My Brother and I will be arriving on Bonaire May 3rd. Still no place to stay. I am very interested in learning to use my reefmaster any suggestions?

Find a place to stay?

If you go to www.infobonaire.com you'll find lots of info on places to stay. We don't know what your budget is, so I can't really think of what else would help.

Try infobonaire to find which resorts have photo classes thru the dive shop and there are several that do this. This will give you choices of where to stay. The best way to learn to use your Reefmaster is to use it and take a class. Good luck and have fun.

Pamela,

Welcome to Bonaire talk.

Which reefmaster? Internal strobes? External strobes?

There are a few basic principles to remember when diving with a camera. First and foremost ( and one I still find most challenging!) is proper buoyancy control. Divers with cameras tend to explore the reef system closer than those without. Try to keep in mind where your fins are at all times, especially as the excitement level increases.

No image capture opportunity should be worth risking damage to the reef.

Water filters light much differently than air. "Warm" colors such as red and orange are quickly lost due to this filtering process as you descend in the water column. This is why many underwater photographers replace those lost colors with artificial light sources, called strobes. Even with strobes, it is still important to get as close as possible to your target to insure that the light that emanates from them is not adversely affected by the water between strobe and subject. Even the most powerful strobes are not effective beyond five or six feet.

After approaching your target as safely as possible, try to aim your lens upward, towards open water if possible. Critters positioned in front of busy backgrounds (a.k.a. "salad") can be quite confusing.

There's a start at least. In short, respect the reef, get close, shoot up.

If you will be using external strobes, we could discuss backscatter and techniques to limit it....

good luck with your accommodations,
kadushi bob

My way big photo tip and one that I practice myself is to leave the camera ashore for the first few dives. Focus on your diving, on observing the marine life and on the environment. When you start feeling "tuned in", especially when you start seeing good shots that you missed, go get the camera.

I also focus on few dive sites for photo purposes. This also allows me to get the "lay of the land" underwater, see where the interesting things are. You start to realize that many creatures are creatures of habit. This allows you to really plan your shots and come up with something extra special.

My best pictures are in the otherwise crappiest places. Most photography has a range of three feet underwater. So spectacular reef architecture is not all that useful for many shots. Old tires, junk, mooring blocks and the like provide nice cubby holes for creatures.

My tips would be to take the PADI peak bouyancy performance course and then shoot up and close and look at face and not butt shots. If the shot is difficult or involves touching the coral - move on.

Susan, Thanks for the information. Money is not a problem. We are most interested in good diving with friendly helpful divemaster and staff. Where we stay, a good dive package would be nice as well as clean and safe and in a centeral location.
Thanks,
PM

Hey K-Bob,

Wow thanks so much. I am such a rookie but thrilled to have such an awesome oppertunity to explore another world. This is my second year as well as second vacation diving. I used the reefmaster last year and got a couple pics that turned out but want to know so much more. I do have an external strobe but did not use it. I am not sure which camera I have will check. and get back to you. PM

Its all good advice Pamela,

You also might consider buying a basic book on underwater photography or going to one of the many sites on-line, i.e. wetpixel. This will allow you to understand some of the basic principles before you get you camera wet.

Whether your film or digital the basic are the same, technique may vary a bit.

Most important have spare O-rings and check for leaks before each dive. A flooded camera is no good to any one.

Oh and please post your results when you return.

Have a good one.

Dave

heres a link to the canon site

Canon_website

Dave

I used my Reefmaster in Bonaire in 2003 for the first time. I shot 18 rolls of film and didn't bother to develop them until getting back to Chicago. I found out that almost all my shots were centered lower than I expected. I have many shots of the top of my wife's head and fish/critters cut off or filling the top third of the frame. I used the quick-view 'X' sight on top of the camera for almost all shots rather than using the regular viewfinder, which is awkward with a mask and regulator. My wife shoots an MX-10 and her shots came out centered perfectly. So get some shots developed as soon as possible so you can correct your alignment. I'll still use the quick-view, but I'll aim lower... or is that higher? Whatever it takes.

Ron

Good point, we lost a whole trips worth of pictures and Manta shots as the internal close up lens on a Motor Marine II was stuck half way across the aperture. Luckily the digital camera also had the same shots.