Underwater Photography – Page 4 – PADI IDC Exam Revision and Theory

Imaging: How To Take Your Photos To The Extreme In Post Production

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TAKE IT TO 11

Why take your RAW adjustments to 11? Because it’s one louder than 10, as Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel so aptly put it. “Taking it to 11” refers to taking something to an extreme — I usually don’t recommend taking post-processing to an extreme, but there are times when a little extra juice from Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) really does the trick.

Maxing It Out

How to take your RAW photos to the max in post production

Erin Quigley

This image of schooling barracuda is way too blue. After white balancing in Lightroom or ACR, I’ve maxed out both the Temp (blue/yellow) and Tint (green/pink) sliders, but I still don’t have the effect that I really want.

I’d like to make the fish more neutral, without having to resort to any elaborate painting or masking.

It would be fab if I could push the White Balance sliders just a little bit beyond their limits — to 11, if you will.

By using a Smart Object workflow in Photoshop, I can.

What Is A Smart Object?

A Smart Object is a Photoshop layer that packages selected image data and embeds it into a special container. This container maintains nondestructive editing capacities for whatever’s embedded inside. Although any layer or combination of layers can be transformed into a Smart Object, only Smart Objects coming straight from Lightroom or ACR will maintain actual RAW image data. In this case I’ll create a Smart Object that embeds the RAW file of the barracuda, along with the Lightroom Develop module adjustments that have already been made to the file.

To open a Smart Object from Lightroom, go to Photo>Edit In>Open as Smart Object in Photoshop.

To open a Smart Object from ACR, hold down the Shift key and click on the Open Object button at the bottom of the window.

A Smart Object can be identified by the small icon at the bottom right of its layer thumbnail. To re-edit the embedded RAW image from within the Smart Object, double-click on the Smart Object thumbnail, and ACR will open. Notice that the original Lightroom Develop module adjustments or initial ACR settings are maintained. By using a Smart Object workflow, you can access and re-edit these settings directly from Photoshop’s layers panel.

Turn It Up to 11 with a Camera RAW Smart Filter

To be able to re-edit RAW settings directly from a Photoshop layer is useful on its own, but the object is to go beyond the limits of the original ACR sliders. To do that, a Camera Raw Smart Filter is called for. To add a Camera Raw Smart Filter, go to Filter>Camera Raw Filter. A new ACR window will open automatically.

When I add a Camera Raw Smart Filter to the barracuda Smart Object, I get a clean new ACR window. Because the sliders in the new window start at zero, I can add more of whatever settings are maxed out in the original ACR adjustments.
By sliding the zeroed-out Temp slider to the right toward yellow, I get extra oomph from my white balance. The adjustment knocks back the remaining blue on the fish, and I’m much happier. I could not have achieved this white balance with an ordinary Lightroom or ACR adjustment. At this point, I can jiggle more sliders, brushes or filters on either the original Smart Object ACR settings or the Camera Raw Smart Filter to finish my editing.

Smart Filter Functions

Functions of a Smart Filter in Photoshop

To toggle a Smart Filter’s visibility, click the eyeball next to it on and off.
To reopen a Smart Filter, double-click on its name in the Layers panel.
Smart Filters have their own layer mask. When the layer mask is active, painting on the image with black conceals the effect of the Smart Filter in the painted area. This makes every tool in ACR a potentially local tool.
Smart Filters have a separate blending mode and opacity control accessed by clicking on the small lines-and-arrows icon at the bottom right of the layer.

Saving Smart Objects

When you create a Smart Object in Photoshop via Lightroom, saving the Photoshop document puts the layered Smart Object file into the same folder as the original file and amends the file name to reflect its Smart Object status. The next time you look at the image in Lightroom, you’ll see the Smart Object version right next to the original in the grid. When a Smart Object is created via Adobe Camera Raw, saving the Smart Object opens a Save As dialogue box, which lets you rename the file and save it to the location you wish.

Get Your Hands Dirty

The language of Smart Objects and Smart Filters can be confusing, but push past the mumbo-jumbo. Don’t be afraid to experiment. All the adjustments are completely nondestructive, and mastering this technique will pay off as an excellent addition to your post-production arsenal.

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.

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Interview with David Valencia, Underwater Photographer and PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer

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“It’s the mystery, magic, beauty and abundance of life that draws us to the ocean. May these images beyond the ‘blue door’ expand your ocean awareness and inspire you to find your connection with it.” – David Valencia PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer and underwater photographer David Valencia has […]

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Diving Papua New Guinea from the M/V Chertan Liveaboard

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All Creatures Great and Small

I drift downward through a kaleidoscope of dancing sun rays on a sight known as Deacon’s, in the very heart of Milne Bay. Their convergence pulls me past a dramatic cavernlike overhang in the wall to a riot of color on the reef below. Omnipresent anthias surge and twitch in an electric tangerine current that flows around huge sea fans in hues of honey, lychee and mangosteen. This is truly a tropical marine cornucopia, I think as I spot fire gobies, butterflyfish, angelfish and an almost invisible crocodilefish. Juvenile emperor angels dazzle, rotund frogfish amuse, lionfish bewitch. Every moment is an opportunity to discover something amazing, and I am determined to indulge myself to the point of photographic gluttony.

As if on cue, our dive guide, Junior, proudly directs my camera toward some invisible wonder. I look through my viewfinder and see … nothing. Junior grins and urges a second attempt. Then I spot it. Junior has found what is quite possibly the tiniest Severn’s pygmy seahorse on the planet. It doesn’t seem real. Two quick shots and I lose it again, but my gauges tell me it’s time to go. Just another dive in one of the most remarkable regions on Earth.

I am an Indo-Pacific-dive addict. I will have my bags packed faster than you can say Coral Triangle for almost any opportunity to travel to the region. You can count on great diving and interesting marine creatures there — that’s
a given. But for that true feeling of adventure, it’s hard to beat the exotic wonders of Papua New Guinea.

Where it all Began

Milne Bay is situated on the eastern edge of PNG, between a confluence of nutrient-rich currents from the Coral and Solomon seas. For most divers, the adventure begins in Alotau. Here I was met by Rob Van der Loos, owner of M/V Chertan, who is one of the pioneers of Milne Bay diving and has lived more adventures than most of us have seen at the movies. A chance to hang out with him while we gather provisions in the backstreets and markets of Alotau is a perfect way to shift into a local pace, and perhaps bargain for crafts.

Although off the radar of many travelers, the Milne Bay region is legendary among divers, marine naturalists and photographers. “There is everything here for everyone,” says Roger Steene, an accomplished photographer and author of multiple fish ID books who makes frequent trips on Chertan.

This purpose-built liveaboard began operations out of Alotau more than 16 years ago. The vessel is manned by a full complement of qualified crew (usually five), which includes some of the best critter spotters available in the business. With a max of 10 divers, guests feel like the privileged few they are — every site is a private dive.

Most divers don’t realize that muck diving originated in PNG. Over the years, Van der Loos and his team have become muck aficionados, finding numerous rare, new nudibranch species to add to the wild, weird and wonderful creatures already discovered in New Guinea.

Knowing we are chomping at the bit, Van der Loos wastes no time backing up Chertan nearly to shore, tying the stern to the trees. “This little pocket of paradise is known as Lauadi,” he says. “There’s an incredible muck dive directly under the boat called Dinah’s Beach. The pool is open.”

Dinah’s is a classic black-sand muck dive, meaning you immediately find yourself on a very dark bottom in 25 feet of water looking at an apparent wasteland. But patience is rewarded, especially if you stick like glue to your guide as I did. It would take a few dives to develop my own muck vision, but Dinah’s Beach is an excellent training ground. Highlights on a single dive: finding a juvenile warty frogfish, emperor shrimp on a sea cucumber, peacock mantis shrimp, flabellina nudibranchs and jewel-like bobtail squid. The top prize has to be finding the rare and elusive Milne Bay epaulette shark on a night dive on the same site. These small, elegantly marked carpet sharks are rarely seen by day.

Back on board we are regularly plied with tea and cookies. The obsessive photographers in the group, myself included, sip the tea and grease O-rings on the large table on the upper deck. The view of verdant, jungle-covered shorelines while downloading SD cards only adds to the wonderment.

Hooked on a Feeling

The week progresses in spite of my best efforts to stop the clocks. I am bedazzled by the bommielike reef on Tania’s that rises close enough that my safety stop encircles the shallows and almost requires the dive guides to drag me back to the boat. I swoon at the mantas that circle the bommie at Gona Bara Bara as they hover, nearly motionless, while wrasse eagerly go about cleaning them.

My time was almost over. I had long heard stories of orcas occasionally showing up at Wahoo Point. They have appeared twice — not exactly a pattern, but orcas are on my bucket list, and I have come close to seeing them in northern PNG before. Surely it was worth a try. Seeing eagle rays and a few sharks parade along the wall as we descend seems promising, and the topography is stunning. I focus on the blue and project my best orca vibe — whatever that is, but I try.

I also try not to be distracted by the big schools of fish and a brief pass by a manta, but the place is easy to get lost in. I’m on a mission. When another guide, Seba, tries to show me an elaborate scorpionfish, I shoo him away too quickly, as my computer makes clear a moment later. My safety stop allows me to turn slow 360s, and I let the dance of light and waves play tricks on my imagination. I take one last look over my shoulder before leaving the water, but there would be no orca that day. Instead, I got another spectacular dive experience in Milne Bay — and another reason to come back.

FIVE REASONS TO DIVE MILNE BAY ABOARD CHERTAN

1. Comfortable Cabins
Chertan has five comfortable double-bunk cabins, each with its own sink and storage space. All accommodations are air-conditioned.

2. Dive Guides Seba and Junior
Are you looking for particular critters? Odds are good these locals can find them for you.

3. Expert Advice
Owner Rob Van der Loos has been capturing images of marine life in the region for 35 years.

4. Sumptuous Home-Style Cooking
Fresh local fruits are just the beginning — you might need to loosen your BC!

5. Fewer Divers
Chertan can accommodate 10 guests, but it will run with six.

NEED TO KNOW

When To Go Year-round, with the exception of February, when dive sites might be off-limits because of strong westerlies.

Dive Conditions Water temperatures in summer months can be as high as 84 degrees, and in winter as low as 77 degrees. During the wet season, visibility increases substantially due to the prevailing currents. Even though the wet season lasts for only two to three months, the visibility generally remains high from June to October. November through May, though the visibility drops, seems to offer a different variety of macro subjects.

Operator M/V Chertan (chertan.com). There are five deluxe cabins — all with private bathrooms — for a maximum of 10 passengers.

Price Tag As we went to press, a 10-night charter to Milne Bay with up to four dives per day ran roughly $3,300 per person.

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Blue Water Series: The Dive Behind the Photo â€“ Part 3

David Valencia, Rebreathers, Replacement Card, Scuba_News, standards, Teach First Aid/CPR, Tec, Tec Diving, Technology, TecRec, TecRec IT Crossover, UW Photography, Wrecks / Scuba Admin

Schooling Jacks by David Valencia “Cabo Pulmo is a National Marine Park located some 70 miles NE of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. This place has become a source of pride for the small Cabo Pulmo community – and all of Mexico. It was not long ago that the community of […]

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Imaging: How To Flag Your Best Photos Using Adobe Lightroom

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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?

Adobe Lightroom Tutorial: Flagging and Rejecting Photos

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.

Adobe Lightroom Tutorial: Deleting Rejected Photos

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.

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