Rob Spray & Dawn Watson
We are enthusiastic divers who were drawn to photography as a way to share the things we saw. As well as all the usual tropical sights (and some unusual ones too) we enjoy diving around the British coast and specialise in native marine wildlife. Running the Marine Conservation Society's Seasearch project in East Anglia we also have the largest online photo resource for this area and enjoy surprising landlubbers with the amazing animals we have just off our local shore. We started diving around the birth of effective digital photography with some of the earliest housed compacts. Underwater photography is a niche which takes all the complications of surface picture taking into an environment where you can't normally breathe, standing still is an effort and light is at a premium so we sympathise with people taking to the water with cameras for the first time as well as those lugging SLRs into the deep.
We both come from backgrounds in science and technology, Dawn is a biologist who has worked in microbiology, plant physiology and veterinary diagnostics which gives her an appreciation of the infinite complexity of living things and a love of simple technology. While I used to work on a range of weird and wonderful things - picture and video transmission for racing yachts, editing video, testing video cameras and even designing Digital Cinema systems - that left me multi skilled and nerdy with a talent for making things work. As a team we mesh well finding and photographing weird and wonderful creatures in seemingly mundane waters for the Seasearch project.
In reviewing we try to bring an incisive, forensic maybe even a slightly mean eye to the task but recognise that normal people want normal features and good performance. So we temper expert criticism with balanced advice as to just how important technical aspects might be - practicality can easily outweigh cutting edge tech when you're out and about taking real pictures.
Our pictures have appeared in press and print, used by Wildlife Trusts, Natural England, The Marine Conservation Society and there are even finger puppets based on our favourite seaslug! Visit our website www.1townhouses.co.uk for more pictures, diving and information.
Recent articles by Rob Spray and Dawn Watson;
"The Metz range has something for everyone, from tiny travel units to monsters for catwalk cameramen. They match the own brand ranges and then some (with room to spare).For everyday photo folk like me its their ‘normal’ range of bounce headed flashguns which are most relevant."
"Here I've gathered a few of my favourites together to help you navigate your first steps into a lens collection. Better lenses are more expensive so there's a balance to be struck when deciding between basic and more exotic models..."
"Sharing the latest toughened up styling with the housed E-620 SLR it carries off a cute Tonka toy look with aplomb, but is it merely a plaything?"
"The Lowepro Flipside 400 AW isn't a compromise camera bag. It combines a lot of Lowepro's good ideas into a small but roomy backpack which should give you enough space to carry a full photo arsenal for those unexpected opportunities."
"It's not a subtle bag for walking around town; from the proud, chunky rubber Camera Armor (sic) logo to the reflective strip around the top this is an action bag for the kind of folk who aren't worried so much by street crime as finding their camera downstream after rolling a canoe."
"If you have invested in a big body and bright long lens then you want it safe in transit and by your side whenever you can. They always say the best camera is the one you have with you and the right bag stops you wondering whether it's worth the hassle."
"From the moment you pick it up the heft and workmanship makes it clear that this is a quality bit of kit. That's not to say it's quite up to the minute but it has the well machined charm of pre digital photography which the snazzy finish doesn't disguise."
"Natural light is all the rage these days but that doesn't change the fact that sometimes you need more light than you have. Ambient light is great but it's very… ambient. Whether it's to add some fill in, open up a dark corner, or freeze action, a flash can add an extra dimension to your shooting."
"It’s fitting that this little Lumix showed up for review so soon after the Olympus E-P1 paid a visit. The E-P1 is a new breed whereas the Panasonic LX3 is acknowledged as the best of an existing niche. The LX3 is also an enthusiast’s compact, with many of the features of an SLR in a much smaller package."
"The Olympus E-P1 is a beautiful piece of kit; it’s not all about the tech at all. It looks and feels like a treasured 35mm film camera from the ’60s. It’s easy to make new stuff sort-of-space-age (black plastic?) which usually works for a month or two, but capturing a timeless but nostalgic look is much tougher."
"You may have seen that lots of Digital SLRs now offer ‘Live View’ and hoped that it would mean they work like compacts underwater. As of now there are very few Digital SLRs which actually do. Because many advantages of an SLR rely on that direct view of the scene, they cannot easy emulate a compact."
"It’s funny how fast technology sometimes appears to move… while often dragging its heels. Often it simply takes time for what is affordable to catch up with what is possible. I opted for the Canon Legria HF-200 HD Camcorder because this range has had rave reviews ever since it surfaced."
"Even though they have certainly not rushed to market, Olympus have beaten the bigger players to offering a truly complete underwater SLR system by miles."
" Let's look at the ins and outs of taking an SLR underwater...there's more to it than meets the eye."
"As a diver you sometimes have to trust people with your babies as you leave the water and I'd be much happier handing this over in to the care of a 'helpful' boat skipper than my previous toys!"
" You have to hand it to Olympus, for a comparatively ‘tiny’ Japanese corporation they stream out interesting things at an impressive rate. Some smooth evolutions, some wild innovations. Now the E-620 pitches up as the world’s smallest SLR with in-body image stabilisation. "
" Post dive expectations often take a knock when those precious downloaded photos turn out to suffer from some classic problems. Pictures which look great on a 2.5” LCD rarely look better when you get back to your PC, so perhaps we should cover a little ground on how to make the best of what you bring back. "
" In Part 3 Underwater Photography Guide Rob Spray takes us in to the world of strobes and wide angle ports, but it's worth remembering that the most import part of any set-up is the diver behind the camera. "
" In Part 2 of our 3 part Underwater Photography Guide Rob Spray takes us gives us some great practical advice on shooting and some typical lighting situations faced by underwater photographers. "
" In Part 1 of our Underwater Photography Guide Rob Spray takes us through the basics of handling a camera underwater, and the problem shooting underwater poses for photographers. "
" We take Fuji's 12MP Super CCD EXR Sensor camera in to the dark blue and see how its low light sensor copes in a hostile environment. "
""...thoughtful, full-featured cameras which give a great return over what you can realistically expect to be long lifetimes. As bulletproof backup cameras they are, at present, unique."
"...a great, fun package and a camera you can use on the shallower dives which are often the most relaxed and rewarding." Rob Spray takes the D10 to Holland.
"Historically, splash-proof cameras were just that, not intended to be immersed - designed only to shed water – but now a few truly waterproof cameras have appeared." Underwater photographer Rob Spray takes the W60 on an outing to Cornwall to see if 'waterproof' really means gimic?