Thursday 27 June 2013

Filming Underwater #2

So needless to say when you're diving and filming at the same time you can easily get distracted takeing in your amazing surroundings and accidentally forget that your filming!

This leads me to my second point...

Lesson #2: Secure loose cables or they WILL get caught!!!

These are, of course, rather "common sense" things to say/do but when you're in-the-moment and just itching to jump into the water/sea you may forget to do this (as I did).

So take a moment, get your dive buddy to check your gear. Besides obviously checking each other's BC, regulators and other dive equipment, take a few moments to make sure you secure (tuck-away/tie-together/tape along side) any camera cables, mono-pods, cases etc. floating behind you.

It wont take long, and believe me it'll save you more time in the long run, not to mention it'll save your shot/clip.

The video below shows me getting snagged onto coral just as I am doing a follow shot into a world war two Japanese wreck.


This is what happens WHEN YOU DO NOT SECURE YOUR GEAR.....




Warning
As side note, wreck diving is fun but can also be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. Being underwater and in a confined space can cause inexperienced divers to get disorientated and panic. If you're new at diving, please don't go into a wreck alone, and definitely do NOT be filming or trying to fumble around with cameras or settings or cables. The last thing you want is to get tangled up with cable/coral, in zero visibility (because you have panicked and kicked up all the dust and silt around you), and be in an enclosed area/wreck where no one can see or help you. Always be safe.

Thursday 20 June 2013

Filming Underwater #1



I was recently lucky enough to take a trip to Palawan in the Philippines and managed to squeeze in a few dives. As with all trips I took my trusty camera (and when i say "camera" i mean my GoPro because thats the only one that can go to diving depths).

I took the opportunity to film some wreck dives and in the process learned a few lessons on the way.


Here's lesson #1: Secure your lens cap!!! 

...not just because they are easy to lose but because they can definitely ruin a shot..and sometimes you only get one chance. Here's an example of a lens cap flapping into the frame!!


(for the finished product / video, see my later posts..)





And this is the actual video clip (size reduced) with me trying to swipe away the lens cap...doesn't make for good footage......