Watershot Blog

Watershot STRYKR dive lights compare very favorably with competitors lights – see the chart below from SCUBA DIVING Magazine.  Watershot lights are the best package size (best weight to light output ratio), and offer nearly the highest light output per dollar ratio.  Plus the Watershot canister light system is very customizable, and allows users to choose the best mounting option, cord length and style, light head size and depth rating, beam pattern, and burn time.  And since all our light heads and batteries are compatible, Watershot users can easily upgrade their STRYKR light system by getting the latest light head or battery (without having to buy a full new system).

Capt. Gene Flipse took some amazing photos of Humpback whales this year using his Canon 5D MKII in a Watershot housing.   Capt. Gene Flipse’s company, Conscious Breath Adventures, leads liveaboard cruises to encounter the Humpback Whales of the Silver Bank, Dominican Republic.

We wanted to share with our users and fans the details of how Gene was able to capture these great images using the Canon 5D MKII in a Watershot housing.  So we asked Gene to give us details of the situation and camera settings for his images…and he kindly obliged.  Here are some of his great images and the details of how he captured the pictures….enjoy!

Calf at Surface with curved air/sea interface: 

This photo was taken during the first good encounter I had with a humpback during the 2011 season. The sun was getting low and the water was dark, too. The camera did a great job with the available light. The camera and housing were brand new to me, in the water less than a half dozen times. I like the upward curved air horizon and the downward curved water horizon, and the fact that the patch of peach colored whale lice on the calf’s lips and nose can be seen. The calf was close, amazing how much whale can be captured with the 15mm fisheye.

Shot in Canon RAW; Light: ambient, late afternoon (16:30); Shutter: 1/100; Aperture: f/8.0; Exposure Bias: -.67 (-2/3); Exposure: shutter priority; lens: Canon 15mm fisheye; Shooting Range: <6′; ISO: 320

Mom, Calf & Escort w/Remoras from above:

This is a mother, calf and escort (below). After resting below the whales swam beneath us as they rose to breathe, offering this unusual point of view. I like the light on the calf especially, and the mother, too, and the flared pectoral fins, and the contrast of the remoras on the mother’s back.

Shot in Canon RAW; Light: ambient; Shutter: 1/125; Aperture: f/6.3; Exposure Bias: -.67 (-2/3); Exposure: shutter priority; lens: Canon 15mm fisheye; Shooting Range: approx 25′; ISO: 200

Calf on Glassy Day:

This shot came from an encounter on the calmest day of the season. We were with this mother, calf and escort for over six hours. There is a lot to look at in this photo. I like the play of light across the calf’s back and pectoral fin; the refection of colors on the surface of the water; the foreshortened/exaggerated view of the pectoral fin; and the eye contact. I shoot all pictures of the North Atlantic humpbacks at least -2/3 of a stop or more to prevent the white fins from being overexposed and blown out. This was a full sun, glass calm and right at the surface photo. Viewers can see the rays of light shining down on the fin and while it is a bit overexposed in places, on the whole it is a good balance between light and dark. I was about 2′ from the tip of the pectoral fin and was still able to get the entire calf in the photo thanks to the 15mm fisheye.

Shot in Canon RAW; Light: ambient; Shutter: 1/250; Aperture: f/5.0; Exposure Bias: -.67 (-2/3); Exposure: shutter priority; lens: Canon 15mm fisheye; Shooting Range: <2′ from tip of pectoral fin; ISO: 100

Closeup of Humpback Chin:

This photo was taken during the most amazing of interactions, with a amorous and friendly female who followed me around like a forty ton puppy. The details that can be seen are amazing. There are the tubercules (knobs) and the paint-layer effect of the skin on the upper lip, and if you zoom in real close on the lower lip you can even see the vibrissa, the small, white whiskers. Amazing that a forty foot animal uses quarter inch whiskers to sense it’s surroundings. This whale was so close so much of the time that even with a 15mm fisheye it was impossible to capture the entire animal. This was the only shot that not only captured the animal within the frame, but captured some of the feeling of the encounter, too: being mugged and nuzzled by a cheeky whale.

Shot in Canon RAW; Light: ambient; Shutter: 1/250; Aperture: f/7.1; Exposure Bias: -.67 (-2/3); Exposure: shutter priority; lens: Canon 15mm fisheye; Shooting Range: <2′; ISO: 200

Thanks for sharing, Gene!

Check out the online version of the ‘April 2011 NAB – Issue 41-42‘ of Film and Digital Times.

This issue contains a full article (Dolphin Tale 3D Underwater,  57-61) covering the filming of ‘Dolphin Tale;‘  including lots of great images of the 3D Underwater Housing.