14 Tips For Cave Photography
Copyright Hidden Creek Photography Hawai’i’s Big Island is rife with photography opportunities, including those below the surface. I recently was a guest on an underground tour of the Kazumura Cave, the world’s longest lava tube with a length over 40 miles. While I didn’t explore the whole length (only a small fraction) this was my second time in a lava tube and first time with my DSLR. My guide Jeffery from Kilauea Caverns Of Fire was gracious enough to let me spend some time experimenting with shooting in the cave. Along with online research, it was tremendous learning experience for me and I’d like to pass on what I’ve learnt. Let’s start with some basics. Protect Your Gear One of the most important aspects of cave photography is rock surrounds you, obviously. Cameras, I’ve found, don’t like to come in contact with rocks in a harsh way. It’s important while you’re exploring a cave to keep your camera well covered. You’ll be in an unfamiliar territory and walking on uneven surfaces, often on all fours depending on the cave system. A camera pouch or backpack is a good idea to keep your camera safe while exploring. Also caves tend to be wet with moisture falling from the ceiling. As well as packing away your camera while moving about, bring a hand towel or cloth to wipe down your camera. It can also be draped over the camera while shooting to help further protect it. Often the water dripping from above will be carrying a number of minerals which are best cleaned off sooner than later. Bring A Tripod Copyright Hidden Creek Photography Because I was traveling to this location lightly, I didn’t bring a tripod. Bad idea. This made shooting more difficult than with a tripod. Bring a tripod if you can. Some caves explored by commercial companies don’t allow use of tripods so check before you go. Use A Remote Shutter Release Or Self-Timer Function Camera shake can ruin a picture that takes time to produce. There are two ways around this: Use a remote shutter release cable or your camera’s self-timer. If you anticipate wanting to hold the shutter open more than your camera’s slowest speed (often 30 seconds) you’ll need a cable to decrease shake. Otherwise, using the self-timer function works great. Use An Off-Camera Flash If you can procure an off-camera flash, bring it. Pictures shot with the on-camera flash tend to be flat and two dimensional. With an off-camera flash you can introduce more shadow, giving depth to images. More than one flash can be used at a time to light up the cave. Wear A Headlamp When caving you’ll always want two light sources with you. Make your primary light a headlamp. This will leave your hands free to setup the tripod and frame the shot. An LED headlamp works best because the light temperature is closest to your flash, but that really doesn’t matter because you’ll….
