08/31/2019
Coral Bleaching Call to Action!!!
PHOTOGRAPHER AND DIVERS!
With the current coral bleaching event due to unusually warm waters in the Hawaiian islands we at The Maka Project are teaming up with local coral experts and scientists to document this event and are asking for your help! We are hoping to recruit the help of several divers to document specific coral heads over the next several weeks.
If you are an avid diver in Hawaii (especially big island) and have access to a camera regularly we ask that you help document possible bleaching colonies as this event unfolds. Our hope is to compile several time lapses, before/during/after, of bleaching colonies to visually illustrate the devastation that bleaching causes. We have outlined useful techniques to capture the images and are setting up an FTP for you to upload your images to be processed at a later date. Your images will then be compiled into a series of timelapses for possible use in a film showcasing the coral conservation efforts in Hawaii. Your name will be added in the credits of the film. The images will also be sent to hawaiicoral.org to be used as data for research and observation. We look forward to seeing what we can do as a community. Mahalo.
Guidelines:
-Choose a coral head or heads that you have consistent access to. Shoot everyday if possible
-Use the same camera and lens combo each time
-Use similar settings for each photo. RAW or Fine JPG recommended.
-Use the same focal length each time. For simplicity zoom all the way out and just use that same focal length.
-Shoot images from the same distance
-Shoot images from the same angle. Use compass if possible.
-Please name your images as follows: Last name-day-month-year e.g. LAMBUS-30-8-19
-Record the location and site name. GPS location preferable
-If you witness a coral head that does bleach please report it immediately to http://hawaiicoral.org
-continue to document the coral head even after bleaching occurs.
If you would like to participate in this project please begin taking images as soon as possible and contact me through DM here, or at [email protected] Feel free to share this post to help us get the word out.
