April 7th Meeting
"BVI Reflections"
by Drew Trent

The April 7th slide presentation is a trip into the past for our presenter, Drew Trent.  Drew spent five years sailing and diving his “home” among the British Virgin Islands and other locales stretching between the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.  During his two years in the BVI, he was always amazed at the diversity both above and below the waterline and spent few days without a camera or dive site within close proximity!

The British Virgin Islands are a sailing and diving aficionado’s mecca; constant cooling trade winds, protected waters with friendly bars and restaurants on every beach, wrecks deep and shallow, large mammals (with local knowledge!!), shallow and deep reefs, sharks, macro and a cave dive that would be the envy of anyone duly trained.

Drew’s presentation will provide a special and personal glimpse at the assortment of photo subjects and diving opportunities to be found on and below these exotic eastern Caribbean islands.

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BVI from previous column

Of course, when you have your own boat, a deck load of tanks, a cooler of food and drinks, and of course a local guide. . . the opportunities expand. . .

Come and see Drew’s unique vision of this lovely and somewhat overlooked underwater realm.

As usual the meeting will be at the Bayland Community Center starting at 7:00 PM.  A map and directions are at the end of this newsletter.

Drew Trent and his Aquatica set up

Wreck of the Rhone - Drew Trent ©2003

President's Message

Reading through the April issue of Rodales’s Scuba Diving I came a cross something that bothered me.  A reader had written in a letter complaining of careless photographers trashing the reef in pursuit of photos.  This is far from the first time I have read such an opinion.  It seems many divers see photographers as careless divers.

No one is perfect.  Although I have accidentally kicked or bumped the reef before, I make every effort to avoid contact with living coral or other critters.  I would never knowingly damage/harm any reef inhabitant to get a shot.  It’s simply not worth it.

As photographers we have a lot of responsibilities.  We are there to document the fascinating underwater environment without destroying it.  Great effort is required to achieve this goal.

If you see an exciting subject in or on the reef don’t rush in, take a few seconds to assess the situation and plan your preferred shot angle.  Note the location of any fragile coral.  Determine how the current will impact your body while you are concentrating on the shot.  Look at the areas your fins will occupy.  Make sure your fins, or the water expelled by them, will not damage anything.  Now get completely neutral and slowly move in for the shot.  By following these steps you will help preserve the reef and get better shots.

If you feel your fins contacting the reef, don’t kick off from the reef.  Take in a big breath to gently lift yourself off the reef.  I wear "Force Fins" because they are substantially shorter than "normal" fins.

Something you can do prior to the dive is configuring your gear to work with you instead of against you.  Tuck your gear in close to your body.  Your octopus, gauges, etc., should be attached closely.  There are spring-loaded or stretchy rubber gadgets to keep stuff close.  Look at your gear and determine the best way to keep it from dangling and damaging the reef.

Trim weights are also helpful to the UW photographer.  They come in many varieties and can be located in several positions on the diver.  Trim weights allow the photographer to orient their body in the most effective position.  For reef photography normally this would be horizontal with a slight head down orientation.  If you can’t currently maintain this position while neutrally buoyant you need to explore using trim weights.

Many new divers look to the more experienced, well-traveled divers for guidance.  If these new divers see you touching coral, harassing subjects, etc., then they will think it’s an acceptable behavior.  What kind of role model are you?  Make sure that you are not the subject of the next photographer-bashing letter in Rodale’s.

See You April 7th,
David

Online Galleries and Photoshop Mayhem
By David Lenderman

Mayhem is what I thought it would be when Dennis and James told me they planned to have two digital "how to" programs at the March meeting.  I never believed they could get it all done in the allotted time.  I was pleasantly surprised.

James Wiseman was first up to show us how to set up our own online image galleries.  He said he could show us how to do it ten minutes and he did.  He demonstrated several methods of getting the job done.  As in past programs James proved to be an excellent teacher, his Powerpoint slides were clear and informative.

James made it look so easy that I decided to give it a try.  With no difficulties and not too much time I was able to set up my own gallery at http://www.pabase.com/underh2o.  James was right.  It’s easy and it’s a great way to share images with friends and the world.  Over the last year or so James has done more than his share to bring HUPS into the digital age.  We all owe him a big thanks.  To see more of James’ work check out his website http://www.reefpix.org/.

HUPS VP Dennis Deavenport was next up to share some tips on Photoshop.  He showed us how to improve our images by removing backscatter, scratches, etc.  Dennis showed how it’s possible to take a ho-hum image and make it a dynamite image.  He also demonstrated some creative techniques in Photoshop.  Dennis has done some cool things, he spends lots of time in front of his computer and it showed.  Dennis shoots with a film camera but scans many of his images so he can utilize them as digital files.  This shows that you don’t have to buy all new camera gear to play in the digital arena.

Dennis also motivated me to be creative.  My online gallery mentioned above also has some images that I manipulated using the basic features available with MS PhotoEditor.  I am far from a computer guru.  If I can do it anyone can. Try it, it’s fun.

Thank you James and Dennis for putting together an evening of informative and entertaining programs.

1st Place Novice - Joe Nicklo ©2003

Dennis Deavenport
    rodangallery@cs.com
Lee Mixon
    lpmixon@earthlink.net
James Wiseman
    james@reefs.org

Upgrade Notice: Marine Life of the Flower Garden Banks NMS
By The Bureks

Attention all owners of Version 1.x (Version shown on CD label), V2.0 is now available as an upgrade.  Version 2.0 includes additional images (over 280 species / over 400 images) and a Marine Identification Guide.  Upgrades are $5 and a $1.50 handling & shipping, sales tax charges.  Send a copy of the CD cover insert and $6.50 to Joyce and Frank Burek, 8448 Grand Lake Estates Dr., Montgomery, Texas 77316.  Please include your return address.  Version change inquiries and new orders should be E-mailed to jfburek@txucom.net.

Attention HUPS Members - Joyce & Frank will be at the April 7th HUPS Meeting and can handle the upgrade with you at that time.  Bring your old CD and they will exchange it saving you the $1.50 handling & shipping portion.

UpComing Meetings and Events

April 7, 2003 – HUPS meeting
Drew Trent - British Virgin Islands

May 5, 2003 – HUPS meeting
Double Feature: Jesse Cancelmo – Wide-angle Workshop
Dr. James Wood – Sex in the Squidy

June 9, 2003 – HUPS meeting
Post SEASPACE Meeting with Jack & Sue Drafahl - Supermacro UW Photography

July 7, 2003 – HUPS meeting
Ken Knezick – Digital Techniques

August 4, 2003 – HUPS Meeting
Frank & Joyce Burek – Indonesia

September 8, 2003 – HUPS Meeting
TBA

October 6, 2003 – HUPS Meeting
Ned Shimizu - Southern Japan

FOR SALE

Nikon N90S with multi-function data back.  Owned by professional architecture photographer.  Never been in an underwater housing.  Clean and well maintained.  Price $500.00.  Contact Hall Puckett.

Newsletter space permitting we offer free classified ads for HUPS members.  If you have something to sell email a short ad to suewatson@mail.ev1.net.

SEASPACE 2003 Gallery
by Gary Merritt

Notice to all HUPS members.  We are looking for your best photos or any that you are really proud of so we can show them off in the photo gallery at SEASPACE.  The photos should be at least 11x14 inches and would really like to see 16x20s.  Since the photos will be hung using Velcro tabs, we cannot accept any framed prints.  For best results, the photos should be mounted on Gator board or standard foam board.

If you do not already have some photos printed, I would suggest taking your slides to the 5250 Gulfton location of HPI (Houston Photo Imaging) or sending them digitally to one of the many online photo labs such as Pictopia.com.  If you go to HPI, remember to tell them you are from HUPS to receive a special discount on the printing and mounting services (please refer to the March newsletter for details).

Finally, if you have several images that you are having trouble deciding which ones to have printed, bring them to the April meeting and just ask for someone’s opinion.  Remember, the deadline to submit your photos is the May 5, 2003 HUPS meeting.

Rules for SEASPACE Gallery

Deadline: images must be received by the May 5, 2003 HUPS meeting.

1. The Photo Gallery is open to all current members of the Houston Underwater Photographer’s Society.  There is no limit to the number of photographs that you may submit, but we would like to give everyone the chance to participate.  Each photograph must have been taken by the submitting photographer and must be their own "original" work.  Winning photographs from HUPS monthly contest or any other photo contest are greatly encouraged (a nice twist).
2. No framed pictures will be accepted.  Photographs should be mounted on a lightweight backing such as Gator board or foam board.  The photos will be hung on display panels with Velcro so we will need to apply several pieces of Velcro to the backside of the pictures.
3. Photographs should be at least 11x14 inches, but not more than 16x20 inches.  16x20 is the recommended size to give the best overall impact.  If you have something smaller and do not want to reprint it then please submit it and we will find a place for it.
4. Photographs displaying unethical activity such as, but not limited to harassing/harming of wild life or divers damaging to the environment, poor diving skills, etc., are greatly discouraged and may not be displayed at our discretion.  We do not condone or promote poor diving activities or destruction of the environment.

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SEASPACE Gallery from previous column

5. Absolute and utmost care will be provided to all entries, but the Photo Gallery Committee, Houston Underwater Photographers Society, SEASPACE, or any of its sponsors will not be responsible for losses or damages.
6. All photographs MUST be clearly labeled with the photographer’s name, title of the print, location it was taken.  In cases where the orientation is not obvious, then please mark which direction is up.  A nameplate will be displayed next to each photograph.
7. All submissions give HUPS the right to display all photographs for the full duration of SEASPACE 2003.  Every attempt will be made to return photographs at the Post SEASPACE HUPS meeting, but other arrangements may be made (see below).
8. Although I will gladly receive any submissions by mail, for logistical reasons I would prefer that they be brought to a HUPS monthly meeting.  Please contact me via e-mail to make other arrangements.
   

Photo Contest Winners
March 2003 - "Crustacea"

Novice
1st	Joe Nicklo
2nd	John Ringrose
3rd	Sue Watson
Advanced
1st	Ken Knezick
2nd Tie	David Lenderman, Kathy Ringrose
3rd	Gary Merritt

2nd Place Advanced - Kathy Ringrose ©2003

SEASPACE 2003 Workshop Schedule

Mark your calendars now.  For more information on these workshops and other features of SEASPACE 2003 check out http://www.seaspace.org/.

One common complaint that I hear about digital underwater photos is that they do not show the beautiful smooth blue backgrounds that one can get with a good slide film like Provia or Kodak 100.  I looked into this a bit and went through various of my own shots taken with my Coolpix 990 - a 3 megapixel consumer digicam.  What I noticed in my shots was that when I zoomed in on areas of the blue water – the water was not a uniform blue color, but instead it was more like the actual blue was dominated by blotches of darker and lighter blue.  This blotchiness is called Noise – and is actually individual pixels that recorded the "wrong" information.  Needless to say I wasn’t happy about this!

The following shot was taken at a very high ISO rating (ISO 1600) using the Fuji S2 and serves to illustrate what noise looks like.  The original shows a nice blue water shot with a good range from dark to light blue.  In fact, it looks great displayed on the web.

However, on close inspection of the photos, large dark blue blotches appear in the photo.  This crop (denoted by the red box on the above photo) shows the noise.

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Digital Noise from previous column

The area behind the gorgonian should be a nice uniform dark blue – however it is not.  This noise is a major complaint about photographs taken in low light scenes.  For us underwater photographers, we take virtually ALL of our shots in low light – so digital noise can really impact us.  For casual use of photos, like posting to the web, this noise probably won’t be noticeable, but for print and other high-end media, this is simply unacceptable.

So what really is digital noise?  What does ISO sensitivity mean, and how does it affect our shots?  I’ll try to explain this in very simple terms and describe what it means to us digital underwater shooters.  Let’s start with the ISO rating.  This is an acronym that stands for International Standards Organization.  They set standards for all sorts of things, including film.  Their standard "took over" from the older ASA or American Standards Association – but enough history. . . what exactly do they "standardize?"  In this case, they set standards for how fast film emulsions expose to light.  This is best illustrated with an example.  If you are shooting a wide angle scene at ISO 100 and the proper exposure is f5.6 @ 1/60th, that is your "exposure."  If you switch to ISO 200 you can get that same exposure in half the time, or 1/120th of a second – also called one f-stop faster.  That means that at ISO 200, your "recording medium" can capture the scene 2 times faster.  So how does it work?  The faster film has different chemical properties that allow the reaction to happen faster – but at the cost that the exposure does not record as much detail, and can look "grainier."  But that’s film – a chemical process where light causes a chemical reaction in order to expose the film.  More importantly, what the ISO does is standardize how the recording medium works so that users can decide which is best for their shooting situation.

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Digital Noise from 2nd column page 6

What about digital, how does this apply?  Simply put, digital photography is an "electric" process instead of a chemical one – so light causes an electrical reaction that records the exposure.  When you switch from ISO 100 to ISO 200 with a digital camera, you are asking the sensor to record the same amount of information in half the time.  To do so, the camera turns up the “gain” on the sensor.  The best way to describe this is to use the analogy of a VHF radio or a “walkie talkie.”  You can adjust the sensitivity of a walkie talkie by turning up the gain.  When you do this, you can hear the person when their transmission is weaker, but at the same time, you also hear a lot more static.  This is exactly what happens with a digital sensor.  When you turn up the ISO (gain) you record a “weaker” signal (less light in half the time) but you also record more static – or noise.

Last year, before making my second digital camera purchase I decided to learn more about digital noise as I was ready to make a camera purchase and I wanted to ensure that my shots would be the best they could be.

Looking at pictures taken with more expensive digital SLR cameras I noticed that the blue backgrounds were MUCH smoother and more pleasing to me.  After some investigation I found out that this was due to the better sensors used in DSLRs which record the actual blue, but not the blotchy blue noise.

A wide angle shot from the Fuji S2's SuperCCD – the surface area of the individual photosites is roughly 16 times larger than those found in consumer cameras

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Digital Noise from previous column

A full size crop from the S2 photo shows virtually no noise

So why are the shots from the DSLRs so much lower in noise than consumer digicams?  It’s almost entirely due to the larger photosites used in the SLRs.  Because they have so much surface area, they can capture more information in the same amount of time without turning the “gain” up so much.

So what does all of this mean to us – how can we use this information to take the best photos possible? Here are a few tips:

• Take control of your camera - don’t let it set the ISO for you.  Sometimes the camera will up the ISO in order to get a fast shutter speed.  But underwater you may not need that extra speed, so don’t sacrifice quality for that speed if you don’t need to.
• All sensors are not equal.  If image quality is important to you, read the camera reviews and select a camera based on it’s sensor’s noise performance.  For example, if you are choosing between 2 five-megapixel cameras that are otherwise equal – buy the one that wins the noise test.
• Trade quality for quantity.  If a 3-megapixel camera and a 5-megapixel have the same sized sensors, that means that the pixels are smaller in the higher resolution camera – meaning noisier shots.  If you don’t need the extra megapixels, the shots from the 3-megapixel camera might actually look better!
• Consider a digital SLR.  A used 3-megapixel DSLR like the Fuji S1 or Canon D30 may give you better results than a new 5-megapixel digicam and at nearly the same price.  This option is especially attractive if you already own some Canon or Nikon lenses.
  

The Houston Underwater Photographic Society (HUPS) meets the first Monday of every month at 7:00PM at the Bayland Community Center, 6400 Bissonet, near Hillcroft.

Social time begins at 7:00PM for members and visitors to get acquainted. Visitors are always welcome to join us. So, stop by and see what we are all about!