A Superb Photo Workshop

The underwater photo workshop at Crystal Blue Resort (CBR) was sponsored by Backscatter Underwater Photo & Video, which sponsors several underwater photo workshops around the world. The one ingredient that makes the CBR workshop special is instructor Mike Bartick. He lives at CBR and spends more time underwater with a camera than anyone I've ever met. He's constantly challenging himself to try new techniques and perspectives.

Underwater photo gear manufacturers often have him test their pre-production models. Accordingly, he's current on the latest gear and how to use it best, and he shows no bias in his opinions about gear.

This is a serious workshop. Coffee is brewed at 6:00 A.M., breakfast goes at 6:30, and class begins at 7:30 and runs till 9:00, when it's time to dive. After the two-tank morning dives and lunch, we had an hour on post-processing before our afternoon dive. For 90 minutes after dinner, we reviewed images and each diver submitted a couple for Mike's critique. The review was in no way competitive, but rather, supportive and inquisitive.

Mike subscribes to the 20-60-20 rule for underwater photo success: 20 percent is knowing your gear and settings; 60 percent is shooting skills; and 20 percent is editing. His well-organized lectures illustrate these with high-quality slides, and he answered questions with respect to encourage inquiry.

One can learn a great deal in a group of serious underwater photographers. Everyone's there to learn and improve their skills, so they're open to discussing techniques, gear, and subjects.

Backscatter workshops are listed at www.backscatter.com. Mike's next workshop is October 11 to 21, and the price, $3,299 (per person, double occupancy), includes accommodations, food, diving, transfers, and photo instruction.