NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY  2007

FORTHCOMING PROGRAMME

MAR 13th:     Understanding Exposure - Arthur Kingdon

COMPETITION PROGRAMME

MAR 13th:      Monthly Theme: - Fish
                          Annual Print Competition

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

MAR 13th Meeting

The Meeting (start time 2000hrs) will be at our normal venue (click here for how to find us).

Please try and be on time as we have to keep the main doors locked while we are using the building. However, there is an intercom entry system so you should be able to get in if you are running late.

The presentation, 'Understanding Exposure', by Arthur Kingdon will cover the main aspects of photographic exposure from basic theory to digital sunbursts.

It's Annual Print Competition time again (rules here) so bring along your prints on the night or contact Arthur if you cannot get to the meeting but would like to submit some prints.

The monthly competition theme is 'Fish' so you all must have something suitable - no excuses. Bob will be away so send your digital files to Arthur  akdiver48@hotmail.com or bring your slides on the night (let  Arthur know if you will require a slide projector).

RECENT EVENTS

February Meeting

We were delighted to welcome Dr Alex Mustard to our February Meeting and his popularity was evident by the very large turnout. Although he was scheduled to give us a presentation and to judge a competition, it was also very useful to have him on hand as a fish identification expert - some of us are a bit lacking in that area!

Photography with Fisheye Lenses - Dr Alex Mustard

The main event of the evening was a presentation by Alex Mustard on the subject of fisheye lenses. This was very comprehensive presentation covering: why we use fisheye lenses, dealing with distortion, lighting, suitable subjects, using 135 format fisheye lenses on cropped sensors, and macro wide angle using fisheyes with teleconverters.

full frame but to illuminate the main subject. For even illumination, he recommended keeping the subject parallel with the flashguns. However, the flash fall off can also be used to exagerated effect on shots such as this wreck shot. Note also the way the flourescent hood is emphasised, despite the distance away from the flashguns. The use of 'Magic Filters' avoids the fall off, giving a greater depth of colour.

Alex considered wrecks to be suitable subjects as they are naturally curvy but caution needs to be exercised, particularly inside wrecks, when some subjects need to be straight. 'De-fishing' using software is possible but at the expense of some cropping. Alex recommended practising with the software beforehand so you understand how it will affect the frame.

Fisheye lenses are ideal for split level shots, keeping the impact of the surface fairly small. If the horizon is in the centre then the distortion will be negated. However, Alex recommended trying for split level shots that told a story.

People pictures are liked as they add scale but the forced perspective can be tricky. For tight shots of divers Alex tends not to use a fisheye, preferring wider rectilinears such as the 12-24mm and 17-35mm. One of the most difficult subjects to photograph is the diver with fish/animal type shot. Here the fisheye is very useful as the animal can be concentrated on and the diver will usually be in the frame due to the wide coverage.

For big animal shots, Alex preferred rectilinear lenses but used fisheyes on the bigger subjects such as whalesharks. He referrered to the "big head, small body" or "tadpole" effect. This was less of a problem when using, on cropped sensor cameras, the fisheyes designed for the135 format eg. Nikon16mm and Sigma15mm. The reduced distortion made them more suitable for divers and big animal shots.

Also, less care was needed in aiming when trying to avoid "whiting out". They still enabled close focussing and the corner to corner sharpness, when opened up, was superior to the 12-24mm.

Alex is currently working on using fisheye lenses with teleconverters for a 'macro wide angle' effect. This gave a large foreground subject but with more of the background/natural habitat. He showed several images taken with the 10.5mm and a 1.5X converter. A very interesting concept.

This was an excellent presentation, with plenty of tips and technical stuff, accompanied by stunning images. There was lots to inspire the audience and we look forward to Alex's next visit.

Image of the Year 2006

This competition, to find the best of the Monthly Theme winners from 2006, was judged by Dr Alex Mustard.

In Fourth Place was Heather Hammond with her 'Macro' theme winner:

In Third Place was Trevor Rees with his 'Divers' theme winner:

In Second Place was Ralph Mortomore with his 'Wide Angle' theme winner:

In First Place was Jim Drake with his 'Abstract' theme winner:

Still reeling from the shock, a very pleased Jim Drake was presented with the winner's trophy by Dr Alex Mustard:

Monthly Competition

The theme was 'Macro' and attracted 41 entries - a record I believe. The votes were very widely spread with no less than 18 images picking up at least one vote. However, there was a clear winner - a shot of a secretary blenny, taken in Cuba on a D200, by Simon  Green:

In Second Place was a shot of a frogfish, taken in Nuweiba on a D200, by Arthur Kingdon.

In equal Third Place were shots from Trevor Rees and another from Simon Green. Trevor's shot of a squat lobster was taken in Scotland using a D50, whilst Simon's feather duster worm was taken in Ireland.

Of the others that picked up votes, Anna James emailed from Mabul a very nice shot of a shrimp on a spanish dancer, taken with a D70

MISCELLANEOUS

Underwater Presentation

Bristol Aerospace Sub Aqua Club are hosting a presentation by Miranda Krestovnikoff who will talk about her work on television programmes such as Coast, The Wreck Detectives and more. This will be held on Thursday 8th March at the BAWA Concorde Room, Filton. Admission will cost £4 and will include a light buffet. For more details visit www.aerodivers.com or check out their poster here.

New Royal Mail Stamps

If you have not seen them already, the Royal Mail has just issued a set of stamps entitled 'Sea Life'. The stamps feature images taken by some well known photographers eg Peter Scoones and Paul Kay amongst others. If you buy the presentation pack there are further images inside, including a basking shark by Alan James.

Fake Memory Cards

Two friends of mine have been caught out in an eBay scam where memory cards have turned out to be fakes. It is a big enough problem for eBay to have put out a warning. Click here for link.

Bovisand Diving

Sally Sharrock (who insists she is not on commission!) tells me that Bovisand is now open for diving seven days a week with air, shop, cafe etc and the rib shuttle is running. Shore diving is no problem and parking is £5 per day but that includes a free air fill (sounds a bargain to me). There is also B&B available in the accommodation block. See www.discoverydivers.co.uk

Arthur