Terry Strait’s Photography

The Pelican Brief

Those of you  that were at the last General Membership meeting will undoubtedly remember Terry’s impressive photography display. Here are a few new ones and a few old favorites.—Ed

 

I lived in Seattle.  I lived in Seattle and it rained all the time.  It was green and lush and beautiful.  And it rained.  All the time.  So when I was due for a duty rotation I chose San Diego.  People told me it was paradise and that it never rained and the skies were always a fairy tale blue.  It was not June.  They were right.  As soon as I saw the beautiful beaches I knew right then and there I had to learn to scuba dive.  Thirteen years later, I finally did. 

 

I took to diving like a fish to water.  Even during open water class at the Shores, in March, in high surf, I loved it.  Well, maybe I didn’t LOVE it, but I was likin it a whole lot.  We opted for the boat dives on the second dive day and on that trip I was really hooked.  Before long my girlfriend Joanne was working at the dive shop to support my habit.  She dives too but is not the....hmmm.....fanatic that I am.  I would dive every day and twice on Sunday if I could.  After nearly two years of exploring the amazing

waters here off our coast, Joanne and I went to Kona for vacation.  I bought a couple inexpensive underwater cameras just for fun.  WOW!  Warm water diving is different and wonderful and well, WARM.  And you can see past your hand every dive!!!  I promptly lost the first camera on the first dive because I forgot to put the loop around my wrist before I let it go in 2 knots of current.  Man it was moving fast as it disappeared.  Good thing I bought two. 

 

I took a billion pictures that trip and they were all blue and fuzzy and blue and dark and blue.  This angered me greatly so I started to do some research when I got back.  There is an ocean of knowledge out there and I was diving in again.  First off I decided it was far too expensive to keep taking bad film pictures.  There are some truly amazing underwater photographers who shoot film and slides of the most remarkable things.  I am not one of them.  So digital pays for itself quickly by not having the cost of film and development.  Plus I get about 200 images per dive to try and get it right!!   My current setup is an Olympus 4040 and PT10 housing.  No strobe yet but I am saving my pennies.  I shoot mostly macro stuff as it is a good starting point for new photographers for two reasons.  One; you can get some

nice shots with the internal flash on the camera.  Second; nudibranchs, urchins, corals and sponges move either very slowly or not at all.  This increases the likelihood of getting a shot you like.  I get lots of fish butt pictures but I keep trying anyhow.  I now get about 20 out of 100 shots that I like enough to share and for me that is really the whole point.  I love to be able to bring back images of the amazing life that lies just beneath the waves.  Photography has sharpened my focus as a diver.  Once I started looking for things to take pictures of, I started seeing LOTS of things to take pictures of.  Many folks won't dive here.  The most common statement is "there is nothing to see".  With a camera, I can show them that there is a vast amount of life to discover here in our coastal waters. 

 

On dives that I do not bring the camera, I find myself taking mental snapshots instead.  Those are the really nice ones, they are always in focus, lighting and exposure are always perfect, and I can bring them with me everywhere.