Articles

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

f/8, 1/200s, ISO 200, Olympus OM-D E-M1, 9–18mm f/4–5.6 lens at 10mm, Nauticam NA-EM1, dual Sea & Sea YS-D1 strobes

Joe:  Having tried several times to photograph this iconic anchor in Turks and Caicos personally, I can attest to how hard it is to make it stand out from the rest of the reef. For me the lighting on this is fairly spot on—it seems a bit “harsh,” but the shadows created give depth and make the anchor “pop.” However, the composition is not as spot on: You’ve bulls-eyed the anchor in the center of a square-cropped frame. I’d much prefer a traditional aspect ratio with the anchor at one of intersections in the rule of thirds—and even a diver model to add another element and scale.  

Lia: Having never had the pleasure of visiting Turks and Caicos myself, I must say that I was a little puzzled at what I was looking at when I first saw this image. For a viewer who is unfamiliar with a particular subject matter, especially one that is a bit abstracted by environmental elements, the content will not mean anything without some other sort of reference point to underline its importance. In fact, if it is not clear what the focal point is, the image might be overlooked without further inspection. But whether it’s a wider shot to include other pieces of a wreck, a diver shining a torch towards it, or a creative lighting technique that really focuses on the silhouette, there needs to be something else to give the signal that there is a historical and/or substantive importance to the shot.

f/14, 1/60s, ISO 200, Olympus OM-D E-M1, 60mm f/2.8 macro lens, Nauticam NA-EM1, dual Sea & Sea YS-D1 strobes

Joe: I really love that you’ve gone creative with this image and exposed a dark blue water background rather than the traditional black background. It adds another color to the image that really makes it unique. Compositionally, I’d like to see a little more of the front of the seahorse, rather than a side-on view. It would also be great if the subject filled just a little more of the frame, although it can be difficult to find exact focus with such a small, moving target.

Lia: This is the sort of subject that, if you have the luxury of time and a patient buddy, you can rest on and observe for a while. The background environment, though it provides a nice color contrast, is a bit distracting. So if you wanted the focus to be more on the seahorse, perhaps it would have been interesting to swing around and shoot from the front if possible, and/or wait until it sways or moves to a different location. If you really had time, you could check back on another day, as seahorses tend to stay in the same general area, but often move to new positions. I do like that you did not stick the subject smack in the middle of the frame—as tempting as it might have been!

f/9, 1/60s, ISO 200, Olympus OM-D E-M1, 9–18mm f/4–5.6 lens at 10mm, Nauticam NA-EM1, dual Sea & Sea YS-D1 strobes

Joe: Often when we don’t have access to a dive model as a secondary element in an image, the dive boat itself can fill that role. Unfortunately, here it is both cut off from the frame, as well as intersecting with the main subject, the barrel sponge. It can be difficult to place a boat in an image, especially when it’s swinging around on the mooring line, but it’s a fine detail that would have made the image a real winner. Also, there’s a bit of harsh lighting here, with the left side of the coral overexposed, and the right side almost dark. In addition to paying attention to where your strobes are aimed, you can use the dodge/burn tool in Lightroom or Photoshop to even out the lighting.

Lia: When in doubt, use a barrel sponge—or any sort of fiery colored sponge—to brighten up an image and contrast with the blue of the ocean! These colors compliment each another so well, and are like visual candy when placed side by side. But despite how much I love the color contrast, there needs to be something to give substance to the image (like with the anchor image). I would encourage you to start working with your dive buddies, or lure a willing divemaster trainee in for some experimenting. You will be amazed at how much the human element can enhance your compositions.

f/8, 1/60s, ISO 200, Olympus OM-D E-M1, 9–18mm f/4–5.6 lens at 9mm, Nauticam NA-EM1, dual Sea & Sea YS-D1 strobes

Joe: I think this is my favorite image of the series: There’s great color between the green moray and deep blue water. Here, I don’t mind the side-on profile composition, as it includes the blue in the negative space, rather than the rest of the reef. It looks to my eyes that there’s still a bit of uneven strobe lighting at the top left of the frame—almost that the sponge blocked the strobe. Next time, try pulling your strobes in tight to the camera to avoid hotspots at the outer edges of the frame. Again, uneven lighting can also be managed in post-processing, as mentioned above.

Lia: This is a classic Caribbean shot: beautiful reef, blue background, and elusive moray eel. My biggest advice here would be to watch your strobe placement. You are up close and personal, perhaps a bit ahead of your strobes, and are therefore getting two hotspots on the edge of the frame where the strobes are actually pointed. I would consider pulling them in a bit and turning them down so as not to blow out the highlights, and expose a bit more for the ambient light. Once you remedy this, you can send the image in for editorial call-outs for morays in the Caribbean!
 

f/22, 1/160s, ISO 200, Olympus OM-D E-M1, 60mm f/2.8 macro lens, Nauticam NA-EM1, dual Sea & Sea YS-D1 strobes

Joe: This is a great find, so kudos to your (or your divemaster’s) keen eyes! For myself, the composition is a bit disorientating—I almost have to tilt my head to get a clear picture of what’s going on. I think the image would be best cropped in a portrait orientation, so that the anemone tentacle works as a leading line in the image.

Lia: This is not an easy subject matter to shoot, nor an easy angle to work with. I know, because I myself have had my nose in many similar situations. Next time, I would think about using a shallow depth of field in an attempt to eliminate some of the disorienting “noise” going on, and I would really focus in on the shrimp and immediate tentacle texture. Lighting will be tricky, so try moving your strobes around so that they don’t cast shadows throughout the image—and definitely use diffusers.

Final Comments

Joe: What stands out most in Jared’s images is the color and solid lighting. Each image pops off the screen with color and contrast. I think where the room for most improvement is in composition technique: When you take an image and check your LCD screen to make sure you are happy with the lighting, also pay attention to how each element lines up. Adjusting how you place the primary or secondary subject in the frame can make the difference between a good image and a great one.

Lia: Jared has a nice understanding of exposure, lighting, and most of all, color representation. I do, however, feel that many of his images are missing substantive focal points that would make everything fall into place were they present. It’s as though he has set up the perfect backdrop for a play, and now he is just waiting for the main actor to show up and take the lead. This is not a terrible problem to have, for that final element is the easy part—it’s the mechanics that take time to master. If Jared just works a bit on his strobe placement and adds that focal point, he should be good to go.
 

About Jared Klein: Jared is an amateur photographer and diver living in Phoenix, Arizona. He has a passion for landscape photography of the Southwest, as well as underwater photography. He started diving at the age of 16, when he tried—unsuccessfully—to take underwater pictures with a Kodak Instamatic in a plastic bag. He now enjoys the freedom and creativity of a digital camera in a modern housing. Jared is planning a trip to Anilao in the Philippines, where he hopes to work on his favorite kind of photography: macro.