After a successful premiere last year with an area of about 300 m², this year the Underwater Pixel World enlarged the area of the exhibition up to 2,500 square metres.
25 exhibitors of the diving and photographic industry participated in the Underwater Pixel World presenting cameras, housings, lighting and accessories for underwater photographers and filmmakers. In addition to the exhibitors, in a separate area there were a stage for speeches and awards.
In the same area there where the photography exposition of four professional photographers: Linda Pitkin, Alptekin Baloglu, Ralf Kiefner and myself. One place was dedicates to presentations and on the same area this year several photo-film manufactured had also their booths. On one side there were also a Cafe Lounge where to stop and have a break.
The Show has been a good occasion to meet some friends and collegues , talk and share ideas about equipment and destinations.
Beside the Photo exposition, I talk on the stage about my work and advertise about the upcoming Photo Expeditions, Photo courses and workshops. The full program you can see here:
– Constantinos Petrinos, Fred Bavendam and myself -
Archive for the ‘Photo Workshop’
Underwater Pixel World – Boot 2012
Maldives photo courses ( 6 November to 11 December 2011)
From November 6 to December 11 I was in Maldives on board MY Mariana helding photo courses.
Since December 2005, MY Mariana sails the atolls of the Maldives. For many years in the Maldives, Joerg Aebi is the responsible and guide on board. He knows the diving places like nobody else and guarantees every dive is an incomparable experience. The trips generally depend on the desires of the divers, which usually include large fish such as observations of whale sharks, manta and sharks. The coloured soft corals of the Thilas and the macro critters are special features: they are the focus of the stay. Rattana –Joerg’s partner– is enthusiastic about diving and has accepted the challenge of working on the Mariana. Besides the diving, she often is also in the kitchen, cooking some Asian specialities. She pampers guests with massages. (This should not be missed).
During the 5 weeks on board we did several trips : first we sailed Nord Male, Gaafaru, Lhaviyani, Noonu ; the third week we stayed in the Ari Atoll and the last two weeks we sailed south to Felidhoo, Vattaru, South Ari Atoll and back to Male. During the cruise I taught few photo courses of different levels. The beginner photographers learned the bases of the photography: aperture, shutter speed, exposure, ISO and the best mix. The advanced photographers learned different techniques: best use of natural light, split images and long exposures. Everybody could practise in the water during the different dives we did and watched the results aboard. We went through the workflow and did some postproduction of the images.
I would like to take the chance to thank Scubasub, Manta Reisen, MY Mariana and Mares who help me in support the all trip.
We already renew our meeting for the next year, keep reading the blog and check my website to be updated about the upcoming photo courses, workshops and photo expeditions.
Live interview on radio RSI RETE UNO
RSI – RETE UNO – Tuesday 25 October 2011
live from 10.00 to 11.00 AM
- Franco ed Elena Caresani in front of RSI RETE UNO logo.
The interview can be heard – L’intervista può essere ascoltata:
http://reteuno.rsi.ch/home/networks/reteuno/camaleonte/2011/10/18/franco-banfi.html#Audio
Massa Lubrense photo course & workshop ( 16 to 24 July 2011)
From July 16 to 24, I was in Massa Lubrense, a small village close to the Amalfi Coast. I held a photo course and a photo workshop, at Sergio Riccardo’s DiveResidence. It is a residence of 10 apartments, located near the harbour of Marina della Lobra, a quaint fishing village.
During the early days, I taught the UW Photography course. I explained the basic rules of photography : aperture, shutter speed, exposure, ISO and the best mix. Then I talk about the use of the underwater strobe in different situations, the bases of the composition and how to work in post-production with the different software. At the end of the course, we watched the images taken from the participants and discussed about the results and how to improve their personal skills.
From July 21, the Workshop took place. The participants were all keen photographers, well-equipped with underwater housings and with good photographic’s bases. They attended the workshop to learn more about the photographic techniques in different conditions.
All participants dived in the Marine Protected Area of Punta Campanella to practice the teachings got during the theory’s lessons. The various bottoms and walls of the area are interesting for both the macro and the wide-angle photography.
At the end of the days I explained how digital photography has changed the way to photograph and how to take advantage. The second day I spoke about composition : how to shoot attractive images even when the subject of the image is simple or common, how to shoot in a way more attractive than hundreds of striking images, photographed in the wrong way.
The photography is a form of art, and the rules tend to suppress the creativity. By learning few tricks and hints helps to improve our images.
The workshop was a success and we already renew our meeting for the next year, always in July. If you are interested, don’t hesitate to book your place to be sure to get it.
Maldives photo workshop ( 9 to 17 April 2011)
Albatros Top Boat.
White Sea Photo Expedition 2011
This year the group was bigger, 10 persons from different places on Earth : China, England, Israel, Mexico, Poland, South Africa joined the Photo Expedition. All with the same interest : to discover a new and exacting destination, new people and cultures, diving under the thick ice of the White Sea, diving with beluga whales, improving the photographic knowledge and -of course – have fun. We spent one day in Ruka, where we enjoyed dog sledging through the wild forest, where everything is covered with snow.
The following day we wrapped up and got ready for the long journey to Russia. We loaded 2 buses and one trawler and we headed to the borders. Somebody was checked more carefully, till a big boss arrived to check properly the passport and said “da, carascho”. We lost one extra hour but everybody was happy to be in Russia ; we went ahead to the Arctic Circle. The trip was long ; we finally arrived to the place where we left the main road and drove for the last 30km. About this last transfer , we had to board a truck that is fit to drive in the snowy road. When we arrived at destination, we met part of the staff. A small briefing before dinner and then we were called to go out to photograph the aurora borealis. People was very excited and we went onto the frozen White Sea with tripods and cameras, trying to get the pictures. Different setting, ISO, shutter speeds.
First day on the White Sea. The people that didn’t have the ice diving certification started their course with Katya, the local instructor. They were introduced to the technique and the organization of the ice diving. After the course, everybody was able to communicate through the rope language and we were ready to leave towards the ice camp.
At the ice camp we were divided by groups, each one in one majna (the Russian word for “hole in the ice”). Every one experienced the first ice diving with his buddy or with a local instructor. Andreas had some water inside the housing after having waited to use it all day. It resulted in being not a big problem : when he opened the housing, he found a piece of ice instead of water. The water that entered the housing, froze.
For the next four days we enjoyed a wonderful weather. During these days everything happened, dry gloves went unhooked, neck seal broke, some cameras were not working properly. One of the divers checked the water temperature by plunging through the hole without closing the zip of the dry suit. He jumped back immediately to the iced-surface , after he found the water was really too cold. He received a new nickname “Wet P.” in comparison with the “Dry P.”, this made it more easy to identify the two P.
Yuan had to be whisked off for some rather more demanding training by Dr. Mikhail Sofonov, in preparation for his upcoming North Pole dive expedition.
Last, but by no means least, Joanne became an instant celebrity : the Russian TV station has interviewed her for three times. She has to request a huge amount of consulting fee from the TV station for her invaluable contribution to its Ice Diving Program, … this request is pending…
Everyday, in the evening, was the time of Underwater Photography Workshop, I introduced the guests to the different kind of photography: macro, wide angle and with big animals (in this case the beluga whakes), one evening was also dedicated to the postproduction, learning some trics with software programs.
The last day of diving. We were greeted from a shy sun, maybe it was sorry because tomorrow we had to leave. The group was divided in two. Some went diving with the beluga and returned with lots of pictures. Joanne went to film the beluga one more while Dafne did some more snorkelling and Wet P. did his last dive and then headed back to the centre for a nice walk. Andreas and I experienced another dive site : the bottom was plenty of soft coral and anemones.
Yuan went to finish his North pole preparation, one more dive and a theory section with Mikael, to discuss the last details.
Everyone was back at the centre for washing equipment and start packing, before meeting in the dining room where Shawoen gave a glass of whisky (…or probably more than one glass) to everybody to party together with the group and the local staff for the beautiful week. Everybody was happy, talking about the new experiences, changing pictures and mails address. At a certain point somebody found also the time to have a banja.
Early weak up and time to say hallo to our friends at Arctic Circle. At 4.00 AM we were ready to leave … except Wet P. and Dry P.. Where were they? We went to look for them knocking at the door and receiving a sleepy answer “… YES … coming …”. They were recovering from last night’s party and banja with the local staff. Wet P. was the first to join the group, while Dry P. was more late because he had some difficulty to squeeze all his clothes in the suitcase. We loaded the truck and we left for the long journey. One and half hour later we met with our bus drivers and we moved our luggage on the buses before leaving to Finland.
We had a good drive till the border . This time Yuan was stopped for control by the Finnish customer : they were not sure if he needed a special Visa to enter Finland. Luckily the control was quite fast and we had even the time to visit the local duty free.
We headed then to the airport where we arrived one and half hour later. In time to shoot the group’s photo, check in our heavy luggage and met inside, at the buffet, for café and sandwiches.
Back from Antarctica Photo Expeditions
I am back home after the two Waterproof photographic expeditions to Antarctica. A month spent aboard the Polar Pioneer : almost 4000 kilometrers of rough sea, we crossed four times the famous Drake Passage. The last crossing we found strong wind, force 10, that have slowed our arrival in Ushuaia.
During the two expeditions, the weather was not very forgiving. The first two weeks we’ve seen the sun for a few hours, while in the second trip we have had better luck : a whole day of sun and a couple of days with some decent hours. We got every kind of rain, snow and wind. During the first expedition, I could test the waterproof durability of my Canon cameras (1D MKIV and 5D MKII) and lenses, often completely wet during shore excursions. With these conditions, the Dryzone 200 backpack from Lowepro was very helpful ; it is great in keeping dry the equipment, also the Energizer Lithium batteries were very efficient in this environment. Even if the weather conditions were poor, we sailed up to the Antarctic Peninsula -crossing the Antarctic Circle- and reached latitude 66 ° 50′S.
During our trip we visited many interesting places. We visited some sites with abundance of wildlife, and others characterized by the beauty of the landscapes. To name only a few : Deception Island, Detaille Island, Cuverville Island, Aitcho Island, Lemaire Channel, Pleneau, Prospect Point. In each trip we have visited Port Lockroy, where four ladies live during the summer months. They are involved in the maintenance of the base and they manage a little shop. Port Lockroy is a post office where you can send your postcards. This year the ladies have already stamped 70,000 postcards.
In these weeks we have seen and photographed many animals living in the peninsula, several seals, Weddel, Crabeater, Leopard and Elephant sea. About the birds, the more common are : Gentoo penguins, Adelie and Chinstrap, cormorants, albatrosses and skuas.
We got some dives, led by dive master Martin. In general we didn’t find very clear water; there was a kind of algae blooming and we did a couple of dives with visibility of less than two metres. The diving at their best offered many sea stars, including Labidiaster annulatus (a huge star with many arms), sea anemones of considerable size, nudibranchs, giant isopods and some fishes. In Antarctica there are only 200 species of fishes.
One of the best dive we made was around an iceberg, with water fairly clear; it was interesting to observe the forms and the shapes of the underwater-side of the ice.
During the cruises I did some presentations of photos taken in Antarctica in my previous trips. Almost all of the participants had at least one compact photo camera. My pleasure was also to give advices and suggestions about the use of their cameras.
Every evening I was available at the bar for questions and the review of all the photos that customers took during the day.
A New Year is starting….
A New Year has begun. Everybody say their best greetings for a happy & prosperous year, personal satisfaction, etc.. Me too, I want to wish you a truly happy new year.
The new year shows signs of interesting programs, travels and meetings. Given the success and interest achieved by the former trips to the White Sea with Waterproof Expedition and by the workshop to the Maldives with Albatross Top Boat, these programs will be repeated. The trip to the White Sea is already fully booked, but there are still places for the photography workshop to the Maldives.
Others programs have been added. Two photographic expeditions to Antarctica, where I will give lectures and will run specialised workshops for passengers onboard, assisting them with photographic tips and advise how to get the very best from their cameras.
By the end of June I will lead a small group to South Africa for the annual Sardine Run, plus some dives with the Great White sharks, Tiger and Mako sharks if possible. In July I have organized a Photo Course and a Workshop at Massa Lubrense, in the beautiful peninsula of Sorrento.
You can find more informations on my website. If you have doubts or specific questions about these programs , please don’t hesitate to contact me by email.
Regrets will remain forever, be it in 2011 or 2050, so stop wasting time and get started!
Antarctic Wildlife & Photography Expeditions
Join me! I will accompany two of 2011 Antarctica’s voyages. Departure 4 February and 15 February 2011, the two 12-days voyages will cross the Antarctic Circle the exquisite beauty of this remote region. The voyages will also feature polar scuba diving.
During these trips I will assist guests onboard with their own photography gears and will advise how to get the very best from their cameras, both basic or specialised model. I will be pleased to offer photographic tips and advices, ints to choose the correct settings or sharing ideas on how to capture the dramatic sceneries and fascinating wildlife of Antarctica.
More info: waterproof-expeditions
Maldives photo workshop
Last month of April I went to Maldives to conduct a photo workshop. The workshop was held on board the luxury MY Duca di York, a 36 m boat launched at the beginning of the year is an exclusivity of Albatros Top Boat. We sailed south of Ari Atoll where we snorkeled with whale sharks, we dived different passes and reef and photographed the mantas at Donkalo Thila. 
During the cruise I teached the bases of the photography to the beginners photographers and explain about different technique to the advanced photographers. Everybody could practise in the water during the different dives we did and watch the result on board. We went through the workflow and did some postproduction to the images shooted. I have another workshop planed next year in Komodo with Worldwide Dive and Sail.
