Could Your Dive Computer Be One of the Most Important Pieces of Equipment?
There’s a particular kind of patience that only macro photography teaches you. You find your subject, settle into position, dial in your composition and then… nothing happens. The frogfish refuses to yawn. The lemon goby won’t venture to the entrance of its bottle home. The coconut octopus won’t drag its shell across the seafloor. The subject that was so full of promise five minutes ago has decided that now is the perfect time to do absolutely nothing. And that’s when the real negotiation begins. Not with your subject, but with time.
Macro photography is as much about managing time as it is about having the right camera, lens and lighting. It’s about giving an animal the space to behave naturally, waiting for that fleeting moment when something happens, and allowing yourself enough time underwater to experiment creatively.
And while camera equipment is obviously integral to capturing a great image, there’s another piece of equipment quietly influencing every photo we create: our dive computers.
Mobile home. “The neighbourhood looked great online; but think it’s time to move” said the Coconut Octopus. Image by Anita Verde.
Phase 1: Settling in
At the beginning of a dive, time feels generous. We drop in, find our subject and settle ourselves without disturbing the environment. We adjust our buoyancy, find our position, frame the shot, test our lighting and take a few “insurance” images — those static, ID portraits that prove the animal was there. But we already know these aren’t the images we came for.
For us, there are two real goals when shooting macro. The first is capturing wildlife behaviour. The second, if the behaviour simply isn’t going to happen, is using the time we have left to photograph the subject more creatively. Both require patience. And both require us to be conscious of how much time and gas we have.
"Finally found something in my price range. Oceanfront, open plan, and surprisingly spacious. Although; it needs a new roof!" Said the coconut octopus. Image by Anita Verde.
Phase 2: Watching the Clock
As the dive progresses, this is where things change, especially when our subject is deep.
Our dive is often concentrated on a small patch of sand and a single subject. We regularly check our computers. Because now, we know the equation has changed. Suddenly the question isn’t simply: What is the best photograph I can create? It’s; how much time ands gas do I have left to create it?
Sometimes it's not about waiting for behaviour but trying to determine the best way to photograph your subject. This tiny juvenile sweetlips was the perfect subject to experiment with a slow shutter. It did however require considerable patience to capture the moment it would dance across the frame. Image by Anita Verde.
Why Clarity Matters Underwater
For us, one of the most important things when shooting macro is how easily we can read and interpret our dive data.
In muck diving for example, our attention is already maxed out. We are managing buoyancy in silty conditions, maintaining focus at very close focal lengths, watching for behaviour that can happen in a split second, and being creative with lighting and other in-camera techniques. The last thing we need is to work to understand what our dive computer is telling us.
This is where our Shearwater Peregrine TX dive computers become an important part of the photographic process. We can glance down and immediately see the information that matters: depth, dive time, no-decompression limit and, when paired with our Swift GPS air integration transmitter, our tank pressure and gas information. The Peregrine TX can also calculate Gas Time Remaining (GTR), using our current breathing rate and available gas to estimate how long we can remain at our current depth.
While some photographers prefer to mount their dive computer on their camera arms or tray for easy viewing, we prefer to keep ours on our right wrist. This means the computer is only a small sideways glance away from the viewfinder. The subtle vibration alerts from the Peregrine TX are another useful reminder that something needs our attention. Anita Verde wears Peregrine TX while diving with the Avelo System. Image by Peter Marshall.
The Quiet Presence on Our Wrists
Photographers don’t often talk about how much a dive computer can influence a photograph, but the information on our wrist inevitably affects which images we take — and which ones we don’t.
For us, the large, full-colour display is particularly useful underwater. The information is easy to read at a glance, which is important when our attention is already divided between a tiny subject, a viewfinder and a potentially fleeting moment.
The important thing is that our photographic ambition never overrides our dive plan, and we like to keep our computer as a guidance and support system — another layer of awareness rather than something we blindly rely on. We still actively monitor our depth, dive time and gas consumption throughout the dive, rather than waiting for an alert to tell us something has changed. This is particularly important when shooting macro.
When you’re staring through a viewfinder at a tiny animal, it is remarkably easy to become completely absorbed in the photograph. The Peregrine TX helps keep the bigger picture in our peripheral awareness, but it doesn’t replace good dive planning or our own judgement.
Resting at a depth of 29 metres; we had limited time to create an interesting image of this rare ‘blue eyed’ black hairy frogfish. Rather than wait for behaviour to occur, we chose a creative approach; lighting the frogfish’s hair from behind with a blue light to complement its beautiful blue eye. Image by Anita Verde.
The vibration alerts however are an added layer of protection, and are especially useful in this respect. They can gently draw our attention to the computer when something important requires us to look. For us, that’s the sweet spot: technology that supports our awareness rather than technology that replaces it.
The same philosophy applies to how we configure our computers. The Peregrine TX allows us to customise the information displayed on the home screen, so we can prioritise the metrics that matter most to us. For example, having tank pressure immediately visible means we don’t have to navigate through menus or spend time looking for information when we’re focused on a subject. Because the less effort it takes to remain aware, the easier it is to stay focused on our photography.
Patience Versus Pressure
Good macro photographers know when to stay. Great ones also know when it’s time to leave. A great dive computer doesn’t give us permission to keep shooting. Instead, it gives us information that helps us make better decisions about when we should stay and when we should move on.
There have been many dives where we have spent a significant amount of time waiting for behaviour that never happened. Sometimes we get the photograph. Often we don’t. And that’s okay. Not getting the shot isn’t failure. It’s part of understanding wildlife — and accepting that the animal ultimately controls the outcome.
Finally a yawning juvenile frogfish! Patience is rewarded with the tiny subjects. Image by Anita Verde.
The Conservation Layer
There’s another side to all of this that often goes unspoken. When you know your dive plan, understand your limits and aren’t constantly concerned about how much time or gas you have remaining, your behaviour underwater changes. Having a dive computer that is easy to interpret means we are more relaxed; which in turn minimises our gas consumption. Knowing we are in good hands with our computer means we are also more patient. And perhaps most importantly, we don’t rush an animal. This matters particularly in muck environments, where many of the animals we photograph are tiny, cryptic and easily disturbed.
When It’s Time to Go
So while your dive computer doesn’t take the photo, it does define the conditions in which that photo becomes possible. In macro photography, where everything hinges on time, your dive computer is more than just a safety tool - it’s part of the photographic discipline. Because no matter how good the photograph might be, there is always a limit.
The lemon goby is a shy subject. As photographers, it was important for the goby to become comfortable with our presence so close to its bottle home. This image was shot using a red light to back-light the bottle and a white light to subtly light the goby’s sweet face. Image by Anita Verde.
A Few Simple Tips for Photographers
There are some simple ways to make your computer work better for the way you actually dive and photograph underwater. Firstly; we recommend purchasing the Shearwater Swift GPS Transmitter; this way you can customise the home screen to display your tank pressure rather than making yourself navigate through menus to find it. The dive computer's home screen is fully customisable, so if there are other metrics you like to keep an eye on, consider giving those priority too.
Think about what information you personally need most often. Depth, time, NDL and tank pressure are the obvious choices, but the advantage of a customisable display is that you can prioritise the information that is most useful to you.
Also, don’t be afraid to change how you mount your computer. While we prefer ours on the right hand wrist because it requires only a small glance away from the viewfinder and we can feel the computer’s important vibration alerts, we’ve seen photographers mount their computers to camera trays, arms and even floats. There is no right or wrong way; the point is to configure and position the computer so that checking your dive information becomes easy ands intuitive.
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About the Authors:
Anita Verde and Peter Marshall are wildlife photographers and photojournalists based in Melbourne, Australia. Specialising in underwater and wildlife imagery, as a husband and wife team they spend their time documenting the fragile beauty of the wild and telling our ocean’s most important stories.
Their work has been exhibited and recognised internationally and is widely published in dive, travel and conservation media. In their role as Field Editors at Dive Photo Guide they embark on unique ocean expeditions to bring stories to an audience of ocean and underwater photography enthusiasts. When they’re not underwater; you’ll find them up a mountain somewhere.
Follow them on Instagram @summitstoseas or find out more at: www.summitstoseasphotography.com
