When filming, Gibbins found the water and fish movements created a ‘disco-like effect’ over the shoal – a look which she accentuated by filming in slow motion at 100fps. “Another approach I took was to use the sun to backlight the school of fish, using their silhouettes to create an interesting, layered composition,” she adds. “The current kept this massive shoal of fusiliers tightly together, close to the reef, which gave me lots of time to play with lighting and composition.” Pro tips In the past, Gibbins has experimented with the Sony FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS ZEISS Vario-Tessar T* underwater, but the 16-35mm f/2.8 is her current go-to, thanks to its versatility and ability to capture both wide and close-up shots. Using the 16mm wide-angle lens helps to create scale in a seascape shot, capturing the layers of coral and sheer number of fish. “Underwater subjects appear bigger because the light is bent inwards, so a wide-angle lens increases the field of view,” she advises. “When I shoot underwater, I try to reduce the amount of water between my camera and subject – without disturbing them – as there are
“The Sony FX3 is awesome at low light, so it was incredible to shoot the seagrass meadow at sunset,” she enthuses. “For this shot, I wanted to use the sun to capture oxygen bubbles coming off the blades, so I used a shallow depth-of-field to highlight the foreground and create layers, but a wide depth-of-field for the coral reef and its abundant ecosystem. “This was captured in the midday sun, which shows a great comparison as to how light affects the tone of the image,” she shares. “Underwater, the sun’s light helps to increase visibility and improve the reef’s colours.” Discover MPB MPB is the largest global platform for buying, selling and trading used photography and videography kit. With its simple, safe and circular model, the company recirculates more than 485,000 cameras, lenses and accessories each year, giving them new life. Learn more at mpb.com
lots of particles in the water and this will decrease the sharpness of my image.” Though this lens is not specifically a macro, its 28cm focus distance allows beautiful close-ups. “As I am using my Nauticam housing, I have a zoom and focus ring,” she explains. “Being able to switch between these focal lengths allows me to play with different angles and compositions relatively quickly.” Gibbins was keen to capture the marine ecosystems around the island, exploring coral reefs, seagrass meadows and mangrove nurseries. Deciding to dive at various times of day and experiment with light conditions helped realise her vision for the shoot. I USED THE dancing rays TO highlight the subjects IN FRONT OF ME”
@elisegibbins
15
definitionmags
Powered by FlippingBook