The Instructor Team

When it comes to learning how to get great underwater photographs with digital compact cameras, what we offer you is a completely unique service.
Mark Koekemoer and Steve Warren of Ocean Optics have created three firsts in underwater photography education. Dissatisfied with existing underwater photography courses for recreational divers and scuba instructors, Steve and Mark set out to develop their own truly comprehensive, hands on underwater imaging workshops. The syllabus that they created based upon their own extensive backgrounds as underwater photographers has led to the creation of the Inon Underwater Photography Academies and recognition of Ocean Optics as the world's first Fuji approved underwater photography school. Inon is the leading manufacturer of underwater camera accessories in the world today. The Inon Underwater Photography Academies use the programs Mark and Steve pioneered and only Inon Uk's appointed underwater photography centres are authorised to teach these courses. Steve and Mark personally conduct the Inon Uk instructor courses and examine the instructor candidates. This ensures clients of Inon Uk Underwater Photography Academies always receive the best equipment and best training to use it properly. Fuji has also scrutinised our underwater photography education programs and we are very proud to have been awarded the accolade of being the world's first Fuji approved underwater photography school.

Inon Compact Underwater Photography Course Level 1

The Must Have Solutions To Taking Great Pictures Level 1 is Inon's introduction to using digital compact cameras underwater. It assumes no prior knowledge of photography or experience with cameras underwater. During your day with us you'll be provided with your own underwater camera system to use. This includes a Fuji F50, underwater housing, Inon underwater strobe, Inon fisheye lens, Inon wide angle lens and two Inon close up lenses. We don't "share" cameras on courses - it isn't productive. Half your precious underwater time is wasted.

The Inon level one underwater photography course begins with a picture show to let you see the quality of images that can be produced using compact cameras. Next we'll discuss the special problems of taking pictures underwater and how to overcome them. We'll also start explaining and demystifying some of the technical terms that surround underwater photography and which many people find daunting and confusing.

Before we go into the water for our first session, you'll learn to assemble your underwater camera and how to prepare the cameras seals and test for leaks. You'll also be given a radiophone receiver that allows us to talk to you underwater. This is an essential benefit of your Inon underwater photography course.

In the movie tank you'll go to work on the Ocean Optics Underwater Photography Stage. You'll learn the techniques for shooting a range of subjects including fish, divers, scenics, close up and extreme macro photography. You'll get to use the equipment needed to photograph all these subjects well. Naturally, lighting your subjects underwater is an important part of your course with us. You'll learn underwater flash theory and practice using Inon underwater strobes to get clean, backscatter free images as well as how to light creatively.

Steve and Mark coach students underwater using radiophones,
They can provide instant fed back and advice without using
slates or having to surface

More

Expect a long day with us. Mark and Steve aren't clock watchers and their goal is to provide you with the knowledge and practical skills that will mean you come back with great underwater photographs from your next dive trip. We can't do that if we're rushed. Our Inon Level 1 underwater photography course for compact users provides must have technical knowledge and hands on experience. By working through a carefully considered series of practical skill sets in the movie tank Mark and Steve will ensure you'll learn simple rules for getting excellent shots you can be proud of.

In the classroom you'll learn the basics of how cameras work and get to understand crucial concepts like exposure. You'll find out about the relationship between sensitivity, shutter speed and aperture and how to control these to get the effect you want - for example how to get silhouettes or freeze shafts of sunlight. We'll explain the specific problems that shooting through water creates for the photographer - such as diffusion, scatter, absorption and colour loss. Understanding these problems helps put the solutions into context and you'll see for yourself how these problems can be overcome. You'll also be presented with information on how to restore colour underwater - such as using auto white balance settings, manual white balance, underwater modes, filters, video lights and strobes and when each is the appropriate choice.

Ocean Optics underwater photography instructor Steve Warren
talks a student through an INON UK Level One Underwater
Photography Course using a radiophone

In the tank you'll practice shooting specific subjects. Each requires a different approach and the unique Ocean Optics Underwater Photography Stage has workstations designed to make learning these techniques easy and fun. Our realistic fish props let you work on capturing marine life using your standard lens, for example, while the reefscape and wreck anable you to shoot scenics. Our collection of invertebrates provides the critter touch for learning close up, macro and super macro techniques. Our Arri cinema lamp provides daylight quality light. Unlike many indoor pools, which are unrealistically dark, our underwater sudio accurately replicates tropical sunlight shooting conditions.

Equipment

We supply our students with Fuji F50FD cameras. You are welcome to use your own camera, but in many cases the underwater cameras divers already own don't accept the vital accessories or lack the level of control to allow you to learn the skills the Inon Level One underwater photography course is designed to teach you. The Fuji F50FD provides the manual overrides needed to help our clients control the camera and so also control the look of the image that they take. We also provide you with three additional Inon underwater lenses. The Inon UCL165 close up lens lets you shoot very small subjects that don't photograph well using a compact cameras normal close up or macro modes. On the Ocean Optics Underwater Photography Stage you'll use this lens to shoot fine detail on the coral reef and to portray small critters like seahorses and squid. The Inon UWL105 wide angle lens is a good choice for learning to work with larger subjects like divers and our shark scene. You'll also use it for creative close focus wide angle photography, a technique only made possible by the 6 metre depth of Underwater Studios movie tank. The Inon UFL165 fisheye lens is an extreme wide angle lens that you'll learn to master on our wreck and reef set as you work on capturing underwater vistas.

Your Inon underwater strobe will help you take control of lighting your subject effectively. You'll practice single strobe techniques including using positions that prevent backscatter. You'll try angles that eliminate or create shadows to suit your subject as part of creative lighting skills. We'll also show you how to use manual strobe settings, the benefits of TTL automation (and when to override it) - all the tricks - so your flash exposures will be perfect. We'll make it easy for you to master, what, for many underwater photographers, is an especially daunting skills set.

We also build in time to specifically discuss how to best use your own underwater camera and which settings to program into it for the best results. These personalised equipment counselling is an invaluable benefit of the Inon Level One underwater digital photography course.

Underwater you will have your own radiophone receiver. Your instructor will be able to talk to you during your training. This is an Ocean Optics - Mavericks Diving course essential as it means we can look at your images seconds after you've taken them and then offer you advice in real time - there's no need to surface to speak or scrawl messages on slates. We use professional level radiophones from Ocean Technology Systems - just like the BBC use for their diving presenters.

An Inon Level One underwater photography course combines a great many unique elements that, we believe, make it the best value and finest introduction to shooting compact cameras underwater available.

£249.00 including light refreshments and lunch.

Underwater Digital Compact
Photography Courses
from Ocean Optics and Mavericks Diving

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• World's First Inon Underwater Photography Academy

• World's First Fuji Approved Underwater Photography School

• World's First Purpose Designed Underwater Photography Teaching Set
 

Read Mark's new series on digital
compact photography in "Diver Magazine" starting March.

Read Mark's chapter on digital compact photography and
Steve's sections on SLR housings in Martin Edge's
"The Underwater Photographer"

 

Extreme macro techniques are part of your Inon Level 1 Course
(photo: Nicky Pardlow)
 

You'll work with Inon Fisheye lenses to master
shooting in confined spaces
 

Learning how to control strobe and ambient
lightis key part yo our course (photo: Nicky Pardlow)
 

The purpose designed Underwater Stage

 

Topics covered include

Camera Features - What they're called, what they do and how they do it

Properties of water and problems of shooting through It - diffusion, absorption, scatter, contrast . Solutions to the problems!

Understanding lenses and what they can do for your photography - standard, wide angle, super wide angle, fisheye, close up, macro and supermacro.

How digital cameras see colour and how to get vibrant tones underwater - auto white balance, pre set white balance, custom white balance and manual white balance

Filters and underwater modes

How cameras measure exposure: Why and how you need to control it - the relationship between aperture, shutter speed and sensitivity/ISO

Auto focus - frustrations and foibles and how to mitigate them

Flash systems - manual, auto and TTL systems and how to use them

Equipment pre dive preparation, including leak testing, and after dive maintenance

Subjects and how to shoot them for maximum impact - including divers, fish, scenics, wrecks and close ups

Underwater photography etiquette

And much,much more.....