Lensbaby

Hi everyone,

Back again with some new underwater photos for you guys, which i hope you enjoy. (also included some old ones from my post last year. Search for my last post 'Underwater Lensbaby Images' if you like).

After all the frustration i had last November diving with the Lensbaby Composer (with no way of adjusting focus or tilt/shift while underwater), i have been diving with it again recently and have fixed a 'focus ring' from my Nikon 60mm macro lens around the Composer using rubber-bands. This allows me to adjust the focus distance underwater using my underwater housing for my Nikon D300, which has greatly improved things, however the tilt/shift must still be fixed for the whole dive.

I work as an underwater photographer and cameraman here in Sulawesi, Indonesia, which is a good opportunity to try and break new ground with a Lensbaby by taking it under the sea. I like the unusual photos i've got with it, as i've always been shooting wide-angle or macro underwater. It's still very difficult to shoot with, but at least i've solved the problem of focusing.

Moving subjects (eg. fish) are really tricky, and you have to hope and pray that sweet spot is just right, often wasting lots of photos in the process of getting maybe just one good shot. With the sweet-spot fixed, if a fish turns around suddenly then your composition for that image is ruined! Lionfish are easy as they just sit there, and Anemonefish's movements are quite predictable so it was a case of just staying in position and waiting for them to come into the sweet spot every couple of minutes. The Yellow Trumpetfish was quite a lucky shot, even though i followed it taking photos for about 15mins until it finally got in a (half)decent position.

As you will understand from shooting Lensbaby on land, the best results underwater are ideally images with some colourful foreground and background detail, to enhance the Lensbaby effect. However, in these photos here, the diver, the Seahorse, and the Butterflyfish don't follow this rule. I just like them because i got them sharp!!

Static subjects like coral are SO much easier, meaning i don't scream in frustration like a madman underwater!


Thanks,
Christian Loader

www.flickr.com/photos/christianloader
www.scubazooimages.com

I forgot to mention equipment:

I am using a Nikon D300, Nexus D300 underwater housing, 2x Inon Z240 underwater strobes, Lensbaby Composer, Double Glass Optic, 0.42x super wide lens, and all these photos were with the f4 or f5.6 aperture disc.

Beautiful colors,very nice pictures.

TRYING IS THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS FAILURE.

Homer Simpson

great as usual.

Wow those are fantastic. I love the colors and compositions. Great job.

Fantastic shots!

My Flickr Page

www.taylorimages.ca

My compliments for the shots: it is very difficult to take these pictures. I like the shots with the shoals in particular.

these are so great! I love them all but my most favorites are 6, 11, & 13

I'm impressed: so impressed that I'm going to try it! I'm thinking about trying the sweet35, though, because you can have more control over the aperture before putting it into the housing. What dome are you using with the lensbaby? How well does the focus ring work if the composer is tilted?

Tim

[www.flickr.com]

Thank you everyone!

Hi Tim,
I'm sure the sweet 35 is great, but there's no need to think about the aperture too much. All of these shots were with the f4 or f5.6 disc. The sweet spot is still workable depending on the subject, and the results are nicer with these wider apertures, really displaying the effect of the lensbaby.
I have been using the Super wide optic (21mm), and was using a 40mm extension ring + standard macro flat port on my underwater housing. You should be fine using any dome port i think.
The focus ring doesn't work very well when the composer is tilted. When tilted even slightly, there were many times underwater when the focus ring kept slipping and not connecting with the teeth of the focus dial inside the housing: really really annoying! I often just kept the lens centered, or just slightly tilted left/right. You could tilt more i think, and use some blue-tack or tape to secure a better connection of the focus ring inside the housing.
Let me know how it goes, and if you find out any things that work + don't work :-)
All the best,
Christian

Nexus O_O
gr8 housing

i use an Eva-marine housing, thou it only gives u 30m to dive and no strobe flashing its flexible lens port is useful but still have many handicaps underwater.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/06/2011 12:15AM by BananaJoe.

WOW!!! These are spectacular. I can not even imagine how you got such great focus underwater other than you do a lot of it and are really good. I love the blending of colors and shapes with the Lensbaby and you just really got some super interesting shots Christian. I can't pick a favorite, each time I went to the next I was so impressed. I am glad you included the diver. That's a good one too!

I'm super impressed with all your work, love it all. Just wish I could swim let alone dive!

Wow talk about thinking outside the box, great images!

I love the first one, sweet-spot is great! I also enjoy the texture ones and the dragonfish(?) #3

Using a Nikon as the basic platform is a wonderful plan! Ha!

Your photos are stunning, captivating, quite marvelous I think. It's amazing you think as you do, and follow your desires thru implementation of method to attain photographs that fit the visions in your mind's eye. Hooray for you, well done! Innovative thinkers have always paved the way for new equipment and broadened horizons for the rest of us.

Thanks!

"Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?
____Groucho Marx

thanks for all the comments! it means a lot to me :-)

Wow, nice captured!

WOW - great series from a fantastic world, I really like your images, well done work.

Jørgen
[www.jffoto.dk]

Wow very nice!

***Painting with light is the sweetest delight***

I also say WOW! Fantastic images!

I am so jealous! These are great. I would love to be able to do this.

Kirsten Hunter
Director of Customer Happiness

See more of my work on my blog: [www.livefrombeechstreet.blogspot.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/10/2011 07:49AM by Kirsten.

A wonderful collection of images I can only imagine the difficulties shooting under water well done

i am really, really impressed! Your work is so good! Thanks for sharing!

This is so amazing and beautiful!!!!

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My website: [www.fotoaalborg.dk]
Blog (English): [www.retrofoto.dk]
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Very nice.

Craig

You could not step twice into the same rivers; for other waters are ever flowing on to you.
Heraclitus of Ephesus

Very impressive it's hard enough to take pictures under water with a dedicated camera let alone a lensbaby keep it up!

Stunning. Thank you for sharing these photos.

"Photography has become a passion I want to nourish."

Gloria

Christian , well done , a very difficult task well executed .tony

Really liking the Sea Horsey!