Face to Face with Big Animals featuring Ron Watkins [Recorded LIVE] June 4th 2020

Join us for a live Q&A chat with professional underwater photographer Ron Watkins. He'll share his favorite images of coming face-to-face with big animals and exactly how he shot them. Topic Time Codes 01:04 - How did you get started in underwater photography?
03:22 - Crocodile Split Shot with Nikon D800 & Nikon 8-15 Fisheye
04:13 - How close to the subject are you?
04:58 - Metadata: Why the higher ISO?
06:09 - What was the thinking behind capturing the depth of field?
08:16 - How many shots did it take to get this final shot?
09:33 - What post process work was needed?
10:42 - How many dome ports have you gone through in getting so close to animals’ sharp teeth?
11:40 - How do you position strobes in lower light or night shooting conditions?

14:01 - Whitetip Shark Slow Shutter Blur Shot with Nikon D850 & Nikon 16-35
15:22 - What’s the working distance in this shot?
17:01 - Explain the choice behind using 1/8th shutter speed for blur
18:00 - Was your strobe positioning identical to the previous crocodile shot?
19:12 - What specific strobe(s) are you using Ron?
20:51 - Any worries about getting bit when shooting large subjects?
21:56 - Did this shot take the same strobe power as the crocodile shot?

23:01 - Salmon Shark Shot with D800 & Nikon 16-35
24:56 - Where in the world were you for this shot?
26:26 - What was the decision behind lens selection when shooting an elusive subject?
28:03 - Given the aperture choice, any concerns about soft corners?
29:45 - How do you balance zoom and focus in such dynamic water conditions & visibility?
31:15 - How much post processing work was needed for this shot?

33:05 - Pool Jump-In Shot with Nikon D800 & Nikon 16-35
35:08 - Preparing settings prior to the jump shots
36:26 - What’s the lens selection when working with human models?

37:10 - Humpback Whales and Diver Shot with Nikon D850 & Nikon 16-35
38:22 - Was the diver model intentionally placed in the shot?
40:18 - What were considerations behind the in-camera settings?
41:08 -What’s the aperture choice to prevent motion blur of the whales?
42:53 - Is the ISO set to auto or manual?
43:59 - Are future photo trips implementing social distancing? 44:31 - Marine Iguana Shot with D800 & Tokina 10-17
46:51 - Tell us about using the Tokina 10-17; how close you are to the subject?
48:59 - Were you using a “Magic Filter?”
50:09 - Is the lighting ambient or with strobes?
50:54 - How were you able to work around the “blue halo” or flare effect around the humpback whales?

53:06 - Blue Shark Shot with Nikon D850 & Nikon 8-15
55:07 - The story behind the lens selection
56:11 - Shark diving/shooting style recommendations
58:01 - How do you avoid blowing-out the white underbellies of sharks?
58:25 - Dialing in your “drop-in” settings on the boat
59:28 - What’s the post processing work behind this shot?
1:01:15 - What size dome are you using?