How to Reveal Details Through Rough Water?? (Sharks and fish!)

[dronerat]

After trying for a year, I FINALLY found and photo/video-graphed some schools of fish and sharks and a few dolphins and big tuna as well.

However, the details of the bodies of these animals are never clear. I tried fooling around with the sliders in Apple Photos and that helped bring out some details, but I’m wondering if there’s something else I should do?

How can I best bring out the details of underwater creatures shot with my Air 2S?

Is there something I should do when shooting? (Subject tracking? Specific angles? Use a polarizer? Video vs burst photos? What format should I shoot?)

 

[GFields]

Have you tried using a polarized filter?

 

[YVRGUY]

After trying for a year, I FINALLY found and photo/video-graphed some schools of fish and sharks and a few dolphins and big tuna as well.

However, the details of the bodies of these animals are never clear. I tried fooling around with the sliders in Apple Photos and that helped bring out some details, but I’m wondering if there’s something else I should do?

How can I best bring out the details of underwater creatures shot with my Air 2S?

Is there something I should do when shooting? (Subject tracking? Specific angles? Use a polarizer? Video vs burst photos? What format should I shoot?)

In the future a polarizer lens is a great accessory for water shots by reducing the glare.

 

[MS Coast]

This is the same question that fishermen face when wading in shallow water and sight casting to redfish, bonefish, permit, and such. Three problems: reflection (glare), surface texture caused by wind or waves, and the depth of the subject below the surface.

Polarizing sunglasses for fishing or a polarizing filter for cameras can do a great job on reducing glare and surface reflections. But using a polarizer on a drone is problematic because they have to be set for the specific geometry of subject, sun, and water surface and they can't be adjusted in flight.

Reflections decrease as the light source's incident angle to the water surface decreases. Same with the viewing angle. Having the sun directly overhead with the camera pointed straight down is the best situation. That's usually not the case, so the best situation is having the sun at your back and the drone as close as possible to directly over the subject.

There's nothing to do about wind ripples and waves other than choosing a calm day. And there's nothing to do about the depth of the critters other than being ready to shoot when they're in shallow water or near the surface. It's the same for wade fishing and shooting submerged critters with a drone.

 

[SethB]

Many of the comments above seem grounded in the questionable value of polarizing filters in general use for drone video or photography.

Seeing fish below the water is a bit of a special case though.

@dronerat if you use a polarizer and your camera is pointed straight down (-90 deg) all you would need to do is to yaw the drone for maximum cancellation of reflections. From that point on keep your drone pointed in that same direction (don’t touch the left stick), only use pitch and roll (right stick) to maneuver.

As long as the polarizer remains in the same orientation to the sun you should have reduced reflections.

This is different than how we usually think about polarizers on drones, because a straight-down camera allows you to yaw the drone to rotate the polarizer.

 

[MS Coast]

This is different than how we usually think about polarizers on drones, because a straight-down camera allows you to yaw the drone to rotate the polarizer.

Very good point.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Yep, with a PL filter you’ll have to find your fish and move the drone around a bit to get the best angles to enable the polariser to do its thing.
Even a pre flight the check correct fitting position before taking off.
As mentioned, this only helps with glare, choppy sea, white caps, murky water are factors that can’t be fixed by anything.

Many of the PL filters now have a front turning lens part so it can at least be turned while the lens is fitted.
You can get NC-PL clear filters or ND-PL if you want to shift shutter speed / frame rate rule for motion blur.

Good luck with the captures.

edit typo

 

[dronerat]

In the future a polarizer lens is a great accessory for water shots by reducing the glare.

Do you know of any good ones for an air 2s?

 

[dronerat]

Have you tried using a polarized filter?

Not yet but it is something ive been thinking about. Do you know any good ones for an air 2s?

Yep, with a PL filter you’ll have to find your fish and move the drone around a bit to get the best angles to enable the polariser to do its thing.
Even a pre flight the check correct fitting position before taking off.
As mentioned, this only helps with glare, choppy sea, white caps, murky water are factors that can’t be fixed by anything.

Many of the PL filters now have a front turning lens part so it can at least be turned while the lens is fitted.
You can get NC-PL clear filters or ND-PL if you want to shift shutter speed / frame rate rule for motion blur.

Good luck with the captures.

edit typo

ah thanks, do you know any good brands of pl filters?

 

[dronerat]

Many of the comments above seem grounded in the questionable value of polarizing filters in general use for drone video or photography.

Seeing fish below the water is a bit of a special case though.

@dronerat if you use a polarizer and your camera is pointed straight down (-90 deg) all you would need to do is to yaw the drone for maximum cancellation of reflections. From that point on keep your drone pointed in that same direction (don’t touch the left stick), only use pitch and roll (right stick) to maneuver.

As long as the polarizer remains in the same orientation to the sun you should have reduced reflections.

This is different than how we usually think about polarizers on drones, because a straight-down camera allows you to yaw the drone to rotate the polarizer.

It is interesting you mention the yaw technique, I have been using just the right and sometimes end up doing my entire return flight backwards because of this, altho I did not entirely understand why—it was just the only way i could see under water so i stuck in that position! Lol

 

[Meta4]

Is there something I should do when shooting? (Subject tracking? Specific angles? Use a polarizer? Video vs burst photos? What format should I shoot?)

If glare is the issue, polarisers are just a pain to use of a drone because you can't realign them properly once up in the air.
The simple solution is to be conscious of where the sun is and position the drone to have the sun behind the drone.
Here's a simple example.
Note how the glare on the left of the frame is eliminated by simply moving the drone to shoot with the sun, rather than against it.

 

[Deleted member 170519]

Do you know of any good ones for an air 2s?

Freewell makes the best ones that I have used

DJI AIR 2S SINGLE FILTER

Unmatched Optics: The filter of Freewell 4K Series optics are handcrafted precisely compatible to be used with DJI Air 2S Drone. GimbalSafe: Freewell GimbalSafe technology ensures the filter frame goes through a rigorous lightweight test putting no negative effect on your drone gimbal...

www.freewellgear.com

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

ah thanks, do you know any good brands of pl filters?

Google . . . air 2s pl filter

Plenty of good local hits will come up for you.
Pygtech, Freewell, NISI, of course the most well known (and usually most expensive) PolarPro.

The nice thing is with the rectangle shape lens, there is a circular part you can turn without mucking about with taking them off, turning, and refitting, like many of the older drones with circular camera shape.

Look, they are (can be) a pain to get right, but with some practice and trials setting it up for conditions, and then adjusting angles / directions a little in the air when you find something, they do make a difference in cutting through minor or major glare on water, off snow / ice, glass, etc.

 

[TrabSeyn]

Skyreat (least expensive via Amazon) will work. The ND16PL pretty much stays put on the A2S unless I'll be doing lots of orbit shots. The one thing you'll get with a polarizer is a "sun dog" bright spot in the punumbra of your drone's shadow, which can be distracting if the sun is behind the drone when compared to your subject. Polarizers work well for hazy skies you often deal with in summer in that they knock out a portion of the UV glare. It is a subjective call to use a polarizer but I tend to like the saturation enhancement they offer. You can best benefit by leaving the angle of the polarizer parallel to the horizon, or perpendicular, and change the angle of your shot accordingly.

 

[MS Coast]

Skyreat (least expensive via Amazon) will work. The ND16PL pretty much stays put on the A2S unless I'll be doing lots of orbit shots. The one thing you'll get with a polarizer is a "sun dog" bright spot in the punumbra of your drone's shadow, which can be distracting if the sun is behind the drone when compared to your subject. Polarizers work well for hazy skies you often deal with in summer in that they knock out a portion of the UV glare. It is a subjective call to use a polarizer but I tend to like the saturation enhancement they offer. You can best benefit by leaving the angle of the polarizer parallel to the horizon, or perpendicular, and change the angle of your shot accordingly.

What do you see as the advantage of the ND16? On the Air2S with fixed aperture, it requires a total of four stops of decreased shutter speed and increased ISO.

 

[TrabSeyn]

Daylight shooting, frame rates, bright subjects - all require some extra stopping. You have white beaches that would definitely call for the same. Only time I'll come off ISO 100 (and ditch the filter) is for night imaging. I prefer to keep the histogram left of center as it is easier to deal with in post than trying to recover clipping highlights (clouds, concrete, solar roofs, reflections, etc.). If I were shooting lots of sand in the midday Sun I'd step up to the ND32. Been a photographer before digital was a thing and we used film speed instead of ISO, so it really boils down to personal preference and style.