Fine… Detail
Ok. So I have told you about my evolution. I become better as an underwater photographer because I’m a good photographer. Or, I get better gear. Chicken or the egg? I’m slapping myself on the back because my gear is better. It begs the question as to whether or not I should just be done and get the best gear. No! It’s expensive. And I don’t know how long I’m here diving. And once I’m done, it’s a lot of expensive gear with no where to go on the weekend. Hey! It ain’t golf. It’s insidious. Like anything with moving parts, you upgrade slowly. As another buddy said, it’s awful it’s so easy to press the return key while you are on Amazon. I bring my stuff direct from the US. But they order direct delivery like FedEx equivalent delivery. It works. The gear available in Saudi is pitiful. The stores are completely clueless. The dive guys I am with are very savvy and know exactly what they want. Hey, we need underwater tripods. I saw one diver cut down the legs of a very expensive Manfrotto tripod. I cringed. Where is this all leading? Last trip home I got a close up lens. Underwater optics are interesting. They go bare without any protection and don’t seem to mind if there is a scratch of two on the glass. Cringe! I got a UV filter and stuck it on the front. It’s a 67mm thread. Works! They all shake their head and smile. I have to unscrew the filter and let water inside because otherwise it will leak in slowly.
Ah! Look at the detail. This is full frame. I used to blow up and enlarge my image to get this big. Naturally you see finer things that you would never notice without a macro lens. See the fins. Look at the eyes. And the open mouth. The trick – depth of field is awful, and try to hold steady at this magnification. Everything moving is magnified chaos. This is why to pick ion subjects that are sitting still to start. Ha ha you say. Do you care? As someone put it – “Never mistake asthma for passion.”
photobackstory 