What Is A Split Shot? Also Known As A Half-half Or An Over-under Shot? Well, in the world of underwater photography, technically they’re a way to show the above world and the immediate underwater, all at once, and they’re a really fun way to let the viewer know what it is we do, all captured in the one image. A picture where the topside of the picture and the land or seascape is visible, but the bottom half of the view is the underwater reef scene. As travellers with Snorkel Venture, we’re very lucky to visit some of the most beautiful tropical paradises in the world. And I’ve always been fond of taking shots that show the viewer exactly what it is we do and where, so what better way than a split shot? It’s like two for the price of one click of the shutter. And the great news is that they’re easier and much less expensive to achieve than you may think. The Necessary Kit And Equipment. Being an underwater photographer, also teaching underwater photography workshops alongside my job as a Snorkel Venture guide, has meant that I have amassed a lot of expensive underwater photo kit over the years. My bigger camera, lenses, housing, and strobes come to more than $15-20K, and it allows me to do some extraordinary things with it, but aside from the price, it’s huge and costly to travel with. So it was a revelation that when I started doing more of the Snorkel Venture trips, I could leave it all at home and instead use exactly what the majority of our SV clients use, and that was, in the main either GoPros or similar or the seemingly ubiquitous Olympus Tough range, currently the Olympus TG7. Admittedly, I was a bit skeptical at
What Is A Split Shot? Also Known As A Half-half Or An Over-under Shot? Well, in the world of underwater photography, technically they’re a way to show the above world and the immediate underwater, all at once, and they’re a really fun way to let the viewer know what it is we do, all captured
If you’re considering a Raja Ampat Snorkeling Tour, your mind is in the right place. There’s no place quite like Raja Ampat in the world. It’s the epicenter for marine life biodiversity; as such, you’ll find that over the course of your snorkel tour you will have snorkeled over and alongside more species of reef and fish than anywhere else in the world! All of this underwater awesomeness is only complemented by the surreal topside beauty that Raja Ampat has also become famous for! Before you book your Raja Ampat snorkel tour, though, there are a few things you’ll want to take into consideration; for example, it’s a good idea to understand just how massive Raja Ampat is—approximately 46,000 square kilometers or 29,000 square miles—with the north and south offering very different snorkeling experiences. You’ll also want to decide how you’d like to snorkel in Raja Ampat, by which I mean: would you rather do so from a snorkel liveaboard or from a snorkel resort, which again will impact your final decision. If this all seems a bit more decision-making than you expected, not to worry, we’re going to break down all these different aspects so you can be sure you’ve made the correct decision for your next Raja Ampat snorkeling tour. The North of Raja Ampat - Dampier Strait and Fam Islands Where snorkeling is concerned, the north tends to offer a bit more diversity when it comes to types of snorkeling sites. You of course the have the iconic limestone islands characteristic of Raja Ampat with their classic mushroom shape, but you also have stunning mangroves that seem to grow right out of the reefs in clear blue water, a few places where mantas come to feed and clean, and several different villages whose large wooden piers or
If you’re considering a Raja Ampat Snorkeling Tour, your mind is in the right place. There’s no place quite like Raja Ampat in the world. It’s the epicenter for marine life biodiversity; as such, you’ll find that over the course of your snorkel tour you will have snorkeled over and alongside more species of reef
It wasn’t too long ago that if you wanted to take your precious camera underwater with you, you needed to jam it into a cumbersome metal enclosure so as to keep the water out. This often meant a significant additional expense in purchasing the housing, one more bulky item to pack for your snorkeling trip, not to mention the fact that the housing would increase the size and weight of your camera by two or three times. What was once a small point-and-shoot camera that could easily be operated with one hand has now become a hefty burden that requires two hands to wield. Thankfully, for those of us who want a reliable camera that fits in the palm of our hand and also functions beneath the waves, there is the Olympus TG series. These cameras have been out for quite a while now, with the most recent model being the TG-7, and have really set the standard for what amphibious compact cameras should offer the shooter. Olympus has done such a superb job of building a camera that’s ready to be submerged right out of the box; other camera manufacturers like Sony, Canon, or Nikon have basically backed away from this corner of the market. As a result, the TG series has become the obvious camera choice for snorkelers around the world. While the TG cameras are ready to start shooting underwater straight away, I’d like to ever so delicately present the idea of purchasing a housing for your TG camera, using only the most rock-solid points. I get that this might sound a little contradictory as I’ve just set TG cameras on a pretty high pedestal for their underwater readiness sans accessories. In my opinion, the TG camera’s pedestal position is very well deserved, and I don’t offer
It wasn’t too long ago that if you wanted to take your precious camera underwater with you, you needed to jam it into a cumbersome metal enclosure so as to keep the water out. This often meant a significant additional expense in purchasing the housing, one more bulky item to pack for your snorkeling trip,
The word data doesn’t exactly spark excitement for most people. But, mention a database packed with raw data, ready for analysis, to a scientist and watch as their eyes light up. To them data isn't just numbers, it is a story waiting to be told. The issue is that data is often time consuming and expensive to obtain. Here is where the genius of citizen science comes into play. What is citizen science? Citizen science gives you the opportunity to help gather, analyze or report invaluable scientific information. If you are part of the Snorkel Venture community odds are you are a big fan of spending time out in nature. Many of our guests are often extremely well travelled and are lucky enough to have spent time with some of the rarest of species, in remote environments. For a research team to fund and organize a trip to such places, to study such species often takes years of fund raising and planning. Citizen science allows us to skip this step. Handing over data from you, the public, straight to the people that need it most. Manta Trust A magnificent example of citizen science in action is a method used by one of Snorkel Venture’s charity partners, Manta Trust. Manta Trust is a charity that researches, advocates for and protects manta and devil rays world wide. Manta and devil rays (known as Mobulid rays) are widely dispersed and species like the oceanic manta are known to travel hundreds of miles across open ocean. Therefore obtaining information regarding the movement patterns of these rays can be tricky. This is where we need your help. If you have ever been lucky enough to spend time with Mobulids in the wild you may have noticed their spotty underbellies as they barrel roll
The word data doesn’t exactly spark excitement for most people. But, mention a database packed with raw data, ready for analysis, to a scientist and watch as their eyes light up. To them data isn’t just numbers, it is a story waiting to be told. The issue is that data is often time consuming and
Like many of you, I was introduced to the wondrous personalities of these pelagic species through videos and photos, whether it be in a magazine, online, or on television. I was enamored by each species’ unique persona as they danced across the screen or pages I was thumbing through, and I was desperate to meet them face to face in their natural habitat–the ocean. Suffice it to say, pelagics are very likely the reason a lot of us continue to jump in the water day after day, year after year, kitted out in mask and snorkel.
Like many of you, I was introduced to the wondrous personalities of these pelagic species through videos and photos, whether it be in a magazine, online, or on television. I was enamored by each species’ unique persona as they danced across the screen or pages I was thumbing through, and I was desperate to meet them face to face in their natural habitat–the ocean. Suffice it to say, pelagics are very likely the reason a lot of us continue to jump in the water day after day, year after year, kitted out in mask and snorkel.
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The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
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