Stein Castillo
- Stein Castillo's trip Rapallo Aug 2015
2015-08-22 - Mohawk Deer, Portofino Marine Park, Italy
23.8m - 48 min - Dived with Silvano Berni from Abyss Diving Service Sas
This was the first dive pursuing the certification as digital underwater photographer. Before the dive, we completed the classroom session with the instructor and assignments for the dives were distributed: first dive: focus in macro photography and composition, don't use the flash and make sure you get at least one decent vertical and horizontal shot. A somewhat shallow dive that took us to a well preserved wreck. The anchor that is a clearly distinguishable feature of the wreck (as it is very well preserved) was part of the assignment for this dive. Also managed to get some good backlit shots, people (using the instructor as a model!) and landscape shot. I found that my previous photography experience was quite valuable for this kind of shots. Also, concluded that neutral bouyancy is key to avoid blurred images. The wreck is very nice and attracts quite a lot of marine life, we encounter large schools of fish of different kinds, also, the reef is well preserved and colorful. A nice location to practice photography. Also, this dive was the first with the new 5 mm wet suit. Quite comfortable and really made a difference to avoid being cold, I still have to find the right amount of weight to ensure neutral bouyancy,
2015-08-22 - Altare, Portofino, Italy
27.7m - 49 min - Dived with Silvano Berni from Abyss Diving Service Sas
Second dive to complete the digital underwater photography specialty. The assignment was to focus on macro photography and the use of flash. In this case the in-camera flash unit only. A rather deep reef dive in search of smaller organisms to take pictures of. Since macro photography is not something I have practiced on land I found this part of the training more challenging, specially the focusing and maintaining perfect bouyancy to avoid blurred images. The reef was in good condition with many subjects to picture (macro photography also forced to see the subjects differently) I tried to get a really good pictures but at the end was not extremely pleased with the results, Still managed to get a couple of shots that will be usable after digital edition. This skill will require more practice, both on land and underwater. Towards the end of the dive I was cold so we had to ascend a bit to warmer waters. Still, the new wetsuit made a difference and managed to get a decent dive time out of my tank. It seems that SAC is improving a lot, the trick: relax!
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