Houston's Premier Scuba and Dive Shop Oceanic Ventures Inc.

(713) 523-3483 (dive)
5808 Newcastle Drive
Houston, TX 77401

underwater photography

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Photo Hint – Adding a Diver for Scale and Interest

By Tobias Friedrich

Placing a diver into the background of an image is always a good idea and works best in wreck photography. This can be planned before the dive or can be a spontaneous situation like this, with the diver swimming by an opening with blue water in the background. Make sure to catch this moment by taking several images with your camera, then select the best one.

Equipment: SeaLife Micro 3.0, Sea Dragon 3000F

Settings: Deep Water White Balance

If you’d like a copy of the above underwater image, please email: lindsay@pioneer-research.com

SeaLife Micro 3.0 Pro 3000 Set

SL552 – Available now! Ideal for colorful, sharp stills and videos, the Micro 3.0 Pro 3000 Set includes the Sea Dragon 3000F Photo-Video Light, Micro 3.0 Camera, Flex-Connect Single Tray and Grip for optimal stability and handling. The SeaLife Micro 3.0 camera offers easy set-up with automatic and manual image setting options. The Sea Dragon 3000F Light has a Color Rendering Index of 80, with a 5000k color temperature to simulate natural sunlight. Sea Dragon Photo/Video Lightsreveal beautiful colors in underwater photos and videos.

Micro Wide Angle Dome Lens

SL052- Available January 2022 The SeaLife Micro Wide Angle Dome Lensincreases the camera’s field of view by 43% and allows for 3x closer shooting distance. For the SeaLife Micro 3.0, the lens angle is increased from 100° to 143° and shooting distance is reduced from 15”/38cm to 5”/13cm. The 0.7x dome lens high-grade optical design improves overall image quality and edge sharpness. Fits all SeaLife Micro-series and ReefMaster RM-4K camera models.

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Photography Contest Entry Form Open

It is official, the 2022 Oceanic Ventures Photography Contest entry system is live and you can now start uploading your entries!

The Prizes this year include a trip from Reef Divers and Clearly Cayman! You will also find really cool prizes from the Huish Brand Companies (Atomic, Bare, Oceanic, Stahlsac, Suunto, Zeagle) and from the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism. So don’t miss this opportunity!

Photography Contest Information and Entry Form

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Photo Hints – Reef Shooting, Using Lights

By Tobias Friedrich

When shooting corals, it’s important to have powerful underwater lighting with a high color rendering like the Sea Dragon 3000F to be able to capture all the colors of the reef. 

Shoot the image when the fish are around the reef, like these Anthias, swimming closely out of the corals preferably in one direction. Shoot several exposures so you’ll capture the best moment.

Equipment: SportDiver Housing with iPhone 12 Max Pro using 0.5x iPhone Lens, Sea Dragon 3000F

If you’d like a copy of the above underwater image, please email: lindsay@pioneer-research.com

SportDiver Underwater Smartphone Housing

SL400-U  Available now!

The SportDiver underwater housing works with iPhone® 7 through the 13 Pro Max and most Android phones. Check if a phone fits and is compatible here. The SportDiver includes a color correcting red filter that brings back lost underwater colors. The best way to get breathtaking images and brilliant video underwater with your phone is with the Sea Dragon 3000F or the complete SportDiver Pro 2500 smartphone housing & photo-video light set.

Sea Dragon 3000SF Pro Dual Beam

SL679 Available Now! The compact Sea Dragon 3000SF Pro Dual Beam Photo-Video light has a large COB LED, delivering 3000 lumens in an even 120° wide beam. The light offers an impressive 90 CRI (color rendering index) with a proprietary COB LED array that replicates natural sunlight (A CRI of 100 would be just like natural sunlight). With a simple one-button push, the underwater photographer can switch from the wide 120° beam to a narrow 1500 lumen 15° spot beam. For imaging, the spot beam offers many creative opportunities such as to create a narrowly focused snoot or stage spotlight effect.

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Photo Hints – Keep Calm for Best Results

By Tobias Friedrich

Move calmly in the water and don’t make too many motions, especially not towards the animal, and they’ll tend to come closer to you; like this Hawksbill Turtle. This allows shots of the front and sides which is always good. Approach sharks and other animals the same way.

Equipment: SeaLife Micro 3.0, Sea Dragon 3000F

Settings: Deep Water White Balance

If you’d like a copy of the above underwater image, please email: lindsay@pioneer-research.com

Micro 3.0 Pro 3000 Set

SL552Ideal for colorful, sharp stills and videos, the Micro 3.0 Pro 3000 Set includes the Sea Dragon 3000F Photo-Video Light, Micro 3.0 Camera, Flex-Connect Single Tray and Grip for optimal stability and handling. The SeaLife Micro 3.0 camera offers easy set-up with automatic and manual image setting options. The Sea Dragon 3000F Light has a Color Rendering Index of 80, with a 5000k color temperature to simulate natural sunlight. Sea Dragon Photo/Video Lights reveal beautiful colors in underwater photos and videos.

Sea Dragon 3000SF Pro Dual Beam

SL679

Try the NEW SL554 Micro 3.0 Pro Dual Beam Set! The compact Sea Dragon 3000SF Pro Dual Beam Photo-Video light has a large COB LED, delivering 3000 lumens in an even 120° wide beam. The light offers an impressive 90 CRI (color rendering index) with a proprietary COB LED array that replicates natural sunlight (A CRI of 100 would be just like natural sunlight). With a simple one-button push, the underwater photographer can switch from the wide 120° beam to a narrow 1500 lumen 15° spot beam. For imaging, the spot beam offers many creative opportunities such as to create a narrowly focused snoot or stage spotlight effect.

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Photo Hint – Shoot for Best Composition

By Tobias Friedrich

Good composition is always important, especially if you have enough time to frame a subject like this coral reef rock. Try to take a few minutes and swim around the subject, while holding your camera towards it and checking the camera display’s live view. Shoot a few images from each direction and later choose the best one after you’ve downloaded the images. And next time, you’ll know which perspective worked best.

Equipment: SeaLife Micro 3.0, Sea Dragon 3000F

Settings: Deep Water White Balance

If you’d like a copy of the above underwater image, please email: lindsay@pioneer-research.com

Micro 3.0 Pro 3000 Set

SL552Ideal for colorful, sharp stills and videos, the Micro 3.0 Pro 3000 Set includes the Sea Dragon 3000F Photo-Video Light, Micro 3.0 Camera, Flex-Connect Single Tray and Grip for optimal stability and handling. The SeaLife Micro 3.0 camera offers easy set-up with automatic and manual image setting options. The Sea Dragon 3000F Light has a Color Rendering Index of 80, with a 5000k color temperature to simulate natural sunlight. Sea Dragon Photo/Video Lights reveal beautiful colors in underwater photos and videos.

Sea Dragon 3000SF Pro Dual Beam

SL679

Try the NEW SL554 Micro 3.0 Pro Dual Beam Set! The compact Sea Dragon 3000SF Pro Dual Beam Photo-Video light has a large COB LED, delivering 3000 lumens in an even 120° wide beam. The light offers an impressive 90 CRI (color rendering index) with a proprietary COB LED array that replicates natural sunlight (A CRI of 100 would be just like natural sunlight). With a simple one-button push, the underwater photographer can switch from the wide 120° beam to a narrow 1500 lumen 15° spot beam. For imaging, the spot beam offers many creative opportunities such as to create a narrowly focused snoot or stage spotlight effect.

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Photo Hint – Frame Your Subject Against Open Water

By Tobias Friedrich

When a subject performs a “flyby” like this Hawksbill Turtle, make sure to frame it against open water. The animal will stand out much more when it has only blue water around it, instead of having a reef or any kind of distraction in the background.

Equipment: SeaLife Micro 3.0

Settings: Deep Water White Balance

If you’d like a copy of the above underwater image, please email: lindsay@pioneer-research.com

Sea Dragon 3000SF Pro Dual Beam

SL679

Try the NEW SL554 Micro 3.0 Pro Dual Beam Set! The compact Sea Dragon 3000SF Pro Dual Beam Photo-Video light has a large COB LED, delivering 3000 lumens in an even 120° wide beam. The light offers an impressive 90 CRI (color rendering index) with a proprietary COB LED array that replicates natural sunlight (A CRI of 100 would be just like natural sunlight). With a simple one-button push, the underwater photographer can switch from the wide 120° beam to a narrow 1500 lumen 15° spot beam. For imaging, the spot beam offers many creative opportunities such as to create a narrowly focused snoot or stage spotlight effect.