From the course: Underwater Photography: Macro

Welcome - Photoshop Tutorial

From the course: Underwater Photography: Macro

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Welcome

- Hi, this is Deke McClelland. - This is Hergen Spalink. - Welcome to our third course, devoted to the exciting world of underwater photography. That is to say, the art of capturing images while scuba diving. - This time around, we're going to show you how to hone your skills for the specialized demands of macrophotography, which is when that subject is projected onto the sensor at one-to-one, or life-size. - If we were on dry land, macrophotography would be about bugs and flowers, maybe the occasional frog, but the ocean is teeming with tiny, colorful creatures. - [Hergen] Creatures like squid. - [Deke] Crab. - Shrimp. - Octopus. - Seahorse. - Rhinopias. - Anemonefish. - Scorpion fish. - Zebra batfish. - Hairy frogfish. - Flamboyant cuttlefish. - Halimeda ghost pipefish. - [Hergen] And, literally, thousands of species of nudibranchs. - I first met Hergen in Indonesia, which is home to some of the most spectacular dive sites in the world, and I was blown away by his work. Not only has Hergen made underwater photography a full-time job, he has led countless underwater photo safaris for amateur and professional shooters alike. If you want to learn underwater photography, this is the guy that's going to teach you. - [Deke] We're going to start things off with a look at what it means to shoot macrophotographs underwater. We'll see some breathtaking examples as captured by Hergen and his partner Kerri Bingham. We'll take a quick look at macro optics, then Hergen will offer some tips for how to best interact with the wildlife and your fellow divers. - [Hergen] Next, we'll take a deep dive into the world of macro exposure, and how you adjust strobe power, shutter speed, aperture, and ISO with the help of in-camera histograms, and you'll learn to control the intrusion of greenish-blue ambient light. - [Deke] In chapter three, we'll show you how to expertly light your tiny macro sea creatures. You'll learn the four styles of underwater macro lighting, standard key and fill, shadowless, directional, and creative, complete with easy-to-follow diagrams and examples. - [Hergen] In chapter four, we'll show you how to achieve critical focus, including an examination of depth of field, which becomes a big deal when your subject is only a few millimeters long. And, we'll reveal the best focus mode for macrophotography. - [Deke] Next, we'll take a look at the elements of good composition, so you can make your underwater photos compelling and accessible, even to people who have no experience scuba diving. If you're looking for beautiful, inspirational glimpses into the undersea universe, chapter five is it. - [Hergen] Then, we'll explore the specialty worlds of night diving, florescence, and super macro, the last of which allows you to capture the ocean's tiniest animals on an epic scale. - Whether you're an avid amateur, like me, or a seasoned professional, like Hergen, underwater photography is a challenging, exciting, mind-expanding experience. It's like shooting on a different planet! - Here, let me show you exactly how it works!

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