All About Constant Light Underwater

[@BrentDurand]

Do you shoot using Constant Light? Or do you use a Strobe(s)? Or Both?

[@deanb6163]

Hi Brent, My old strobe died so I replaced with a video light intially and did one trip shooting photos with a video light. It works pretty well, but you know what? It made photos TOO EASY and I could just shoot with camera in Auto mode. I did get some good photos that way, but I enjoy the challenge of shooting with a strobe in full manual mode. Then you really have to be a student of the camera and lighting. And of course the strobe is more powerful than a video light. I since bought a new Inon Z330 strobe, had to pry open my pocketbook to make myself do that but it works great! So I carry both now. I'm also going to buy a new macro lens. Reading other comments below, sounds like I should try macro with a constant light. So far I've never had gear that would allow macro.

[@BrentDurand]

@@deanb6163 Hi Dean - You hit on a really important point. I view a video light as ambient light because the settings groups are the same, which includes using semi-auto modes - just like you discovered. Macro is great fun, especially in lower visibility conditions or where there aren't those stellar wide-angle subjects.

[@isaiahaydin6281]

i dont mean to be so off topic but does any of you know a trick to get back into an instagram account..? I was dumb lost my password. I appreciate any tips you can give me

[@pedroares8773]

@Isaiah Aydin Instablaster :)

[@isaiahaydin6281]

@Pedro Ares thanks so much for your reply. I got to the site thru google and I'm trying it out atm. Takes quite some time so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@P5STEMandRC]

THIS IS GOOD VIDEO THANkS👍👍👍👍👍 h John Carpenter's "The Thing" (1982)

[@ManeaSayal]

what a great information! many thanks Brent ..

[@BrentDurand]

Glad you found it useful Manea 🤙

[@shizenshrestha]

Thank you for this video ! I am new at UW photos and was looking for lighting solutions. I like doing both photos and videos, so I bought a flood light to start with for now. Your suggestion helped to confirm that I have a good start in building my setup :)

[@BrentDurand]

Excellent! The flood video light will help for both types of shooting. Have fun!

[@frankstopa6270]

Great video tutorial. I'm trying to learn shooting in caves with off board strobes and/or video lights. Each has its challenges. This video was the first I've seen talking about the behavior of lights underwater and how to get the most out of them. An instructor once told me, 'buy as many lumens as you can afford!' regarding video lights. Thanks

[@BrentDurand]

Hi Frank - glad you found the tutorial useful. Good luck on the cave photography!

[@waiyintan5800]

THANK you so much to share with us the speed of the strobe

[@BrentDurand]

You’re welcome!

[@skibarron]

Thanks Brent, always entertaining and informative! Love the sound effects too. I tried the constant lighting and you are correct, if it is slow moving subjects they work fine. I would like to have you do a tutorial on back lighting subjects and how to minimize backscatter or light in your shot please.

[@BrentDurand]

Hi Jack - Thanks for the feedback as always! This is an older video I repurposed, but the info is still good :- ). I can definitely add a backlighting video to the queue. That's a great subject to tackle. I do have an article on How to Minimize Backscatter, so check that out. One day I'll try to make a video on the subject as well, but a lot of it is actually covered in my Black Backgrounds video. Enjoy! Minimize Backscatter: tutorials.brentdurand.com/how-to-minimize-backscatter/ Black Backgrounds: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJekgKyEer6WgLM

[@skibarron]

@@BrentDurand Thanks for the links and connection to your followers!

[@BrentDurand]

@@skibarron We're a community!

[@robertoamarantecostapinto1156]

Hi Brent, your videos are great! Thank’s. I use video lights and strobes. I always dive with them two (bether, four, as I use two of them). And I am convinced that the quality of your sources of light is fundamental for underwater photography. And, when I want a backlight effects, i use a third strobe, and as the strobe has a video light, I use it as modelling light to adjust it’s position. But when I’m diving deep, the video light is the way to see the colors and make our compositions. Usually I put a GoPro to film as I take pictures. That’s the way I use my lights. Thank’s for your advices!

[@BrentDurand]

Hi Roberto - thanks for the kind words. I also will often carry two strobes and two video lights. Your backlighting is a great technique, especially using the modeling light to help you set up. The good results from your video lights when diving deep may be because there is less ambient light from the sun that you are competing with, so the lights can help produce stronger colors. The GoPro is a great idea as well!

[@davideminiscalco2468]

would it be possible to have you make a video about focus light use and positioning for macro use?

[@BrentDurand]

Hi Davide - Great suggestion for a video. Will add it to the list. In the meantime, a focus light doesn't show up in your photos, so as long as you're lighting your subject (to help the camera focus), you're doing it correctly. If you haven't seen it yet, here's my Ultimate Guide to Underwater Photography: tutorials.brentdurand.com/learn/

[@johnkiefer1314]

Excellent introduction! I’m curious regarding important lumen thresholds for particular uses. For shallow water tropics close focus wide angle, would 1000 lumen be enough or should I start with something brighter? Also, I’m thinking about constant light as a tool for balancing exposure in split shots.

[@BrentDurand]

Hi John - this is a great question. Using artificial light in shallow tropic water is very challenging in the sense that it's difficult to see the effects of the light (even with very strong lights). Luckily, you should have best results filling in the shadows and enhancing the colors with close focus wide angle. You don't need quite that much power for split shots. I'd aim for 3000+ lumens. Check out my Video Light Guide for some ideas: tutorials.brentdurand.com/video-light-comparison/ Hope this helps!

[@SrMarkavian]

Like your video and was waiting for something like this :) I have a question. When you have constants light, how or when do you do white colour balance?

[@BrentDurand]

Excellent! Glad I could deliver. Will be creating a brand new one on exposure to post in about two weeks :- ). This is a great question. For still photos I usually do not use any manual white/color balance. This is because the RAW files offer freedom to make WB corrections without degrading image quality. The camera gets it close, then I make subtle tweaks in Lightroom if needed. If you're shooting in JPGs, however, then you'll get best results from setting a new custom white balance about every 3 meters in depth. For video, which can be thought of as a jpg file that will lose quality if you adjust WB too much, you'll also want to set a custom white balance every 3 meters in depth. Hope this helps!

[@BrentDurand]

Also, in the video linked below I go over some white balance adjustments using Lightroom: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5PUqWuBrMRnp8U

[@SrMarkavian]

@@BrentDurand it is really interesting your approach. Nd editing with lighthouse. I sometimes do that but not too skilful yet with the program. I also like to do the less editing as possible so I can presenting what I as diver see for real and not some of that artistic views from other people. If you have to do white balance, will you do it with the lights on or off? I found that if I do it with light off, when I introduce the lights, I get really red photos. But if I do it with lights on, the blues on the background look horrible.

[@BrentDurand]

@@SrMarkavian Yes, this is a result of mixing the ambient (sunlight) with the artificial light from your torch. It's very tough to create a manual white balance in-camera mixing both.

[@ikitamanyira8221]

Best video I've ever seen I'm planning to use a video light, can I ask your advice, is it better to use one 5000 lumen video light or 2 3000 lumens?

[@BrentDurand]

Hi Iki, I highly recommend choosing two lights so that you have more ability to control light and shadow while avoiding backscatter. Here’s a tutorial that shows some light positioning: tutorials.brentdurand.com/underwater-strobe-positioning/ Good luck!

[@ikitamanyira8221]

@@BrentDurand with this answer I conclude that two video lamps with a small lumen (3000) will be better than one video lamp with a larger lumen, thanks for the help Brent, i will see your link

[@ilkergur7003]

Hi there. I am having trouble with video ligths. I have 2x 8000 lumen ligths. But i always do manuel wb with ambient ligth. I tried almost all combination for correct wb while video ligths are on. At the end i try with the sama color tempurarure of the ligth but that resulted ugly backgrounds. Any suggestions? Thx a lot. Your videos are graet and i learned i lot

[@BrentDurand]

Hi Ilker, great questions. Video lights only illuminate your foreground, meaning you have two different white balances required (one for foreground and one for ambient background). When using lights it's best to focus on the foreground, meaning you have to keep the "ugly" ambient blue/green background. My video below on exposure shows this concept for wide-angle relating to exposure, but it's the same concept of foreground and background: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXSZoGNmnZpmjtE I hope this helps.

[@ilkergur7003]

@@BrentDurand thx a lot for taking the time to write. I will study iy an sure wiil help .🙏

[@n2olowen2olowe35]

When using video light for still photos, should I leave the cameras internal flash on?

[@BrentDurand]

Do not leave the internal flash on as it will drain battery. You don’t need flash when using constant light.

[@pbdemoulin69]

Hi Brent, I got a question. How do manage the power ratio of ambiant / artificial light ? This in order to correctly set the background and foreground. WIth flash I can do this easily due to the 1/2 - 1/3 increment of the flash power. But how with wonstant light. When there is 4 power setting, we are lucky. Or do you know a model that is more versatile ? Regards,

[@BrentDurand]

Salut Pierre-Bernard - Great question! We're more limited with just 4 power settings on the lights, but the best way to control that light power is to physically move the strobe farther or closer to the subject. You can pull the strobe back farther from the subject to reduce intensity (by less than one power setting click). You could also push it forward to make it more intense. I find this the best way to make subtle light changes like this.

[@tabalaistation8944]

47 / 5000 Hasil terjemahan the best video tutorial I've seen, there is one question Are 2 video lights with 2000 lumens such as the Scubalamp PV22 good for wide-angle video creation and some for photos

[@BrentDurand]

Thank you for the complement! I'm not familiar with Scubalamp products, however lights with 2,000 lumens will absolutely work for wide-angle photo and video, especially as you get deeper in the water (with less ambient sunlight).

[@tabalaistation8944]

@@BrentDurand thank you for your help, i will subscribe to your channel, very inspiring

[@andrecandrade]

Great video

[@BrentDurand]

Thanks Andre!

[@MaewPerSync]

How about cheap underwater video light for beginner with GoPro ??

[@BrentDurand]

Hi - Here's my complete guide to video lights for 2021. tutorials.brentdurand.com/video-light-comparison/ Note that there are certainly some cheaper brands, however I can't recommend them as I cannot guarantee quality or durability. Hope this helps!

[@sandrasunny1124]

Hi Brent, a question please: What can I do to avoid my night dive pics becoming all red? Do I have to add less light before shooting?

[@BrentDurand]

Hi Sandra - this is tough to answer without seeing your photos. Are you using a red filter in addition to the light? Are you using a manual white balance setting? Those are the two things I can think of checking right away, otherwise it might be a bit more involved. Happy to do an image review if you'd like. All the info is here: tutorials.brentdurand.com/virtual-photo-lessons/

[@sandrasunny1124]

@@BrentDurand Hi Brent, thanks for taking the time to write. I did not use a red filter, only my dive light. Am suspecting this could be the problem and have now ordered a sea dragon light. Will let you know once this is here and then maybe we can schedule an individual session, that would be really cool. I am hoping to fly to the Maldives in 3 weeks, so I‘d definitely like to invest in some learning before this, it will be a once in a lifetime opportunity for me... Will keep your link and contact you once the equipment is complete!

[@BrentDurand]

@@sandrasunny1124 You've got to be excited. If you haven't seen it yet, here's my (free) Ultimate Guide to Underwater Photography: tutorials.brentdurand.com/learn/

[@BrentDurand]

@@sandrasunny1124 Hi Sandra - I received your email but the email address you listed bounces when I reply. Do you mind emailing again? Alternatively, we can message through Facebook. I'm at: Facebook.com/durand.brent. Thanks!

[@atlantisdiveresorts]

We find many divers shooting macro with this constant light concept at our resorts. They produce some AMAZING photos!

[@BrentDurand]

Absolutely. Constant light is tougher the farther the subject. But great for any camera!

[@martyg374]

Brent, for me, the video light scares the subject more than the strobes.They see those bright lights in their eyes and are spooked. Do you not experience this?

[@BrentDurand]

Hi Marty - yes, this is definitely a problem with using constant light. You might also find clouds of krill attracted to your lights during night dives at times, making photography virtually impossible. Unfortunately, there's no solution for this aside from trying to turn your lights on at the last second. Along these lines, bright (and hot) video lights should never be aimed at developed eggs (cuttlefish, octopus, etc.) as the bright light and warmer water stimulate the developing animals and can cause them to hatch prematurely. In all these cases, strobes are the best bet.

[@rosiebird2750]

I’ve had that same issue, lining up a shot then the subject moves away before I can hit the shutter. Main reason why I’m moving towards strobes

[@michaelmartinez3809]

Brent, i'll be using 2- 15000 lumen video lights with ambient filters and manual white balance. Can you use a shallow depth filter in deeper water with good results? I am concerned with loss of light intensity with deeper filters.

[@BrentDurand]

Hi, the results you'll see will vary based on the water and available light, plus the manual white balance. In other words, you should have no trouble using the shallow filters at deeper depths if you adjust the white balance to compensate. Of course, you might get better results with the deeper filters that have a stronger red color. I hope that helps.

[@michaelmartinez3809]

I'm actually using blue filters, not red on my lights. Provided by Big Blue.

[@BrentDurand]

@@michaelmartinez3809 Ah yes. The ambient filters won't do as well deeper since it's tougher to get ambient color at depth, which is why most shooters are ok with regular light filters illuminating the subject and letting the mid/background be blue.

[@michaelmartinez3809]

@BrentDurand what are regular light filters? I thought blue / green ambient filters for video lights were all that was available.

[@BrentDurand]

@@michaelmartinez3809 I was thinking strobe lighting but same difference. You're correct that only blue/green filters are available for video lights, however you could use any of the filters on a photo/video light like Backscatter's Hybrid Flash.

[@MadisonReed-j6u]

Thanks Brent, always entertaining and informative! Love the sound effects too. I tried the constant lighting and you are correct, if it is slow moving subjects they work fine. I would like to have you do a tutorial on back lighting subjects and how to minimize backscatter or light in your shot please.

[@BrentDurand]

Hi, thanks for the kind words! Backlighting is a great topic. I'll add it to my list. If you haven't read it, I do have a tutorial on minimizing backscatter here: tutorials.brentdurand.com/how-to-minimize-backscatter/