underwater videographer course | equipment | underwater video lights

Underwater Video Lights

Lights for underwater video.

Halogen

HID

HID brighter

HID longer life

HID bluer, more like daylight

Not all HID are same color temperature - give examples

Halogen warmer

Colour temperature

Blue gels or filters on halogens

HDMI

Xenon

Battery technology

NiCad versus NiMH

Store all batteries charged

Recharge every few months during a long lay-off

NiCad allow to discharge before recharging but avoid deep discharge

Intelligent charger

Lead acid

Umbilical versus canister

Canister can be heavy and unmanageable - flops about on arm?

Light and Motion

Amphibico

Nite Rider

Greenforce Squid

Kowalski

Darkbuster

Night dive needs lower power lights

Daytime "fill" lights need more powerful

More powerful lights disturb marine life more

Fish disorientated by lights at night

Can work to advantage (rabbit frozen in headlights) but not good for marine life

Light positioning

Backscatter

One from each side

One from side on from front

One from low (e.g. To light side of nudi)

Edge lighting. Use edge of beam so not lighting up the water column between camera and subject. Depends on sharpness of beam.

Don't just try to fill in all the shadows cuz then subject looks flat. Controlled shadows can increase the depth and drama.

Reverse lighting to render the background black, as per Martin Edge book highlighted in facebook by Alex Mustard

Light arms

Locline

Ultralight

CRI

LED

Lights with wide angle (e.g. Keldan) not great for macro because lighting up all the shit in the water. Narrow better.

Cyan lighting balanced for 15m depth (Keldan Luna 8)

More powerful lights and/or narrower lights make the background darker for the same exposure on the subject

Snooting

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