Shark Photography with the Canon R5 and DS230 Strobes

By Ken Kiefer

On our most recent trip, Kimber and I put our Ikelite rigs through the wringer. From long hours underwater to using them as personal reminders to sharks that we aren’t worth taste testing, our housings did as they always do - they performed perfectly. Keeping our cameras dry and allowing us access to all the functions is exactly what they were designed to do, and it’s exactly what they did.

f/10 • 1/200 • ISO 400 © Ken Kiefer

We headed to Bimini with some good friends to visit the world famous great hammerheads with the wonderful people at Neal Watson’s Bimini Scuba Center. Neal Watson’s has year round stunning visuals possible with wild dolphins, reef sharks, wrecks and reefs galore, but the winter appearance of the great hammers ramps up the excitement even more.

f/14 • 1/200 • ISO 320 © Ken Kiefer

This time, we were on a private charter, which allowed a little extra freedom to plan our own dives and extra space to shoot a wide variety of angles. Since the depths were extremely shallow, we were in the water from 9am to 4:30pm every day; only coming up for a tank swap and maybe a snack.

In my opinion, hammers offer absolutely the greatest variety of visuals. With their huge cephalofoils and monstrous dorsal fin to complement their muscular and sleek bodies, they present a great diversity of looks with every changing angle.

f/6.3 • 1/160 • ISO 400 © Ken Kiefer

The hammers brought a few friends along to keep things even more interesting.
A lovely tiger shark made her presence known on several of the dives; demanding close attention wherever she roamed. Also, bull sharks liked to escort us in and out of the boat with their lovely smiles. When you are around some of the more pushy finned friends, a good sized Ikelite housing serves dual purpose as the creator of images and as a barrier to present between you and the exploratory nibble. Once again, our Ikelite's took it all in stride.

f/11 • 1/200 • ISO 160 © Ken Kiefer

 

Benefits of the R5 underwater

I was using my Canon R5 in the Ikelite 200DL housing for the first time with hammers. My previous rig was a Canon 5DsR, which Kimber now uses. I absolutely love both rigs, but the R5 offers some definite advantages in a lot of the situations encountered in Bimini. The R5 is much faster shooting, has faster focus and a larger buffer. All of these things combine to give you the opportunity for more crisp shots in the middle of the action. I love the live view on the rear LCD screen for times when I need to keep my eyes on several large sharks and can’t be glued to the viewfinder safely. I can watch my composition while still having peripheral vision for safety.

f/16 • 1/200 • ISO 400 © Ken Kiefer

Another noticeable improvement on the R5 is the improved dynamic range. Conditions while diving with the hammers change rapidly, with green muck flowing out of the harbor during low tide, passing clouds, or dark grey bodies swirling around. The camera’s ability to render much more detail between really dark and really light areas is greatly welcome and saves some shots outright. The larger buffer comes in very handy when things start getting a little crazy with feeding action and you can have sharks slicing around in all directions.

Pairing the R5 with my new Ikelite DS230 Strobes is a perfect match. The new strobes provide the power and quick cycle ability to keep up with the faster camera and keep the images rolling in.
 

f/16 • 1/125 • ISO 320 © Ken Kiefer

 

f/11 • 1/200 • ISO 160 © Ken Kiefer

 

f/13 • 1/160 • ISO 320 © Ken Kiefer

 

f/11 • 1/200 • ISO 160 © Ken Kiefer

 

f/14 • 1/200 • ISO 320 © Ken Kiefer

 

f/13 • 1/160 • ISO 320 © Ken Kiefer

 

f/14 • 1/200 • ISO 400 © Ken Kiefer

 

  

Ambassador Ken Kiefer has had a love of the water and nature since his younger days surfing in Corpus Christi, Texas. He got his first breath of compressed air while lifeguarding and was immediately hooked. Ken spends his professional life in and around a pool, which provides a handy spot to work on underwater photography and lighting techniques. But his passion is the ocean, and his favorite subjects are sharks (and his wife, Ambassador Kimber Kiefer). Read more...

 

 

 

  

Additional Reading

Crocodiles, Cenotes, and Chinchurro with Ken and Kimber Kiefer

Whale Sharks Off Isla Mujeres with Ken & Kimber Kiefer

The Definition of Insanity in the Yucatán Peninsula

An Insider's Guide to Cage Diving with Great White Sharks in Guadalupe

6 Ways You and Your Kids Can Help Save the Sharks

Techniques for Photographing Sharks

Canon R5 A-Z | Everything You Need To Know To Take It Underwater [VIDEO]