the eyes. Caucasian hands and highly reflective bits of gear
should not be too close to the beam of the strobe, as they’re
easily overexposed.
Perspective should be considered as well, as whatever is
nearest in a wide-angle photograph will appear larger than
the background subject. That can be used to great effect with
an already-large subject such as a whale shark. A snorkeler
in the background will accentuate the immensity of the shark
and make it appear even more impressive. Likewise, a soft-
coral-festooned reef can be made even more captivating by
using forced perspective with a wide-angle lens and artfully
applying strobe light to highlight color and texture. However,
perspective can work against you, too.
Years ago I shot a campaign for one of America’s largest ad
agencies; one photo had a treasure diver ostensibly discovering
a massive gold chain on the bottom near the wreck of the
RMS Rhone in the British Virgin Islands to illustrate the
concept “taste of success.” This was back in the days of film,
so we didn’t see my shots until the next day, and the exposure,
eye contact and background were all perfect to my eye.
However, the art director wasn’t quite so pleased. He rather
vociferously lamented, “These are the hands that ate Chicago!”
Apparently he wasn’t used to seeing forced perspective in
wide-angle underwater shots, so I had to go back the next day
and reshoot. That time I made sure the hands were on the
same plane as the body rather than outstretched toward me.
A topside shooter might have shot the same scenario with
a normal lens from 10 feet away, and all would have been
perfect, but the underwater photographer (me) had to cover
a subject as large as a diver from only three feet away and
ensure maximum sharpness and color. The wide-angle lens,
with its inherent optical characteristics, was the only solution.
So choose your models well, communicate clearly,
and thank them. Make sure neither the photographer
nor the model comes in contact with the coral, and
determine the most important element to illuminate in
the foreground. Consider how perspective distortion can
work to your advantage, and, above all, don’t let your
model’s hands eat Chicago!
AD
102
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FALL 2013
IMAGING
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P H O T O T E C H N I Q U E S
When photographing product illustrations (as, in this case, for a
Subgear catalog) it is important to illustrate not only the underwater
“lifestyle” but to show logos when possible.
Right: In an editorial shot such as this Red Sea shipwreck, the diver is
often an element of composition, providing scale and human interest.
STEPHEN FRINK
STEPHEN FRINK
