[graham owen]

Thanks for the welcome Steve, Brett and Jay.

[graham owen]

Hey Steve,

I haven’t used a tripod underwater so far.

[graham owen]

Thank you Ben!  I do quite a bit of tying these days, and enjoy the creative aspects.

Thanks Zach, I’m glad to be here.  I just replied to the Underwater Photography thread, and posted the photo we talked about on the phone…

Graham

[graham owen]

One more tidbit,

[graham owen]

Wow, the quality of underwater shots posted here is incredible, and all of the helpful tips are invaluable!

Thanks Corey for the kind remarks!  I’m a big fan of your work.

I’ve been practicing my underwater photography, with a EWA-Marine bag, the largest one they make, which allows me to insert any sized SLR, with room for a flash on top.   Instead of mounting a flash I mount a PocketWizard radio transmitter, with a motor drive cable, and keep a second transmitter in my vest pocket (in a ziplock bag).  This allows me several options, including submerging and leaving my camera underwater, either near my feet, to allow for leading fish back and forth in front of the lens, while firing away, or, leaving a camera mid-stream while I stand on a bridge or shore waiting for fish to swim past.

On stream, I typically shoot a D300 above water, in aperture priority mode, while my D200 goes underwater, with every setting on fully automatic, including ISO.  Initially I hoped my 17-55 f/2.8 lens would be my underwater workhorse, for various reasons, but it really didn’t work out as well as desired.  The slightest pressure on the front of the lens, including swift current, pushed the lens in, and my preset for 20mm would go tight, to 55mm, leaving me with bits and pieces of fish.  So, I bought a dedicated lens for this type of photography, a Sigma 10-20 f/4.  When the front of the lens is pushed in, it does the opposite of a Nikon, it goes wider as opposed to tighter.  I like to leave it set at 15mm to diminish wide-angle lens distortion.

I think the biggest advantage of EW-Marine bags is the relatively low cost when compared to dedicated customized housings, including the ability to insert a variety of cameras and lenses without having to purchase individual ports and domes, as well as being able to insert a radio transmitter.  The biggest negative is having a 77mm flat glass port, which really is not conducive to over-under shots.  Perhaps someday, I will dunk my head and peer through the viewfinder to achieve nice over-under shots, because my spraying and praying has not worked out all that well.   That said, I often like to fish alone, and I have found it much easier to capture pleasing fish photos underwater, than above water, by myself using the transmitter.

the photos below were shot from bridges, while my camera was left mid-stream

[graham owen]

Thank you Zach,

It was an honor and privilege to Podcast with you, and I really enjoyed our chat.

I’m glad you like my bugs!

Cheers,
Graham

[graham owen]

Hey moosedog,

[graham owen]

Thank you Zach, I had a feeling the 17-55 would be the best lens to keep on the camera for fish photos.

I do expect a number of fish to be caught this year, mostly beautiful brownies.

[graham owen]

I’m glad you like the shot, and thanks for your comments!

I used a D200 with a 70-200mm f/2.8 with a TC 1.4, and luckily the cormorants were hunting very close to the shore.

[graham owen]

Hi Pancho,

Thanks for the kind words.  For a few years I spent considerable amounts of enjoyable time at my vise, playing with realistic tying, but, for the past few months, my vise has been dormant due to my constantly wanting to spend as much non-working time either behind my camera or reading photography books.  It truly feels great to have a new passion, but once the rainy season sets in, I’ll probably enjoy staying dry behind my vise.

I bought my camera for two reasons, to take better shots of my flies, as well as places I fish.  I use a 105mm for my fly tying shots, became interested in photographing real bugs, bought a 200mm, and I think I’m finally set for lenses for a while.  Someday I hope to get a 200-400, but the cost is prohibitive.

I have some shots of real insects, more specifically dragonflies, interacting with my tyed flies…  Yes, I’m having a lot of fun…. More than I ever expected….

I rushed home to tye a realistic orange dragonfly, could have detailed the legs better, but was back the next day and got some cool pics…

[graham owen]

I’ve bought a number of books in the past few months, and my favorite is:
Understanding Exposure, revised edition.
By Bryan Peterson.

[graham owen]

Hi Zach,

Lately I’ve been enjoying photographing birds in flight, with a D200, and noticed that AF is faster and more accurate when using the center focus sensor.

[graham owen]

Thank you Zach.

[Author]

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