The Last Shuttle Project's goal in documenting the end of the Space Shuttle era for the San Diego Air & Space museum and other institutions by creating exciting and unique imagery. We are fortunate to have very close access to the shuttle launch pad 39a for placement of cameras to cover the launch.

Part of our problem is how to protect the equipment and get the shot. Jook Leung, one of the teams photographers, has three of the Nikon 8mm f2.8 AIs fisheye lenses. These are rather rare and very expensive. The idea is to shoot straight up into the sky and show the shuttle exhaust trail from liftoff to when it disappears. Since the lens is a 180 degree fisheye our usual housings would not work.

With our camera positions so close to the launch pad, the issue became how to protect the lens and camera. Also the cameras have to be placed at their location the day before a launch so not only do we have to protect the equipment during the launch but we also have to be concerned with the weather as well.

We had two options. One was to make a camera housing that would open up or fall away but this would be too complex. Such complex items have a way of not working at the last minute and it would still leave our gear exposed to the elements at launch. The other option was to look at a dome cover large enough to cover the lens without adding any distortion to the image.

After trying a few different domes we contacted Ikelite Underwater Systems. Their people were great and worked with us to find the best of their Dome Ports to match the dimensions of the lens. The 8" diameter Dome Ports they sent really saved us. The rocket booster exhaust is caustic and would have ruined the glass coating of the lens. Saving the lens alone is great but the soot from the exhaust was very heavy from the Endeavour launch and the dome also helped to protect the camera from possible damage. We owe Ikelite a big thank you for their help and support.

- Dennis Biela
The Last Shuttle Project

Click here to see an awesome 360 degree view from a launch where our dome was used.

May of 2011 a large group of Ikelite shooters joined me—UW photographer and Ikelite dealer David Haas—on the sunny Caribbean island of Cozumel, Mexico for week of diving and photographing the colorful marine life that abounds on the reefs. Bathed in currents predominantly running north to south this sleepy island is a mecca for underwater photographers!

The staff of Deep Blue Adventures arranged everything for a perfect week of shooting Ikelite gear. Using everything from Ikelite's compact Canon models with AF35 strobes to sophisticated D-SLR's including the full frame Canon 5D Mark II, all participants had a ball diving and shooting.

I shot my Canon 60D digital SLR with a couple of wide angle lenses for this trip. Both the Canon 10-22mm EF-S lens and Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye produced great shots.

Ikelite DS series Substrobes provided consistent flash exposures. Ikelite housings for digital SLRs and specific mid-size cameras with a hot shoe duplicate the same TTL flash performance users get using a hot shoe enabled surface flash. No guessing at flash power output or having to adjust manual exposures possibly missing that great turtle shot!

Great photos were captured by all and in too short a time we all left for home. My goal is to help shooters find the easiest settings to get great results no matter what type of Ikelite system they're using. Thanks to new technologies this job is getting easier every day!

Join us on the next UW photography adventure! For more information visit:

David Haas, Haas Images

Visit Deep Blue Adventures in Cozumel, Mexico