Monday, May 30, 2011

Learning from the hunters.

Spearfisher and hamerhead evolution




The majority of underwater photographers are very  pro-conservation. Some even going to the lengths of boycotting movies when scenes were not filmed with proper underwater etiquette. So it comes at no surprise that the UW photography community often holds little love for the spearfishing community.

But wait, the spear fishermen spend a lot of time in the water learning fishes behavior and how to "call" them close. This could be a very useful tool to a cameraman who is trying to get a fish in for the right shot. 

Here are some tricks that I've learned while hanging out with the spearos: 

Flashers - Predatory fish love things that sparkle. I have used everything from glueing on reflective tape to my fins to keep large fish around,  to dropping spoons to get them curious and in the right spot.

Dusting -  Some fish like to eat little bugs and worms that live in the sand. Animals like Rays will chomp down and the sand will plume out of the gills. Smaller fish will come right in to see if there is anything left they can scavenge on. To simulate this all we have to do is toss a little bit of sand up, and fish will come running for lunch. 

Tapping rocks-  I'm guessing the reef chompers like the Uhu ( parrot fish)  make some noise when grinding on the reef. Tap two rocks together and you're mimicking the sound, other fish will come on in to see whats so tasty. 

Grunting - Many types of fish will grunt when another fish is entering their territory. Capitalize on the fish's curious nature to get them to check you out. 


But I think the biggest thing that I have learned from the spearos is how to blend in with the environment. Using the terrain, staying still, and for god sake, NO bubbles. Unless you are a freediver, you would never imagine how most fish feel uncomfortable with the bubbles of a scuba tank.




Saturday, May 14, 2011

Hawaiian sea turtle,

  There is a nice little secluded Beach within 2 miles from my residence. This beach just happens to be teaming with Honu ( hawaiian green sea turtle's).  Bored out of my mind I hopped on my bicycle, camera in my backpack and headed down to the water.


swimming with the hawaiian sea turtle, Chelonia mydas
green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas)

swimming with the hawaiian sea turtle, Chelonia mydas
green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas)


  I also got word that this beach is a prime spot for hammerhead pups, Jun-Aug. So more trips are on the way.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

flat-1' on the west side. ( still got photos)

Derek Broussard photographing surf ;)
Small surf day on the west side....Its a hard life ;)




Small surf on west Oahu, hawaii.
My view

Small surf on west Oahu, hawaii.
Inside a glass house




jello love
Jello love
I don't know, I just like the water shrapnel at the end.  

Saturday, May 7, 2011

A beach to myself on a stormy friday morning

Friday morning started off with me heading to KillerTacos to view my first commercial print, a 24"x36" canvas wrap. It was printed from Bayphotos and looks Amazing!
Print Displayed at Killertacos, North shore Oahu

 After my visit to Killertacos, I headed to the north shore shore break made famous by Clark Little, Ke Iki beach. It was a stormy weekday morning and the beach was completely empty. A good thing for me; I needed some alone time to refresh my ability to be comfortable in surf and an empty beach would spare me the embarrassment of others seeing. 

"Strike the sea with your rod." So it divided, and each separate part became like the huge, firm mass of a mountain.
A look up reveals a ceiling of water 

 My surf housing is brand new. At only two weeks old, I am still trying to work out the kinks. Such as the following image.  To control the aperture and shutter speed, Spinning dials are used. If the dials are pressed down, then it is possible for the surf to spin the dials and change the setting. This is what happend to the following image ( sadly probably the best of the day).

Image strait from camera, f/18 1/1000 iso 400



Shore break on a stormy Northshore day 
Luckily I was able to save the image in post op. I doubt I will use the image for anything other then showing you guys how my Friday went.

     

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Training for water time ( the beginning)

     Underwater photography can be done two ways: technical, with various systems of underwater breathing apparatuses, or through mental and physical stamina of a breath hold. I choose the latter.
    I believe that diving below the surface on a breath hold allows me a different type of interaction with the marine environment then those of scuba. However, my life depends on my physical fitness. Since I moved back to Hawaii to be a professional underwater photographer, I figured I better start training like one.

     Along with the usual push ups, sit ups and running, I have been focusing on Hill sprints, and Breath hold tables.  

  I started off with a simple O2 table. 
“Breath

While a three minute hold is well within my ability, I still found this table to be extremely uncomfortable.  Contracts where painful, most likely due to the lack of flexibility in my chest. 
      
           added some diaphragm stretches to my weekly routine ( see my tutorial on youtube )

My next table was a co2 table 

“Breath
I found this session to be extremely easy. I didn't get contractions until my 6th hold and they were very light. 

 On an interesting note, Brittany was counting my heart rate and around the 5th hold and on, she had difficulty finding a radial pulse, a good indication that I was shunting blood.