This evening I shot the Birmingham Seaholm and Troy High boys water polo game. I went because I wanted to see my cousin play, but as I can’t keep my hand off my camera, I went and took pictures as well. I am getting a little better at water polo, the lighting conditions aren’t great in most pools. Shooting at F 2.8 I still had to bump my ISO up to 1000 to get any decent exposure speeds. Overall I am happy with the shots, and even at ISO 1000 the noise was not noticeable. I hope to keep improving my shots, and to perfect shooting the sport someday, as of right now it is still new to me, and I am still learning. If you would like to view the rest of the photos or attended the event, or are on either of the teams, you can 
visit my photo store to view the photos. The photos are available for purchase in print or digital format. http://briansevald.smugmug.com the game album I am refering to in this post is http://briansevald.smugmug.com/Sports/Water-Polo/Birmingham-Seaholm-Vs-Troy thank you for reading and have a wonderful day.
Star Trail Photography Continued
Star Trail Photography Attempt 2
Tonight I tried once again to put together a decent star trail photo using my canon 20d and a decent manfrotto tripod. Unfortunately there is a lot of light pollution in my area, so the number of stars you can see in the shot is limited. But I will definately be setting up this shot in the future when I am in an area with more stars. Check my previous blog entry for a tutorial I found that explains well how to capture a star trail photo such as this.
This photo is a set of 203 thirty second exposures then compiled with the Star Trails freeware for PC that is mentioned and linked in the tutorial noted in my previous blog entry. It can also be used to create a time lapse video using the same frames. It has proved to be a very useful little piece of software. Kudos to the creators, and for making it freeware. That is all for tonight. Take care. – Brian
Experimenting with star trail photography
So tonight I tried once again to capture a star trail. I set my camera up for an extra long 
exposure, for about 40 minutes. Again it failed miserably. So I decided to finally do some research.
I found this tutorial via google, and it provided just what I needed, directions, and even freeware to go with it. It was exactly what I needed.
You can check it out here –> http://www.jamesvernacotola.com/Resources/How-To-Photograph-Star-Trails/12233655_V7cX4D He does a good job explaining it even to inexperienced photographers. I made one attempt, it was only 80 images out of the 250 that the author recomends, so I will be trying again tomorrow night provided that it is a clear night. The moon also creeped into my shot which is mentioned by the author as something not to let happen. So I will try to avoid that tomorrow. Goodnight all.
Macro Challenges
This week I came across three macro shots that I would have like to spend the entire dive on. First, on a 40 ft spur and groove west of Alligator light, I came across a sailfin blenny. I took around 10 shots but I was with another group of divers that wanted to move on so we did. Later I realized that each shot was slightly out of focus. Frustrating to say the least, I did get an ok shot of a blue cleaner shrimp later. There isn’t as much detail as I would have liked, but it was more in focus. The sailfin blenny isnt even worth posting here.
I would kill for a housing for either of my canon slrs and add a macro lens and it would be way easier, even with manual focus, which I dont even know if it’s possible with slr housings typically. For now I need to work on capturing macro scenes consistently and not relying on luck. Every day I see something the size of a pencil eraser and want to photograph it. Now to just perfect it.
Brian Sevald
Photographer
Scuba Instructor
Islamorada, Fl
Another Successful Week
With another successful group of students certified this week, today I enjoyed a couple fun dives with a great group of guys. Each week is different, a different group dynamic, but all my crews have been great this summer. Teaching this summer has been a challenge to say the least, but I have learned alot about myself, and what I am capable of. I also learned who my real friends are down here and who I can depend on in a pinch. I didn’t take very many photos this week, which I regret, but I did have the chance to photograph a water spout and take a few underwater shots. I have not been able to take a day off this week due to some circumstances and Sea Base staffing issues, but I will press on, I just won’t have time to do my laundry 😉
This is a shot I took for Katie last week. We were diving on a small inshore patch called aquarium the viz was good and we had a great day.
The weather at Sea Base has been amazing the last week or so, great viz for diving, not too windy but not dead either. So the diving has been great. Couldn’t ask for better weather.
My certification group this week is from a troop I had earlier this summer. They were expecting to have me and mike as their instructors. Mike unfortunately had to head home earlier this summer due to some other circumstances. I hope they have enjoyed themselves as much as the previous group from their troop. I have certainly enjoyed myself this week. Only a couple more weeks left in the keys and then home. I do miss my family dearly. So until the end I will enjoy diving to the fullest, and try not to take for granted the time I have left.
Brian Sevald
Photographer
Scuba Instructor
Islamorada, Fl
Past Few Weeks
The past few weeks have been very productive. My homemade camera setup has been modified and repaired several times, and my photos are getting better and better (I think).
This juvenile spotted drum was found hanging out on Long Key Ledge Reef off the coast of Long Key.
This loggerhead is a common sight on alligator reef at night. I caught him going up for a breath and back down under the ledge and was able to get a couple photos of him before he went back to hiding.
The lighting was awesome on this lionfish, who was actually upside down under a ledge. This was probably the best photo of the week in my opinion. We have a couple more training dives with my most recent cert crew, then a couple fun dives. Hopefully this week I’ll get some more good shots.
Brian Sevald
Islamorada, Fl
Back In Business
The wind died down a bit yesterday enough to let the boats venture out. It was a rough set of dives from what I heard from the other divemasters as I was in the classroom with Mike and I’s new certification crew. They attempted a dive at Alligator resulting in no viz. Reed who jumped in for conditions stated that he couldn’t see his own fins in the water. They then travelled up to Davis where they were able to find 15 ft viz. Mike and I spent the afternoon with our cert crew and got through chapters 1-3 yesterday. Today is Mike’s day off and I will guide the crew through 4 and 5 and maybe a couple confined water dives if we have time.
I have obtained a new camera! Yay! so I am back in business. Here are some of the images I have gotten so far since my last posts.
This pair of goldentail moray eels I found on Alligator reef during a night dive a couple weeks ago. This is the only time I have ever seen two eels in the same hole.
I was cruising down the reef on the same dive and this rock hind caught my eye. He was munching on a fish I have yet to identify if anyone knows what fish this guy is eating please let me know.
Isabelle is always a cool sight on Alligator. Whoever named her was wrong on the gender however, because she is in fact a he. He finds ledges and gets up underneath them rubbing his shell to clean it we think.
That is all for now.
Brian Sevald
Photographer
Scuba Instructor
Islamorada, Fl
High Winds
For the past two days and possibly today the Florida Sea Base diving vessels have stayed in port. At 25 knots, the wind prevents us from taking participants out on the water safely. During the past couple days we have had other activities and tried to keep the kids entertained. Before the wind got too bad we dove in Port Antigua, it is now a harbor where they used to mine limestone. So it is fairly deep. There is also two wrecked barges on te bottom and some cool coral/anemones that I haven’t seen on the reef. However all the dives we did were open water training dives with our cert crew, so no camera. The most interesting thing I saw was a toadfish which I would have very much liked to photograph as this is the only one I’ve ever seen in the wild.
One of the activities we had for the kids was feeding the tarpon at Robbie’s. Te pelicans also hang out there looking for free handouts.
It’s a horrible photo but the manatee didn’t hang around long and all I had was my phone. During the lull in action I saw my third or fourth manatee of the summer.
So the wind is blowing 20 knots still today and we are most likely not going out again. I really feel bad for the scouts who paid to come here and never made it to the reef.
Brian Sevald
Photographer
Scuba Instructor
Islamorada, Fl
Tragedy
Again tragedy strikes, I have flooded yet another camera. I believe it to be my own fault, something on the housing o-ring caused the housing to leak I believe. Luckily it only flooded a little and my memory card was not affected. I ended up completely disassembling my camera in an attempt to fix it, or find the corrosion, but was unable to fix it. I guess I could use the DAN equipment insurance that applies to cameras.
Here is what a Canon G11 looks like almost completely disassembled. It wasn’t easy getting it back together either. The camera now turns on but the screen does not function properly so it will be rather useless for my purposes underwater. So until I acquire a new G11 I am cameraless. I don’t like being without a camera. I still have my 20ds but don’t have a housing for them. So it is a no go for underwater photography for a while.
Brian Sevald
Photographer
Scuba Instructor
Islamorada, Fl
Summer Begins
The summer has begun at the Florida National High Adventure Seabase where I have found myself this summer. This summer I will be teaching PADI Open Water Scuba Certification classes. I have had one class so far that I co-taught with my fellow instructor Mike Roesel. The group of kids and dads was awesome. It was a good week. No real challenges to speak of, no difficulties with bookwork, poolwork or open water skills. On the last two dives of the week I got a chance to use my ghetto rigged setup of two Sealife strobes and a Canon G11 on a wood frame, with my GoPro Hero mounted next to the G11 housing on the frame. I purchased the Eye of Mine flat lens housing for use underwater with the GoPro and have had very pleasing results thus far.
I had done some research regarding the use of a GoPro underwater and found that the stock housing, though rated to 180′ produces a slight blurring effect on everything underwater. I viewed some videos on youtube to determine whether a flat lens would be worth it and determined that it definitely would be. Mounting the GoPro beside my G11 gave the setup a continuous video function viewing all my subjects and capturing the scene with video while I can photograph with the G11 and strobes separately. I was able to get some good shots of a loggerhead turtle, a lionfish, and some macro shots of christmas tree worms and a neon goby. I am still experimenting with the best light/strobe output and shutter speed combinations. Most of my shots still needed a little touching up in photoshop. But I have all summer to improve.
Brian Sevald
Scuba Instructor
Photographer
Islamorada, Fl
Photographing Dolphins
One of the marine creatures I love to photograph the most are dolphins. Partly because encounters in the wild are rare, but also because when you do encounter them, photographing them can be a challenge to say the least. Having had the privilege to live in the Florida Keys working for 4 summers, I have had a little time practicing photographing these animals.
Dolphins – Photography Copyright Brian B. Sevald
Dolphin – Photography Copyright Brian B. Sevald
Dolphin – Photography Copyright Brian B. Sevald
Dolphin – Photography Copyright Brian B. Sevald
Dolphin – Photography Copyright Brian B. Sevald
Dolphin – Photography Copyright Brian B. Sevald
Dolphin – Photography Copyright Brian B. Sevald
Dolphin – Photography Copyright Brian B. Sevald
Dolphin – Photography Copyright Brian B. Sevald
These photographs were taken from a moving dive boat between 2010 and 2011. The majority of them were taken from the swim platform. A couple of them were taken from the upper deck of the 46′ Newton Dive Special. You can tell by the angle which shots these are. At the right Rpm’s the dolphins love to play in the rather large wake created by the boat. Giving a quick photographer an awesome opportunity for some exciting shots. Sometimes the encounter only lasts seconds, other times the dolphins stay with the boat for a few minutes before taking off to frollick elsewhere. These are some of my best dolphin shots from the past two years. I hope to possibly get a couple more this summer, but we will see.
Brian Sevald
Photographer
Scuba Instructor
Royal Oak, MI
In Michigan
So after a 1600 mile drive we made it to Michigan. In a couple days we will head down to the keys. While I have been home I had the pleasure of shooting one of my cousin’s soccer games. The lighting was challenging. The sun was going down and it was almost at the horizon, casting an orange glow on everything. While it created an interesting effect, it was an unnatural color. I decided in the end that I liked the color and left it that way without applying a cooling filter. It brings out colors you might not normally notice in a sports photograph. This photograph on the left is the best of the bunch. I only shot for about 20 minutes. It was an interesting shoot. So on Thursday the long anticipated trip to the Florida Keys for the summer is here. I can’t wait to dive and shoot underwater again. I will be itching for my days off to come up, so I can shoot on a couple dives every week. That is all for now folks.
Brian Sevald
Photographer
Scuba Instructor
Royal Oak, MI
Brian Sevald Creative 