Shedding light on Night Dives

Shedding Light on Night Diving
Shooting on a night dive is a very different experience. If it's new for you, try starting on a reef that is familiar to you from daytime dives. The first thing you will notice is how much more colorful the reef is at night. We forget that during the day everything is a washed out blue, almost monotone; at night the reds, oranges, and yellows that only your camera sees with flash will be visible to the naked eye. Couple this with the fact that much of the reef is nocturnal, and you may wonder what took you so long to night shoot.
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Backlighting is easier to see at night, even a small dive light will create a magnificent glow. © 2022 Steve Miller |
Lighting the WayFor flash photographers, particularly macro, the settings do not need to change at all from day to night. If you shoot with a stopped down lens for a black background it can be impossible to tell what time of day the image was captured, although nocturnal creatures will be the telltale sign. |
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Light arrays in clear water will create enough ambient light to shoot in a place like Hawaii. © 2022 Steve Miller |
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Until the flash goes off, there is very little illumination coming from this setup. © 2022 Steve Miller |
Solution: Camouflage with ColorA novel solution is to use colored lights. Specifically red lights are widely used as they seem to upset fish less than white light. Simply subduing your lights with colored gels, and using lower powered lights, can help with navigating the reef while providing enough illumination for your camera to focus. If you are planning on shooting traditional white strobe light, these colors may show up in your images. To avoid this, some lights will actually turn off briefly when they sense the strobe flashing. You can also angle them away from the scene knowing that your strobe will overpower low powered lights. Mixing colored lights and white light can make your scene a small stage, with colored highlights.
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Illuminated by lights with colored filters on them, Crocodilefish eyes will color shift. © 2022 Steve Miller |
Night Time is the Right TimeAlthough night diving may sound disorienting, it's well worth the efforts. You'll be given a front row seat to photograph nocturnal marine life. Fluorescent photography will make for some really unique images. And you may be witness to an entirely new set of animal behaviors than you're used to seeing in the daytime. Stick with your buddy, bring a backup light, and have a former-familiarity with your dive site and you'll want to become nocturnal yourself, just for the photography opportunities. |
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Lizardfish are well known for always fluorescing. © 2022 Steve Miller |