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getting started in u/w photographyTEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY JACK
AND SUE DRAFAHL
The Basics ofStrobe Photography
Using the Right Tool
One of the most important toolsavailable to the underwater
pho-tographer is the electronic flash orstrobe. Used correctly,
this auxiliary
light source can make the differencebetween capturing a memory
on film orhaving only a fading memory. Over theyears a great deal
of research and develop-ment have gone into strobe manufactur-ing.
Technicians constantly strive to makethem smaller and more
powerful, withadded features and expanded flexibility.
Fortunately, Sea & Sea Products, Ltd.,offers four different
strobes to fit almostany situation. The YS-30TTL Duo, YS-60TTL,
YS-120 Duo and the YS-300TTLwill work with the Motor Marine
II-EXunderwater camera, most underwatercamera housings and the
Nikonos via five20 SKIN DIVER JULY 1998
pin strobe cords.As light penetrates the
water, some of it isabsorbed but not evenlyacross the color
spectrum.The red end of the spec-trum is absorbed faster thanthe
blue end, so by 30 feet redobjects no longer look red. So, what
doyou do? Add auxiliary light to illuminatethe scene; an underwater
strobe putscolor back into the picture.
The key to great underwater pictures ismatching the right strobe
to a specificcamera setup and diving situation. Thesize of the
subject is the first considera-tion. A small macro subject
normallyneeds a compact, low powered strobe.Large subjects, such as
divers, turtles or
g r o u p e r s ,require a
larger, morep o w e r f u lstrobe to illu-minate the
scene. To betterunderstand the
use of strobes, we will take you throughseveral situations we
have encounteredwhile on location for Skin Diver.
A macro lens reduces the subject tolens distance, which allows
crisp, razor-sharp images of tiny critters. When weuse a 1:2 or 1:3
macro lens, we like tohave the strobe close to the top of
thecamera. This reduces the shadow fallingunder the subject and
illuminates thefine detail that makes macro images so
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22 SKIN DIVER JULY 1998
GETTING STARTED INU/W PHOTOGRAPHY
impressive. We use either the YS-30 orYS-60 on a short, flexible
strobe arm orwith the hot shoe arm. The TTL expo-sure function
works great because thesubject almost always fills the frame
and
For close-up photography we switchto the close-up lens inside
the MotorMarine II-EX body.
Our strobe selection would lean moreto the YS-60 and YS-120 to
ensure ade-quate f/stops at increased subject dis-tances. If we
want to stay compact, we useonly one strobe. When we desire the
bestlighting possible, we place a YS-60 on oneside and a YS-120 on
the other, using the
underwater strobesSEA & SEA Y S - 3 0 T T LDUO
Modes: Manualand TTLBeam angle: 80 x55 degreesGuide #:66
(ft.,ISO 100, land)Recycle time: 4 seconds (nickel-cadmium), 5
seconds (alkaline)Number of flashes (on full): 140(nickel-cadmium),
250 (alkaline)Color temperature: 5900°KPower source: 2 AA
batteriesFunction indicators (LED): Flashready lamp (red), TTL
confirma-tion (green)Built-in TTL slaveRetail Price: $395
SEA & SEAY S - 6 0 T T LModes: Manual (Full,VI} and TTLBeam
angle: 105 x95 degreesGuide #:72 (ft.,ISO100, land)1
Recycle time (on full): 4 seconds(nickel-cadmium), 6.5
seconds(alkaline)Number of flashes (on full): 200(alkaline), 120
(nickel-cadmium)Color temperature: 5400°KPower source: 4 AA
batteriesFunction indicators (LED):Flash ready lamp (red),
TTLconfirmation lamp (green)Retail Price: $559
SEA & SEAYS-300TTL
Modes: Manual(Full, 1/2,1/4) and TTLBeam angle: 100 x100
degreesGuide*: 98 (ft., ISO100, land)Recycle time: 4 seconds
(full)Number of flashes (on full): 120Color temperature:
5500°KFunction indicators (LED & audi-ble): Flash ready lamp
(orange)andTTL confirmation lamp (green)Power source: 7.2 volt
nickel-cadmium batteryBuilt-in slaveBuilt-in modeling lightRetail
Price: $1,02 5(includes battery and charger)
SEA & SEAY S - 1 2 0 DUO
Modes: Manual(Full, 1/2) andTTLBeam angle: 105 x105
degreesGuide*: 72 (ft., ISO 100, land)Recycle time (on full): 2 to
3 sec-onds (nickel-cadmium), 3 to 4seconds (alkaline), 5
seconds(lithium)Number of flashes (on full): 140(nickel-cadmium),
280 (alkaline),600 (li thium)Color temperature: 5100°K,4800°K with
diffuserFunction indicators (LED & audi-ble): Flash ready lamp
(orange),TTL confirmation lamp (green)Power source: 8 AA
batteriesRetail Price: $803
provides accurate feedback. If there is special Sea & Sea
dual cord adapter,particulate in the water that might cause Angle
of coverage is also very impor-backscatter, we move the strobe
above tant when selecting your strobe. If thethe framer or off to
the side to reduce angle of coverage is less than the lens,lighting
the paniculate. (Continued on Page 66)
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GETTING STARTED INU/W PHOTOGRAPHY(Continued from Page 22)
you will get light fall-off—merely add asecond strobe to expand
the coverage. Astrobe on either side of the camera givesyou a
better lighting ratio on the subjectbut you give up
compactness.
Strobe selection for wide-angle pho-tography also depends on
film speed,density of the water, light level and sub-ject distance.
When we dive in colderwaters, we lean toward the YS-120 andYS-300
to compensate for the loss of lightowing to water density. In
warmer, tropi-cal waters, we use the YS-120 and YS-60together and
separately in our wide anglesetups. If the light level drops owing
totime of day or depth, we can increase filmspeed, strobe size or
use wider apertures.Many of the new ISO 400 films are highquality
and do several things for our wideangle images. If we use the
YS-300, theincreased film speed allows us to shoot amore distant
subject with a smallerf/stop. On the flip side, we can use
theincreased film speed to utilize one or twoof the smaller YS-60
or YS-120 strobesand still have good working f/stops.
Since the Motor Marine II-EX allowsthe flexibility of changing
lenses under-water, we have to plan our strobe use. Weprefer the
YS-60 or YS-120 strobe on along arm and the YS-30 on a short armor
tucked away in a BC pocket (it can beused as a cordless TTL slave).
Together,the two strobes cover just about anyphoto situation we
could encounter.
We realize new underwater photogra-phers can't go out and buy
all fourstrobes. So where do you start? We feelthe best starting
point is with the YS-60.Sea & Sea feels the same way, this is
thestrobe included in the Motor Marine II-EX Kit. As you expand
your photo-graphic skills, you can purchase differentlenses and
additional strobes to match.
For more information, contact Sea &Sea Underwater
Photography USA, 1938Kellogg Avenue, Carlsbad, CA 92008;(760)
929-1909, fax (760) 929-0098.
SUBSCRIBERS:Please direct all address changes,
questions and inquiriesregarding your subscription to :
ffl
Outside U.S.: 1-303-678-0354or e-mail us at:
[email protected]
66 SKIN DIVER JULY 1998
