Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Over and Under

Above: Downwind spinnaker sailing off of Viti Levu, Fiji

We recently purchased an "over-and-under" port for our water housing from Taro Pascual of Water Housing Hawaii.  Tor had already done a considerable amount of underwater photography, but over-and-under photography was a whole new challenge.  For one thing, the port is unwieldy, as seen in the photo below:

Above: Tor getting ready to jump in the water with his over-and-under water housing.

In addition to the port being large and heavy, its curved surface does not allow water to bead off of it very easily.  This requires a photographer to lick (yes, lick!) the entire surface of the dome to facilitate the water-beading process. Then there are the usual challenges that accompany water housings, such as fogging of the lens from condensation, and having to dunk the housing repeatedly into the water to avoid water spots.

Above: Snorkeling off of Namotu Island, Fiji
Above: Anchoring near Qamea Island, Fiji

After capturing some standard over-and-under subject matter such as snorkeling and the boat at anchor, Tor decided to shoot his 47-foot sailboat Kahea under full sail.  In order to get the shot, crew members Nick and Kyoko sailed the boat while Tor motored several hundred feet ahead on a dinghy.  He then jumped into the water and got his camera and housing ready, as Nick and Kyoko steered the boat toward Tor.

Above: Yacht Kahea sailing at a speed of several knots! 

Because the water level is constantly going up and down, it isn't easy to get the right composition when using an over-and-under port. With his boundless energy, Tor jumped back in the dinghy and repeated the process over and over again until he was satisfied that he got at least one good shot. Check out the video below to see how Tor got the sailing shots:


Above: Video clip of Tor blasting ahead on the dinghy to get the sailing shot.

Above: Our trustworthy Canon 5D Mark II and water housing.

Above: Yacht Kahea under full sail