Bucear en Honduras - 2007 - Set #2
Buenas días/tardes/noches. I mentioned that taking underwater pictures is like trying to take a good picture of an umbrella in the middle of a typhoon. Underwater we find the worse conditions for photography. We have to fight light refraction, image and distance distortion, lack of luminosity all while being under pressure, sometimes being rocked back and forth by strong swells. We don't have a proper appreciation of size (everything is seen bigger) and distance (everything seems closer) as it is distorted by light and the mask we are wearing. Around 60 feet all colors are becoming dull, sometimes pretty much the same depending on light penetration/water conditions or polution. Around 100 feet everything is brown-reddish, the short waves don't make it to that depth. Also if I'm not the 1st one "on the scene" then chances are other divers have lifted millions of particles either from the bottom or the reef. Now if I use a flash I am actually lightning a myriad of spots that will be the only ones show up in my picture. Let's no talk about the pictures that are blurry…for no apparent reasons. While diving in a group there is not much time to think and shoot as they might go on and forget you right there. If that's not enough to make it hard let's add on that the constant movement of the ocean, you aim, a big swell takes you 3 feet away from the subject, come back to it and it's gone (fish). You have no idea how many pictures of fish tails I have lol. My modest secret for good pictures is to not be too close else I burn the colors with the flash so I prefer a bit of distance, more power on flash and zoom in. Sometimes I don't zoom, take a larger picture and crop it to the subject I wanted to photograph. Roatan, is a preserved natural reserve since 2007 anyway and they have a no-glove diving policy so it could be dangerous to try hanging on a rock as it might not be an innocent rock LOL. I will post a picture of a fish you don't want to mistake for a rock. Also to avoid hanging on is brain coral and fire coral. The first one is similar to 1000's of razor blades and the later to 1000's of fire ants. Diving with no gloves ensures that divers will not attempt to touch or remove souvenirs from the sites. Respectful divers have a policy, "we don't leave anything, we don't take anything", that way the next diver can enjoy the same beautiful site we found. Enough blah blah blah…on to the show.
That was a pretty big guy, but very gentle and shy
Octopus in meditation
Who's the local guy and who's the tourist :0)
A snake? No, an eel.
A graceful starfish
Getting stung by this ugly guy ensures you a cardiac arrest or if lucky a few weeks in an hospital
La familia en la casa (it was reproduction season)
If I needed another reason to learn Spanish it would be to respond to that smile.
4 Answers
Bounce
Geez Gary, the water is going to be cold. I'm a chicken, I don't dive until May.
Great pics sf, I'm hoping to get out this weekend (wind permitting). Do you have a photo of a star that is not in a sponge? Non divers are probably going to be confused by that one. Love the purple vase sponge, it looks like my avatar.
Nice! Thanks for sharing. 
