Did you see a shark? - underwater photography

Did You See a Shark?

For many years I have enjoyed photography both as a hobby and as a profession; but nothing has given me more pleasure than adding underwater photography to my life.

When my late husband gave me a Nikonos II underwater camera, the first thing I did was to take it to the beach. With all the old taboos of a photographic lifetime clutching at me (don't get your camera wet; watch out for the sand) I waded out into the surf. You would have laughed to see me holding my camera high above my head as I walked in waist deep.

Although the resulting pictures were fun to look at, I knew the pictures I really wanted were far beneath the surface. I enrolled in a scuba class at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond and stuck it out to the very end.

My next step was to enroll in an underwater photography course given by Jim and Cathy Church in Grand Cayman Island, British West Indies. One week turned into two weeks because I had Discovered another world, one which continues to call me.

Jim introduced us to the workings of the Nikonos II camera. He showed us how to grease and replace the O rings which form the tight seal around the camera body and the lens. The O rings prevent flooding. There's that dread word. We talked about flooding. Can you imagine opening the back of your camera to find it all wet inside? Water is no better for the insides of an underwater camera than it is for a topside camera.

We learned with prompt attention and first aid, consisting of pouring alcohol into a flooded camera and then drying it completely, most of the time the camera could be saved. Of course it should then be sent to the repair shop. today, with the advent of the automatic electronic camera, such as the Nikonos IV and V, flooding could be disastrous. At the same time we were working with non-electronic cameras, the Nikonos II, and III. After checking the O rings we also checked the shutter speed, lens focus, light meter accuracy and strobe output.

One of the points stressed the most in underwater diving is safety. For that reason, from the very first day of scuba training, we were assigned a buddy when we went diving. This buddy is a classmate who learns all the procedures at the same time you do. Your buddy can help you if you get entangled in a fishing line, as I have, or can help you with your camera and help you find subjects to photograph. Most importantly your buddy can save your life.

Let's say you are diving and your air regulator stops working, you can't breathe, what do you do? It is situations like this that a buddy is most important. We learned the "buddy breathing" method, meaning only one regulator can be used and you must share the regulator. You take two or three breaths, then pass the regulator to your buddy and they take two or three breaths. This is a very important technique to learn and could save your life.

Our day began at 7 a.m. with critiques of the previous day's shooting, our film having been developed for us the previous night. to see the results of our shooting so quickly,along with Cathy's helpful comments, resulted in a more satisfying experience and some good photos as well. Cathy made suggestions for better composition, exposure, posing our buddy and strobe placement. After breakfast we met at the dive shack to assemble gear and board the dive boat for our destination. The first thing that amused me was the sight of all those underwater photographers wading out to the boat holding their cameras high to protect them from the water.

During the quick ride to the dive site, we busied ourselves suiting up. I thought it strange they had suggested wearing long pants and long sleeves underwater (or a light wet suit) when the water was so warm. But the clothing is necessary to protect the body not only from abrasion from the coral, but also to prevent the loss of body heat. It may seem strange to non-divers to wear a suit underwater, especially when the Caribbean is so warm. But I have never been so chilled as the time I spent an hour and a half at only 10 to 15 feet depth.

I purposely made a bright yellow full body suit of bathing suit material, first to keep warm, second so my buddy and anyone else would see me. The color yellow isn't completely absorbed until a depth of about 60 feet, after that it looks like a blue-green ink washed over it. However, some semblance of color does remain and everyone knew me.

My equipment consisted of my Nikonos and a strobe unit attached to a bracket making it possible to hold the entire unit in one hand. The complete unit was negatively buoyant (meaning it would sink if dropped) so it would not go floating away from me. One time my view-finder came losse, and before I could grab it, it was up, up and away. When you ae down to 80 feet or so, you do not go dashing to the surface for an errant piece of equipment. You must always keep in mind where you are, and must remember the laws of the deep are unforgiving.