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Reef Reflections

Don Kreuter

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April 5th, 2012 - 07:47 PM

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Reef Reflections

“Reef Reflections”
Underwater Photography

“Photography Tips to Create Images with Impact”

"REEF REFLECTIONS"
Don Kreuter Self-Portrait
Orange Sponge, Feather Dusters (Tube Worms) with gills extended with reflection on my mask.
Snowfields Reef, Rum Cay, Bahamas
BEST OF SHOW San Diego County Fair
Del Mar, California 84-103-DYM
© 2012 Don Kreuter ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Story:
This was a "Gift from God" because I was not trying to make this photograph: with the reflections of the reef and feather duster tubeworms on my mask. I wanted to paint my face and blue eyes with light from the strobe showing my interaction with the sea creature and in harmony with nature and wildlife while looking relaxed Scuba Diving and making photographs underwater in the Caribbean Sea on a pristine living coral reef.

"As a photographer we need to be prepared to accept the Gifts from God we see"
Don Kreuter

Photography Tips and Information:
The reef reflections on my dive mask glass (with the normal clear transparent glass) are something that may be seen if you are alert, aware and look at other divers’ masks underwater. It takes a perfect ninety degree angle from the reflection on the glass back to your eyes and is always a spontaneous fleeting image that does not last long.

The Nikonos III underwater camera (the photograph was made with) did not have a through the lens viewfinder so it was impossible to see the image like in a SLR single lens reflex camera looking through the lens. The Nikons III camera uses a separate viewfinder that estimates what the frame of the photograph will look like.

In this case a wire frame is used attached to a bar with an externally attached Nikon Close Up Kit and Lens on the 28 mm Nikkor lens with a bar attached to the lens housing with a wire frame showing the exact size and frame of the photograph. The wire frame was taken off and just the bar was used to estimate the dimensions and frame of the photograph. Otherwise the shy, sensitive tubeworms would not have left their delicate gills exposed while I approached.

Tubeworms extend their flower like gills into the water to breathe and capture minute types of zooplankton that they eat. Any pressure wave from a fish or diver, or even the bubbles from air exhaled from the diving regulator underwater makes the shy tube worms go slurp and instantly retract their gills into the protection of the tubes.

The reef fish consider tubeworms a delicacy to nibble on and eat. So the tubeworms only defense is to hide their delicate gills inside the protection of the tubes when any predators are near.

This photograph was made on Snowfields Reef a menagerie of coral, sponges and unique creatures found on nutrient rich reef formed by converging currents. The bottom is fine crushed coral snow-white sand that billows up into the water like powdered sugar it the diver plops down on the bottom of the Caribbean. So buoyancy control and making a graceful entry to the bottom and kneeling next to the reef were critical while not disturbing the tubeworms. The alternative was crashing down to the bottom, landing knees on the sand and creating a snowstorm of the billowing white powder coral sand into the photograph. Then the strobe would have created backscatter of the sand particles that would look like a snowstorm in the photograph.

This photograph portrays that being an underwater photographer requires Advanced Scuba Diver skills with excellent buoyancy compensation talents just to get in position to make a photograph.

Fortunately I also got the photograph “Self Portrait on Snowfields Reef” I wanted too with my face and eyes painted with light by the strobe!

“Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready
to have somebody click the shutter.”
Ansel Adams

“Reef Reflections” Won the Best of Show in an International Photography Contest open to anyone worldwide including professional photographers at the San Diego County Fair, Del Mar California.

“Self Portrait on Snowfields Reef” is another photograph from this pose with my blue eyes open and face painted by the strobe light without a reflection. “Self Portrait on Snowfields Reef” was published in Ocean Realm magazine in an article about Scuba Diving at Rum Cay Bahamas.

Sometimes when models are not available, reluctantly I have to make do and make photographs of myself in front of the camera lens. I enjoyed modeling as an underwater photographer and helping guest photographers create art but prefer to be behind the camera lens making photographs above water and on land.

Nature, wildlife and the beautiful natural wilderness on our planet are much more art worthy subjects for a photograph.

Camera Settings: 
 

Camera: Nikon Nikonos 3 35mm camera underwater camera 
 

Lens: Nikon Nikkor 28mm f 2.8
Nikon Close-up Kit attached, without the metal frame – only the bar was used to focus for exact focusing in the limited depth of field
Filter: None 
 

Settings: 1/60” f22 shutter for maximum depth of field on a day with no wind

Strobe: Subsea Mark 150 high power setting 150 watt seconds
Tripod: None 

Film: Fujichrome Provia RDP 100 ISO Professional Film 
 

Bracketed Exposures: +.5 / -.10 f with multiple exposures changing the strobe to subject distance 


Date: December 1983 Time: afternoon

Summary:
This photograph portrays that being an underwater photographer requires Advanced Scuba Diver skills with excellent buoyancy compensation talents just to get in position to make a photograph.

Fortunately I also got the photograph “Self Portrait on Snowfields Reef” I wanted too with my face and eyes painted with light by the strobe!

“Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready
to have somebody click the shutter.”
Ansel Adams

“Reef Reflections” Won the Best of Show in an International Photography Contest open to anyone worldwide including professional photographers at the San Diego County Fair, Del Mar California.

“Self Portrait on Snowfields Reef” is another photograph from this pose with my blue eyes open and face painted by the strobe light without a reflection. “Self Portrait on Snowfields Reef” was published in Ocean Realm magazine in an article about Scuba Diving at Rum Cay Bahamas.

Sometimes when models are not available, reluctantly I have to make do and make photographs of myself in front of the camera lens. I enjoyed modeling as an underwater photographer and helping guest photographers create art but prefer to be behind the camera lens making photographs above water and on land.

Nature, wildlife and the beautiful natural wilderness on our planet are much more art worthy subjects for a photograph.


To see all the photographs on the Don Kreuter Photography Art website 
Click:
Galleries (top tab), then Click a Gallery 



To see all the Photo of the Day stories and for “Photography Tips to Create Images with Impact” 

Click View All (top button next to the title)



For a Larger View
 of “Reef Reflections”

Click: Galleries (top tab), 

Click: Photo of The Day Gallery, Self-Portrait or Underwater Galleries 

Click: “Reef Reflections” 84-103-DYM

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