject: Water absorbs the suns rays very quickly.  Consequently color is lost at depth.  If you take your photos from three to four feet from you subject you will be able to use the internal flash on your camera to bring out the best color of your photographic subject.  Further than four feet and your photos will most likely come out in a monochromatic blue and white.

Opening your Camera Housing on the Boat: You should always seal your camera into its housing, while you are still in your hotel room.  Most hotel rooms are air conditioned, which is low on humidity and puts less moisture in the housing when you seal it.  If you open the housing on the boat there is a lot of humidity in the air and you seal that in the housing when you close it.  Humidity in the housing will cause your camera lens to fog in the water, dulling your photographs.

Not Anticipating the Digital Delay: Most digital cameras have a slight delay in taking the picture from when you press the shutter release, often resulting in a late photo.  You need to realize this and snap that photo a second or two earlier then you normally would so that the fish is not out of position and you will achieve far better results.  Certain underwater cameras like the Sealife underwater cameras have a sea mode that allows you to prefocus your photos to lesson this delay.

Using too Much O Ring Grease: The purpose of silicone or O ring grease is to lubricate the O ring and keep it from drying out.  Too much silicone will actually cause the housing to flood.  It will grab sand and silt and it gets pushed into the O ring causing leaks.  Some underwater camera housing manufacturers do not advocate using any O ring lubricant at all. Read your owners manual to find out what your camera needs.

Not Pretecting Your Camera Housing: When you first buy your new underwater camera you should test the housing seal in a bathtub.  Don’t assume just because it is new that it does not leak. When you get on the dive boat it is also a good idea to put the housing in the camera rinse tank and look for leaks prior to each dive.  If it does leak you will see the bubbles and can remove it immediately.  Also the rinse tank is fresh water, which is far less harmful then salt water.

Jumping into the Water with your Camera: Many divers think it is a macho thing to be able to jump into the water with your camera.  There is nothing macho about it – it is just plain stupid.  Your camera O rings are designed for static pressure.  Jumping causes jarring or dynamic pressure which will cause your camera housing to leak. Always hand your camera down to someone or have them hand it down to you.  Always hand your camera up to someone rather then trying to climb out with it in your hands.  If you do not have someone to help, tie your camera to a line and lower it into the water before you get in.

With our upcoming dive trip to La Paz, Mexico and the Sea of Cortez it is only natural to want to become familiar with many of the fish that are endemic to that area.  Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy, our PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Center has sponsored dive trips there a few times in the past and the fantastic sea life is always amazing.  Lets take a few minutes and look at some of the incredible sea life that we might see on our Dive Trip there this October.

The Crown of Thorns is an eater of coral.  Its job is to keep the amount of coral on a reef in check.  The reef itself is made up of many types of animals.  Starfish and both soft and hard corals can be found on many reefs.  Fish come in all sizes and shapes.  The Fanged Blenny is a very small fish found almost walking on the bottom.  Barber Fish are in the Butterfly Fish family.  They are often seen in small schools or pairs as they tend to mate for life.  You will notice that while the fish are very familiar they are different then their Caribbean cousins.  The PADI Aware Fish ID Course is great in learning how to identify these species.

One of the unique aspects of the Sea of Cortez is how diverse the sea life is.  Besides fish and corals many mammals can be seen like the playful Sea Lion.  Those who dive in the Caribbean are used to seeing Parrot Fish.  Here we see the bumphead Parrot Fish, which is larger then the average Caribbean Parrot Fish.

There are several shipwrecks in the Sea of Cortez, making this an area conducive to wreck diving and taking the PADI Wreck Diver Specialty Course as well as the PADI Underwater Digital Photography Course.  Here we see a picture taken with a Sealife Digital Camera of the Mast of a Ship Wreck with thousands of small bait fish swimming around it.  On the reef if one looks closely you can spot golden moray eels hiding during the day in cracks and crevices.  Some fish like do not mind being out in the open like the Balloon Puffer Fish seen her on a ship wreck.

If you are in the Sea of Cortez at the right time of the year and if you are very lucky you might be in for a real treat.  To see whale sharks and hammerhead sharks can be a once in a lifetime treat.  We have been lucky and seen them each time we have been there.  Other treats is to see a seahorse or an octopus.  They are fascinating subjects and can make a great underwater photo to help you remember your trip.

Sea Urchins feed on top of the corals.  They eat the algae that grows on the coral and keep the algae in check and keep the corals from being smothered by the algae.  The Sea Urchin seen here has camouflaged itself with small shells for protection.  The Angel Fish seen on the side of the reef is a Panama Graysby, common in the Pacific Ocean area.  Puffers are not uncommon in the Sea of Cortez.  Here is a Spotted Sharpnose Puffer.

Scorpion Fish can be found world wide.  They camouflage themselves and prey on small unsuspecting fish.  Tarpon are a predator fish that feeds near the surface.  Here we see a school of Tarpon feeding on small bait fish.  The last slide shows a Sea Anemone and an Arrow Crab.  These creatures can be seen around the world if you take the time to just look.

The Sea of Cortez is an area that is not as commonly dived as other areas.  It is somewhat out of the way but not inaccessible.  You can book a trip there through many Dive Centers that have Travel Programs like Aquatic Adventures Dive Center in Alexandria, Virginia.  Prior to a trip like this it is recommended that you have your scuba diving equipment serviced and perhaps take a scuba refresher course like the PADI Scuba Review Course to make sure that your dive skills are up to date and that you remember the proper care and use of your scuba diving equipment.

Having said all of that the next step is to get out and dive and enjoy the world.

Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy – Northern Virginia - PADI Underwater Photography Course & underwater Cameras Sales

It is only natural for us divers to want to bring back memories of those fantastic dive vacations that we worked for all year.  Many of these are once in a lifetime trips that we may never be able to take again.  Some of the best memories are underwater photographs of those great dive sites and great dive vacations.

Today you do not have to be a photographic Guru and you do not have to spend incredible amounts of money to obtain a good underwater camera.

The most common problems that most of us face is what camera or camera system to buy?  There are so many how do I choose and once I have decided how do I get started?

One of the best ways to get started is to find a Dive Center that you trust.   I live in Alexandria, Virginia so I would start by searching for a dive center near me.  I might search the internet by keying in: Dive Center, Alexandria, Virginia or Dive Center Northern Virginia.  I might want to narrow that by looking for Underwater Cameras Alexandria, Virginia or Underwater Cameras Northern Virginia.  If they offer underwater cameras then they will usually have someone on staff who is familiar with underwater photography.  Talk the them and feel free to ask questions.  In addition to underwater cameras they will probably offer courses in underwater photography as well.  Ask what brand cameras they stock.  Sealife Underwater Cameras and Sealife Digital Strobes are among the more popular brands available.

Underwater Cameras run the gamut from inexpensive to incredibly expensive and everything in between.  If you already have a camera that you like you may be able to find a universal camera housing that will fit it.  These camera housings tend to be relatively inexpensive and allows you to use a camera that you already own,

The next step would be to obtain a matched camera and underwater housing.  There are several out there like the Sealife DC-1200, a 12 megapixel camera and underwater housing.  This camera takes excellent photos and can be taken  out of the housing for use on land as well.  Several of the photos that accompany this article were taken with earlier Sealife Cameras.

Once you get started with a camera and housing you may find that this is all that you need to be happy and get good underwater photographs.  If you are a perfectionist you may find that you want more options.  The Sealife system can be added to as your photography grows.  You can add an external digital strobe.  The external strobe give you far better lighting then the camera’s built in flash.  The extra lighting will give your photographs greater color and detail.  A wide angle lens can also be added to further improve your photographs.   Quite often you may want to include a wide area in your photograph.  On land you just back up and then you get a wider panorama.  In the water if you move back you will limit the amount of light that you receive from your strobe and your photographs will be darker and less colorful.  By adding a wide angle lens (a lens that is curved to allow a wider panorama) you will be able to stay up close to your subject and thus you will get full benefit from your strobe giving you greater color and detail.   The wide angle lens and the digital strobe can be added later or you can even purchase the DC-1200 in a package called the Sealife Elite Package, which includes all of them bundled together.

If you are an elitist type – and everything has to be the very best that money can buy then you will want to get a very good Single Lens Reflex or SLR Camera.  Then you can get a custom made camera housing for it.  One of the very best camera housing manufacturers is Ikelite.   The custom Ikelite Housing can often cost as much as the camera but it offers you the best combination of camera and  housing available.  A strobe and either wide angle lenses or color correction filters can also be added to this system.

Regardless of what system you choose you will want to learn  how to safely use it.  One of the best ways is to take an underwater photography course such as the PADI Digital Underwater Photography Course.  This course is usually available at most PADI Dive Centers like Aquatic Adventures, which is a PADI 5 Star Instructor Development (IDC) Dive Center.

The UW Photography Course will show you not only the basics of taking photos underwater but will also show you several related safety aspects as well.  In addition the course will also often include aspects of other PADI Specialty Courses such as proper buoyancy control (Peak Performance Buoyancy) and Night Diver Specialty so that you can take photographs at night.  These dive specialty courses will make you a better diver in general and a better photographer as well.

Which ever way you go the really big part is to get out and start taking photographs.  The more photos that you take the better photographer you will become.  Keep in mind the rules that you learn to prevent camera mistakes and go out and have fun.