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DPG editors Lia Barrett and Joe Tepper take a detailed look at five of reader Hazizam Hamdan’s images, giving him pointers and feedback on how he might improve them.
 

Ladybugs on sea apple, Cannibal Rock, Komodo (Olympus E-PL5, 60mm macro lens, Inon UCL-330 dioptre, dual Sea&Sea YS-D1 strobes, f/13, 1/250s, ISO 640)

Joe: You’ve created an image where the color is the primary focus for the viewer. The mix of the sea apple’s yellow, red and purple, combined with the little ladybugs make for a pleasant abstract image. If you want to make the ladybugs more of a primary subject with your given equipment, try shooting at the lowest possible ISO, so that when cropping in, there will be limited digital noise. If shooting tiny subjects like this is something you find yourself drawn to, I suggest investing in a macro wet lens such as the ReefNet’s SubSee or Nauticam’s CMC-1, which will reduce the minimum focus distance and thereby magnify the subject.

Lia: With these two competing elements—the ladybugs and the sea apple—you want to shoot in a way that either focuses on one, or where one complements the other. You might try to use the sea apple as a sort of mosaic, and maybe try to shoot down on the scene, letting the ladybugs stand as accents to the composition. You can also take a super-macro approach and shoot to the side of the ladybugs and focus on one, two or three, and see how they move, interact and align with one another. But I wouldn’t just shoot blindly; I would go at such subject matter with a clear vision of what you would like to achieve, otherwise it will look like a random identification shot.
 

Candy crab, Torpedo Alley, Komodo (Olympus E-PL5, 60mm macro lens, Inon UCL-330 dioptre, dual Sea&Sea YS-D1 strobes, f/5.6, 1/160s, ISO 200)

Joe: I love the idea of using shallow depth of field (or bokeh) when photographing “candy crabs,” as the colors seem to just blend together into a visual smoothie. Bokeh is most difficult because you have to balance all of the light let in through the open aperture with shutter speed and strobes. One of the most common mistakes when practicing bokeh is not providing enough contrast and color with appropriate strobe output. By reducing the ISO to a minimum and slightly increasing shutter speed, you can limit the natural light hitting your camera’s sensor, allowing you to use more strobe power. Alternatively, in post-processing you can increase the amount of black in the image, as well as overall contrast to make the subject stick out a bit more.

Lia: Camouflaged macro critters are among some of the most difficult subjects to capture in underwater photography. Because of their ability to blend in, there are certain tricks that we can implement in order to unveil their physiology. For example, shooting against a solid color, whether it be an open water column or a part of the coral that is non-distracting, provides a contrasting canvas to an allusive creature. If you do not give the viewer some aid in deciphering what is going on, more than likely they will be lost within your image.
 

Whip coral, Shotgun, Komodo (Olympus E-PL5, Panasonic 8mm fisheye, dual Sea&Sea YS-D1 strobes, f/10, 1/250s, ISO 200)

Joe: Some might argue that the lighting in this image is a bit too harsh, or that the blue water is too dark—but not me! I love the stark, rich contrast of the red and deep blue colors, along with the punctuation of yellow from those few fish. While the contrast and color of the image have excellent balance, the overall composition is less interesting. Try to avoid centering the primary subject (the coral) and if possible, add a dive model or other subject to the negative space in the top half of the frame.

Lia: Between the red of the coral, the yellow of the fish and the deep blue of the open sea, there is a very nice, natural saturation of primary colors. Next time you encounter such a situation, I would try titling your strobes up a bit, aiming to just light the reds, and perhaps balance the strobes over the coral. You might also consider sitting still, and waiting for the yellow fish to come around to the front. It will take some patience, but adding more emphasis to life within the frame will enhance the storyline.
 

Hawksbill turtle, Shotgun, Komodo (Olympus E-PL5, Panasonic 8mm fisheye, dual Sea&Sea YS-D1 strobes, f/10, 1/250s, ISO 200)

Joe: While you’ve done a good job of illuminating the turtle, the surrounding coral and reef remains distractingly dark. This can be a challenge, especially when shooting upwards, but slowing your shutter speed (down from 1/250s to perhaps 1/160s) will bring back some of the details to the dark areas without impacting the strobe light all that much.

Lia: In placing your strobes above the hawksbill turtle, you have created what portrait photographers call “elegant” lighting, which is typically a very dramatic use of a single light, often seen in black-and-white images of the 1950s. What it achieves is a shadow-ridden image that can be quite effective when implemented in an appropriate scenario. My suggestion would be to move around and experiment more. Change your camera angle, and try to look upwards from the front of the turtle. You can use this technique to make very powerful images, but composition and positioning of the lens are very important in determining whether the image is successful or not.
 

Whip coral goby, Pink Beach, Komodo (Olympus E-PL5, 60mm macro lens, Inon UCL-330 dioptre, dual Sea&Sea YS-D1 strobes, f/8, 1/250s, ISO 200)

Joe: Whip coral critters are a personal favorite of mine. I’ll inspect every stringy coral, even if only briefly, to see if there’s a goby or crab clawing on. Here, you’ve maxed out aperture and shutter speed to create a stark black background—a nice effect to be sure, especially when combined with leading lines, and the diagonal composition. To make this image a real stunner, you need two high-power strobes that can evenly illuminate more of the goby and coral. As it stands, there’s a tiny bit of shadowy contrast on the main subject, which can remain for a more spooky effect or limited with some post-processing.

Lia: Whip coral gobies are always a challenging subject to shoot. With your image, I like that you have chosen to frame the shot in a way that guides the viewer through the plane, instead of choosing a symmetrical, conventional composition. You have lit and exposed nicely for the focus of the goby’s eye, which draws the viewer to the focal point of the photograph. I would suggest experimenting with lighting both sides of the fish, implementing a bit more bokeh, and playing with your shooting angle.
 

About Hazizam Hamdan: Hazizam decided to take the plunge into the deep blue back in 2008 and he has never looked back since. Like most novices, the lure of photography did not come until later, in 2010. He used a Canon PowerShot G10 during his maiden visit to Sipadan, Malaysia, and he can still remember the exhilarating time he spent there shooting his first underwater images—despite being a rather “happy snappy” kind of diver. He recently made the move to a micro four-thirds system, and he is very impressed by what the camera can deliver. The photographs in this selection are all from a dive trip to Komodo, Indonesia. Hazizam’s plan is to venture to more exotic dive locations and continue to have fun documenting his underwater adventures.
 

This article originally appeared in the Photo Clinic section of the print magazine Scuba Diver Ocean Planet (SD Issue 6/2015, OP No. 5, pp. 86–89), published by Asian Geographic Magazines in association with DivePhotoGuide. Get your subscription in the DPG Shop today.