Ghostly Picture

Sunset view from the Point bar.

I had my Instructor Development class all day today. I had to do my knowledge development presentation which I would be evaluated on. I was quite nervous and it showed in my voice. By the end of it though I got a pretty good score. My biggest problem is that I took too long.

Lee performing a role-model demonstration of drinking beer through a snorkel.

At around 6 PM, there was a Divemaster BBQ party for Rosina and Lee. Well, Lee is already an instructor, but, didn’t have a Divemaster party when he became a Divemaster so this was his makeup. Free food and beer which is always nice. For their final “skill” they had to do, they had to drink beer through a snorkel. Lee did it quite well but Rosina had a little trouble. Regardless, they both passed.

An example of the slow sync flash setting and how it can produce "ghostly" pictures.

Everyone went up to the Point bar afterwards to hang out. There, I took a picture of a Filipino bartender. I shot the photo with a slow sync flash setting which exposes the entire scene properly and adds a flash. The effect is that you can see everything in the frame (including the far background) but if something is moving it will be blurred. When I took a picture of the bartender, she moved then the camera flashed. This made her look a little ghostly.

A simple picture turned out to be a big deal. The bartender was frightened by the picture and wanted it deleted immediately. I normally don’t delete my photos even if someone tells me to, but she seemed seriously frightened by it and concerned. Even after I deleted the picture, she was very scared because she said she knew someone that died after seeing her “soul” leave her in a photo. The bartender thought that her soul was going to leave her and she would die too. I, and several others at the bar tried to convince her and show her that it was a simple camera effect. She didn’t understand.

- jason