Page 26 - Q01-2021 Fins Magazine
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      job on it.  In terms of doing the   of exposure, aperture and shutter   camera setting, given that there
      post-production, I had to really    speed, the better your control of   are so many other things to think
      make sure that the prosthetic was   your images will be.  It doesn’t    about with regards to lighting and
      looking the best.  So there was a   necessarily mean your images        positioning and all the things that
      lot of kind of feedback from her    will be any better, it just means   could go wrong. I mean, arguably
      as the client, letting me know that   you’ve got more control over      maybe a simpler camera to start
      she needed me to kind of finesse    it.  Some of my most favorite       with is a smarter way to start.
      a few little things just to kind of   footage, for example, in terms
      fix anything that might have kind   of video was shot on an iPhone      Brett S
      of started to wear off in the pool.   five in the Bahamas.  And it just   That’s absolutely right. There’s a
      Outside of that, then there’s not a   so happened that the situation    tradeoff.  I don’t want to invest
      lot.  It’s mostly just cleaning up the   we were in, and the model I was   any more gear in something until
      background, removing anything       working with made it amazing.       I know that I’m really going to
      that might be a little distracting.   This camera was just enough to    love it or I’m going to start making
      Luckily for this one, the bubbles   capture that.  Whereas if I tried   money from it.  So for me, I’m
      and the light kind of all work      to do a set with my underwater      starting off with the cheapest I
      together.  So I don’t think there   phone, my iPhone five, it probably   can afford with the controls that
      was a whole lot that I needed to    wouldn’t look very good.  It would   I want. So if I was just starting
      do.                                 look very boring.  So it’s really a   out in this, I would probably get
                                          matter of kind of working out the   a GoPro, an iPhone or something
      JW                                  best situation for which tool you   with a case on it.  And then you
      For a photographer starting out,    have. I’m not sure if that really   learn from that, what the mistakes
      what kind of advice would you       helps.                              are, and what you don’t like, and
      give?                                                                   what do you want to change.
                                          JW                                  So suddenly, you realize that the
      Brett S                             That totally makes sense to me.     GoPro it keeps changing exposure
      The main thing is to make the       And you could have a super          all the time, you don’t have any
      most of the equipment you have.     sophisticated camera but not        control over that, or its lens is way
      If the camera that you have is      know how to use it, then you        too wide for what you want to do.
      a GoPro, then use that as much      might as well use an iPhone.        So, then you start looking for the
      as you can. If it’s an iPhone, or                                       next step up to fix those problems
      Android that can go underwater,                                         that you’re finding.
      play with those sorts of things.    Brett S
      You need to work with the tools     A lot of cameras these days         JW
      you have until you can invest       have facial recognition. And that   What kind of advice on equipment
      money into getting better tools.    will work underwater in terms       could you give someone who’s just
      And so, in saying that I do tend to   of in terms of focusing.  So say   got their iPhone? Let’s say, they’re
      shoot a lot with my iPhone. What    my iPhone 12 underwater, it’ll      going to get the case, jump in,
      I know, though, is that I have very   find someone’s face.  And it’ll   and start fooling around and see
      little control over stuff. I have to   focus on that primarily.  So long   if they get a passion for it. What
      shoot things that I know are going   as you’re wanting that piece to    kind of direction would you give
      to work with that iPhone.  So       be in focus, it’ll be fine.  But you   them for underwater lighting?
      say, if I’m in the Florida springs, I   have to remember that all these
      know that it doesn’t have a very    cameras, especially the cheaper     Brett S
      dynamic range.  This means that     end, are trying to do everything    Yeah, so there’s a few places
      if things are very dark in one side   they can to make your job easier.    you can start with that.  And the
      and very bright and the other side,   Sometimes that doesn’t give you   cheapest option is natural lighting.
      then my camera will not really      the results that you want. I like a   So, the sun is an awesome light,
      handle that sort of image.  I will   manual camera that I can change    which is beautiful when used
      just mainly shoot in in the shade,   all the settings on because I know   correctly. If you jump into your
      rather than having to try and bring   what I want based on experience.   swimming pool and try to take
      in lights and all that sort of stuff.   If a camera starts trying to make   some photos under there, like
                                          decisions for me, that’s when I     say, in the middle of the day,
      So, if you’re looking to sort of    start to lose control over the final   there’s going to be lots of ripples.
      start in this world, then invest in   result.                           That’s what happens when the
      a very cheap housing for phone                                          light refracts through the water
      or a housing for a small compact    JW                                  and creates these hotspots. And
      camera.  The more controls you      Well, but for someone that doesn’t   the problem of those hotspots is
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      have over that camera in terms      have the experience with manual     that they will make one part of
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