In Summary...
Adopted from an article by Richard Smith from FiNS Magazine (www.finsonline.com)The DO's..1. DO Practice with a new camera in a pool or on a subject that won't be damaged or stressed by your trial and error.
2. DO Make sure gauges are not dangling and prone to damage coral.
3. DO Assess the situation before approaching. Prepare yourself and your camera without hitting the reef.
4. DO Pass on a subject that is not easily accessible.
5. DO Be aware of strobe positioning. They can easily damage corals and wont light your sibject if obscured behind part of the reef.
6. DO Use a finger to steady yourself on a dead patch of reef.
7. DO Gently lower your fins down onto a bare patch of sand to prevent stirring up the sediment and to provide you with stability (and if I may add... to also slowly lift yourself off cos that can also create quite a sand-storm and smother the corals, if not ruining the photo oppotunity for others after you)
8. Do Stabilise yourself on the dive guide if you feel unsteady. (Friends can also help you with this. For example, Rocket was taking a video of a walking epaulette shark in Raja Ampat and as it started moving towards him and the camera, he had to start moving backwards.. To prevent reversing into corals and breaking them, I was on top and held firm onto his tank and first stage, and manouvered him about so that he can focus his view on the shark and not break or harm anything else. So find a good understanding buddy!!)
9. DO Back off from an animal if it looks like it's becoming stressed.
10. DO Be patient. The subject will relax and allow you to take better shots.
11. DO take a course in buoyancy control techniques if you feel it would benefit.
The DON'T's..1. DON'T Touch animals. They will become defensive and not allow you to take good shots. But more importantly, touching animals will stress them out.
2. DON'T Take too many shots of each animal. You know how a camera flash from a few metres away can blind you? The same flash can kill pygmy seahorses.
3. DON'T Take shots you know are going to be immediately thrashed when you download them. Save the animal's retinas please.
4. DON'T Move or break corals to get a clear shot.
5. DON'T use accessively bright focusing lights that will scare the sibject away.
6. DON'T Push the camera really near to get a close-up shot. Your invasion of space will cause your subject to bolt. This is especially true for compact cameras.
7. DON'T check your LCD monitor on the back of the camera until you are clear of the reef.
