Cave Photography - advice needed!

Flickr photos looks good Duncan.
Looks like a lot of effort to get to the locations too.
 
sjh2008 said:
Flickr photos looks good Duncan.
Looks like a lot of effort to get to the locations too.
Click to expand...
Cheers Simon!
The inaccessibility is one of the things that makes this project so appealing :)

A few years ago I contemplated seeing if I could find a tame cave photographer to take a few TP members down for a cave photography workshop.
It didn't happen, and I now understand why - there isn't a locally based cave photographer and I now appreciate just how tough it is getting to the locations.
The conditions in most of the chambers are absolutely fine, no worse than coastal landscape photography; that's not an issue.
Lighting can be solved with off camera flash or light painting; also not an issue.
Swildons Hole is a classic beginners caving trip and the upper stretches are within the capabilities of most people. Helmets and other caving gear can all be hired locally.
The only genuine problem is how to get cameras and tripods down there!

If there are any TP members willing to pack their gear in a watertight barrel and do the equivalent of kicking it down a stream bed, then I'd be prepared to get something organised!
There's more than enough to keep people happy in the upper stretches of Swildons Hole - here's a map of the entrance series, it's a proper labyrinth!
For your amusement, here's a map of the whole cave system, I've made it as far as Sump 2. Beyond Sump 1 it is really photogenic, but I haven't taken a camera through yet.

P.S. There's only a tiny handful of cave photographers in the UK - two names that keep popping up are Robbie Shone and Stuart Gardiner; well worth a look at their Flickr streams.

Edited to add:
The best video of Swildons I've found so far, is this one.
The clips of the entrance hole at the beginning and end of the video are the best examples of the tighter bits needed to go through; and it is easy to see why pushing a large rucksack ahead of me is so tiring!
Another indicator is the amount of time it takes; two nights ago it us three hours to get to the Barnes loop (see map of whole cave system linked earlier), take some photos, and get back - it's a tough full-body workout!
 
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That was a heck of a trip!
Double the distance I've event taken my full photo gear underground (I'm absolutely spent).
A mystery guide courtesy of a PM on UKCaving (proved to be exceptionally competent).
And I was sat in the Vic processing my images (as you do :)) and was reminded there was a Folk Festival meeting at the Hunters I was expected to attend (oops)!

Hence only one shot from tonight's bumper selection, The Landing in Swildons 2...
Quick and dirty edit done in the Vic; there is more to be had from this set.
I39A6604-M.jpg


For the photography geeks; this scene is lit by five of my lights plus the cavers head torch, and the shot is hand-held at 1/8s, ISO 10000 :eek:

There are some other cracking shots from today including my first decent underwater shots at Sump 1, but I'm too tired to do the post-processing at the mo and I'll post another night...

Also - it was a day of firsts...
First trip without one of my regular caving guides.
First trip I've made it back to the surface in daylight.
First trip where it has been colder in the cave than outside (typically there has been snow).

I'm dead chuffed with this one, but I'm feeling like the walking dead and I've had a few pints on an empty stomach, so it may look totally different tomorrow!
Love to hear your thoughts!
 
Here's another photo from yesterday's trip.
This is my second attempt at photographing the dive through Swildons Sump 1.
It's a definite improvement on the previous attempt, but I've still a lot to learn and I think I can do better.

The key differences were:
- Better placed lighting.
- Waiting several minutes for the sediment to clear before attempting the shot.
- A model that understood what I was trying to achieve and actively helped construct the image.

The sediment thing was a real issue.
The first dive had loads of sediment that I suspect was from us dumping our gear upstream.
The second dive, my model went for a five minute run down Swildons 2 to keep warm while I sat motionless in Swildons 1 ready to take the shot; the slightest movement on my part send a cloud of silt into the sump. I got cold and was very stiff afterwards; there has to be a better solution!

Anyway - here's the shot :)
20150308-135449-G0170571-M.jpg
 
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