70 - Holding Breath

Canon 40D, 10-22mm at 15mm, 1/250sec at f/13, iso400 in a EWA-Marine waterproof bag.

Finally got the nerve to put the Canon 40D in the waterproof bag and head underwater. The bag was not specifically made for this camera, it was one I originally bought for a video camera that was purchased several years ago. The Canon fit relatively well and the shutter button was pressable so off I went to a small shallow reef near home base in North Eleuthera, Bahamas. This was going to be strictly a test and to make sure the equipment would survive and to see how it performed. The camera was set to "P" mode with iso on auto, nothing was adjustable underwater due to the bag. I used Program Mode instead of Auto to prevent the flash from trying to pop up as the bag would prohibit that from happening and cause an error. I picked this site because it is shallow (5 -10 ft) perfect for snorkelling, sandy 3ft area to anchor the Hobie, close by and I had seen it before. Once in the water the only problem I had was keeping things down, the bag had to much air and acted as a flotation device. I could push it to the bottom using momentum then it was try and point and then try and shoot before everything including me floated to the surface. Next time some weights will be part of the atire.

Composition and creativity takes on a whole new meaning when your holding your breath, fortunately things underwater have thier own beauty and mystery to help make up for the photography difficulties.