It wasn’t until 1987 that a submersible observed the first living coelacanth, also in the Comoros Islands.
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PADI are proud to have launched the new PADI Freediver program at DEMA this year. With a full range of training options and instructor levels, this represents an exciting opportunity for PADI members throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa. An … Continue reading →
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Not all photos are contest winners. Cut down on the underachievers in your image library by flagging keepers versus clunkers right of the bat as Lightroom imports them.
You only need to remember three letters on your keyboard: “P” for Flag, “X” for Reject and “U” for Unflag. Getting in the habit of making a quick first pass every time you import will keep your catalog lean and mean. You can get to work immediately after hitting the Import button. There’s no need to wait for the import to complete, or for previews to finish rendering.
KEEPERS, CLUNKERS OR CAN’T-DECIDES
Select an imported image and hit the space bar. You’ll be looking at a single image in Loupe view. Is it a keeper, a clunker or a can’t-decide?
Erin Quigley
If it’s a keeper, press the “P” key to flag the image as a pick. A small white flag appears in the tool bar, and also in the upper-left corner of the image thumbnail in Grid view.
If it’s a clunker, press the “X” key to set the image as rejected. This time you’ll see a small black flag, and the Grid view thumbnail will be grayed out. Note that hitting “X” does not delete the image but simply marks it as rejected.
If you can’t decide whether the image is a keeper or a clunker, skip it and use the right arrow key on your keyboard to advance to the next image. If you change your mind about an image that you’ve already flagged, hit the “U” key to unflag it.
DITCH THE DUDS
Once you’ve made it through the entire import, do away with the duds. Either go to Photo>Delete Rejected Photos in the top Library menu or use the keyboard shortcut Command-Delete (Mac), or Control-Delete (PC) to gather the rejected images together for deletion.
Erin Quigley
In the Delete Rejected Photos dialogue box, make sure to choose Delete from Disk, and not the default choice, Remove. If you choose Remove, the images will be removed from the Lightroom catalog but will remain on your drive, cluttering up your library and lying in wait to cause chaos and confusion later on.
COMPARE AND SURVEY
When you have to decide between very similar images or pick the best from a series, Lightroom’s Compare and Survey views are there to help. Compare view shows you two images side by side; Survey view tiles multiple images on a single screen.
Erin Quigley
To use Compare view, select two or more images and click the Compare view icon. The keyboard shortcut is “C.”
By default, the left preview is Select and the right is Candidate. Click on an image to activate it. You’ll see a narrow, white frame around the active image.
The Select preview is fixed; the Candidate preview can be changed for comparison with Select. Clicking the right or left arrow replaces the Candidate with the next image in the folder in the direction of the arrow, allowing you to see if there’s a better Select. If you find one, click on the Make Select or Swap icon, then continue the process until you’ve found the best Select.
To zoom in on both previews simultaneously, make sure the lock icon on the tool bar is closed and slide the Zoom slider right next to it. Unlocking the lock icon lets you zoom in on only the active preview. Pressing the Sync button matches the zoom on both previews. I use this all the time to compare eye sharpness.
To use Survey view, select a group of photos. Click the Survey View icon or use the keyboard shortcut “N.”
Click on an image to select it in the Survey window. Roll the cursor over it to reveal flagging and other rating options. Clicking the “X” in the bottom-right corner of the preview removes a photo from the group but doesn’t flag it or delete it from Lightroom, so make sure to flag rejects before removing them. Eliminate photos one by one until you’ve narrowed them down to just the best.
Erin Quigley is an Adobe ACE certified digital-imaging consultant and an award-winning shooter. GoAskErin.com provides custom tutorials and one-on-one instruction for the underwater photographic community.
Imaging: How To Flag Your Best Photos Using Adobe Lightroom Read More »
Diving with mantas is a bucket-list dream for most divers, but Ben Buchan, the 2015 Australasia Rolex Scholar, made that dream a reality.
During a three-week stay in Yasawas, Fiji, Buchan worked with the Barefoot Collection and Manta Trust to study manta mating behavior and take manta ID photos on a daily basis.
As an Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society Rolex Scholar, traveling to exotic locations comes with the job, but this trip to Fiji brought more than just mantas and great diving: Buchan participated in coral rejuvenation and the reintroduction of giant clams into Fijian waters.
“I’m eager to see how these projects grow over the coming years and to see more local communities become involved in saving their oceans!” Buchan says of his experience in Fiji.
Thomas Vignaud
Australasia OWUSS Rolex Scholar Ben Buchan photo ID’s mantas in Fiji.
As this trip recap suggests, the life of an Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society Rolex Scholar is nothing short of an adventure, one that can be tailored to individual interests, giving scholars the opportunity to leave a personalized mark on the underwater world.
The Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society Rolex Scholarship provides experiences for scholars to learn not only about marine environments but also the local cultures that rely on them. On a separate trip to Taveuni, Buchan put to action a particular passion of his, “to educate developing communities on the importance of ocean conservation and the need to protect local reefs.” He did this by leading marine talks and beach clean ups with local children of the island.
Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society and Rolex have been working together for over 40 years on a shared mission: to identify and develop the next generation of dive leaders and underwater researchers. Over the last four decades, the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society and Rolex have fostered the development of future leaders of the underwater environment like Ben. Today they are seeking applicants for the 2016 Scholarships. Currently, three Rolex Scholarships are awarded, to applicants in North America, Europe and Australasia. During the scholarship year, the three winners have the opportunity to travel internationally and learn from the world’s leading experts in conservation, underwater photography, maritime archaeology, marine engineering and other related fields.
If you or somebody you know are between the ages of 21 and 26, have high academic standing and have achieved Rescue Diver or equivalent certification, continue reading at OWUScholarship.org to learn why being the next Rolex Scholar is a life-changing experience. Application deadlines for the 2016 Scholarship year are as follows: North American and European applications are due December 31, 2015. Deadline for 2016 Australasian Scholarship application is January 31, 2016. The organization also offers numerous internships, which can be viewed here. Application deadline for internships is January 31, 2016.
Keep up with Ben’s adventures as the Australasia Rolex Scholar on his blog.
Take the Plunge — Apply to be a 2016 Rolex Scholar Read More »
Guest post by Contiki Vacations It’s big, it’s blue, it’s beautiful – but what’s really going on down there? The ocean is arguably the most fascinating part of this planet, and these ocean facts prove it: There’s A LOT of ocean out there. Oceans cover about 70% of the earth’s surface, […]
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