I have been approached many times to explain how certain things work in the world of photography, both topside and underwater; this section of the website is devoted to that subject.
Photography Lessons: I can provide a photographic technique teaching service where I can give you one-to-one, or one-to-two teaching at a local divesite on techniques and skills required for underwater photography. I will also cover the skills required to post-process the images to make stunning images from what appears, at first glance, to be mediocre photographs. Costs are £125 per day and this assumes Vobster Quay near Warminster or NDAC near Chepstow; other sites are available if you wish but an additional charge would be incurred to cover my additional travel expenses. If you are interested, contact me via the link above and I will be in touch. Following that contact, I need to know what you are looking to get from this day, it is your time so make it count.
For those who just want some basic knoweldge which they can apply in their own time, this information below will allow you to gain an understanding of some of the basic skills and more advanced techniques which I use.
The articles are grouped into Basic Theory, Underwater Photography, Topside Skills and Image Production.
BASIC THEORY
Scanning: Many people have access to a scanner at home but wonder why they cannot get the best image out after they have done some manipulation. This article concentrates on what you should do to capture the best image. 1190kb .pdf
Basic Settings - The Relationship Between ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed: This article explains the 3-way relationship between Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO. Understanding how they interact will mean that you can improve your photographs as you will know what the camera is trying to do. You can also use this relationship to your advantage if you are looking to be creative with movement or shallow depth of field.
Flash Settings: Coming soon
UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY
Colour Correction - Green Water Correction: Most of my underwater photography has taken place in 'green waters' and for the first 12 months I did not possess a strobe. This meant that I had to work with natural light and try to colour balance the images in Photoshop afterwards. This article provides a simple tutorial on how to correct images taken in 'green water' without a strobe. The article is here (433kb .pdf) and the curve required for Photoshop is here (right click and 'Save As...') 66 bytes .acv
TOPSIDE SKILLS
IMAGE PRODUCTION
Printing: This article appeared in Practical Photography magazine and looked at the difference between Monochrome Inksets and Colour Inkets when trying to print monochrome prints. 329kb .pdf
Shadows/Highlights: Things have moved on in Photoshop but those who still use PS6 and PS7 are missing a tool called Shadow and Highlight Adjustment. This article explains a work-around for the tool which appeared in PS CS. 116kb .pdf
Dodging and Burning: Dodging and burning is a skill which was perfected in the darkroom. In the digital environment there are many ways to skin this particular cat; this article provides a more controlled method than using the straight 'Dodge and Burn' tool in Photoshop. 348kb .pdf
