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Underwater Photography Tips
Photo Credit : Daniel Swinskey
June, 3, 2008
"Darling,
it's better down where it's wetter, take it from me !" - Sebastian,
"The Little Mermaid"
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| Get Close ! It's easy to forget, but water is up to 500x denser than air, and without intention, can easily provide an unwanted filtering effect. (Cyan, murky brown, grey...) Color distortion can happen in even the best of water conditions & in crystal clear water, so minimize this problem by positioning yourself no more than 2-5 feet away from your subject, if possible. Get Creative ! Experiement with different lenses. Sure, a 50mm or macro is playing it safe, but imagine the effect you could achieve by shooting an already exotic looking sea creature close-up with a 14mm or fisheye lens ? Experiment, and have fun ! Don't have interchangable lenses ? Instead of photographing your subject straight on, try getting behind or underneath it and get some funky angles for a different shot. What Lies Beneath. . .(Or Behind) When shooting underwater, odds are that you will have more than just you and your intended subject in there with you. If there is an excess of algae, dirt, sand, whatever in your frame, there are a few things you can do to minimize their cameo in your shot. Finding an uneven, or textured background can do wonders for this problem, by camouflauging any smaller, floating particles. Also, if you are lucky enough to have a camera with selective focus points...utilize them - It will help ! Bring a Snack ! Huh ? How inviting do you think a huge, dark, masked, wriggling person look to your subject ? Not so much. Now, anchovie paste...yummy ! Bring a bait of sorts to attract your muse! Of course, this only applies to fish and other underwater creatures - You might want to stick with coffee and donuts for your human subjects...and preferably out of the water. More Than a Mask Normally, to take a photo all you need is a camera, some film or digital media, light, and a subject. With underwater photography, it gets a bit trickier. Aside from safety gear, tanks, masks, etc., every underwater photographer should utilize a dark silicone skirt. It minimizes any light coming in through the side of your mask, which in turn increases visibility. Fast & High A quick shutter speed minimizes camera/subject motion in your photograph & helps you avoid taking blurry pictures. A high ISO will increase your probability of good focus. So bump, bump, bump it up ! (Note: Catch 22 - Too high of an ISO may cause grainiess in some cameras, so be careful with this) |
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