Basics of Aquatic Photography, Part II

For many photographers, exploring what’s beneath the sea is a natural progression in a desire to expand their skills and experiment with new subjects. It’s important to understand what kind of aquatic photography is appealing so the proper training is completed to help you reach your goals. For example, there will be different challenges in shooting at 60 feet versus shooting just a few feet below the surface. The following advice refers to underwater photography while scuba-diving (as opposed to snorkeling).

Here are a few basic considerations and concepts to help you get started in aquatic photography:

Neutral Buoyancy is Best:   There’s never been a better time to be neutrally buoyant than when you’re trying to capture that ideal underwater moment. It’s best to hover without using your fins because, if you’re negatively buoyant, you’ll end up kicking up sand and related debris. Neutral buoyancy will also help you get closer to those shy fish and other nervous sea life.

Use Strobes to Compensate for Color Loss:   As you dive deeper into the water, the sunlight wavelengths of red and yellow are the first to disappear, rendering images with a cool and flat appearance. In order to compensate for color loss, photographers find a flash or strobe critical to bringing back rich hues and textures in their images.

Get Close Whenever Possible:  When it comes to shooting underwater subjects, fill the frame whenever possible. Shooting close and wide will allow you to capture your subject in a more intimate manner and having less water between the subject (many professional photographers recommend no more than three feet of water between the subject and the lens) and the lens will help your colors remain more vivid and textures more defined.

Patience over the Chase:  Patience is a necessity when it comes to doing anything underwater, and it’s even more critical when you’re on the hunt for close-up shots of clownfish. Many novice photographers make the mistake of chasing after fish in an effort to grab a shot before returning to the surface. This method is highly ineffective as the fish are always faster. Patiently waiting for sea life to return may be a challenge but it is the best way to get the image you’ve imagined. There’s a difference between swimming towards a shot and hunting down your subject.

You’ll also need to make sure your dive buddy understands and is willing to be patient as well; the last thing you need is a frustrated dive partner swimming about and kicking up sand when you’re in the mode to wait it out for the shot. Make sure you’re on the same page when working on your initial dive plan so there are no misunderstandings.

Know Your Controls:  Divers with experience realize that many of their actions must be instinctive as visibility is limited and they must be able to complete several tasks intuitively. This concept also extends to your camera controls. Make sure that you know where key controls are without having to hunt and double-check as you may end up missing a shot when fiddling with your camera. When shooting underwater, you’ll only need to adjust focus, exposure and your strobe settings. Don’t worry about anything else as you’ll also be managing maintaining neutral buoyancy and composing your shot. Everything else is just a distraction at this point.

If there’s one thing that is similar with both land and aquatic photography, it’s the importance of mastering the basics. You’ll find that your aquatic photography skills improve quickly if you’ve paid ample attention to your foundation.