The most important piece of underwater photography equipment is the camera, which is the photo’s heart. The camera is the eye that sees, the lens that looks, and the shutter that opens and closes. Cameras are incredibly sensitive, and the slightest change in exposure, angle, or depth can affect the outcome of your shot. The best cameras are expensive, but the best pictures are priceless, especially if you want the opportunity to capture a whole new world.
Here’s How to Take Good Underwater Pictures:
- Make Use of a Strobe.
Water is the most common photography subject, but most of us are unaware of how to take good underwater pictures. We tend to follow the same routine. Set up the camera. Open the shutter. Pause. Press shutter again. Results can range from blurry and dull to underdeveloped and dark. The secret is to use a strobe. By doing so, you should see a significant change to the quality of your photographs.
- Make Use of a Color-Correcting Filter.
While an airbrush makes a great difference in portraiture, there are times when you just can’t bring yourself to do it. You try to do the shots under normal indoor lighting, but the exposure and color are way off. You try taking the shot with a flash, but your subjects are in a dark shadow, and the colors look off. You could rent studio lighting, but this would be a lot of money. For underwater photography, color is critical. Technically speaking, there are two kinds of underwater photography: film-based and digital. Film-based underwater photography is more limited in that the images are captured onto film. This can be very limiting in the sense that you can only shoot during a specific time period, and you have to be very careful in selecting the photographs you want to capture. In contrast, digital photography is more flexible since you can capture images at any time and in any place you want.
- When The Sun Is Overhead, Shoot
When you go to the beach, what exactly is it you’re doing? You’re probably there to enjoy the sun, to surf, or to read a good book (or maybe just look out at the horizon). It’s no wonder you want to capture the scene. Many people are content to take snapshots, but that’s not really getting the full experience. If you want to immerse yourself in the moment, you should take advantage of the widest lens you can. Forget about that point and shoot the camera in your pocket. Get the camera you want and make it work for you.
- Stay Put in Shallow Water.
There’s more to shooting underwater than pointing a camera at a school of fish. One of the biggest challenges is getting the right composition, especially if you’re shooting with a wide-angle lens. For example, most wide-angle lenses only capture the scene around the viewfinder’s center, so if the subject is out of the frame, you’re going to have a very narrow slice of the whole scene. This means that you may have to move around to get the right shot when you’re used to standing still and pointing the camera at whatever you’re photographing.
- Stay Close to the Subject.
The ocean offers endless variety in the natural world, but even the best photographers can have a hard time shooting underwater photos that capture the essence of the scene. This is because underwater photography is all about capturing the light, making sure the subjects are properly lit and placed in the frame, and managing the water’s effects.
When it comes to underwater photography, the simple fact is that most digital cameras are simply not equipped to handle the conditions. While the digital cameras on the market today are excellent for strong light, the devices struggle in low light, with poor contrast and color, and with slow shutter speeds. Suppose you want to get the best possible images from your underwater camera. In that case, you need to invest in a high-quality dedicated underwater housing or go with a medium format film camera.
Good underwater pictures are hard to take since the atmosphere makes it hard for light to travel far enough to let us see clearly. This makes the vast majority of pictures taken underwater downright useless. The amazing fact is that there is a way to take spectacular pictures with minimum effort. The secret is to use a wide-angle lens and fish. Every time you dive, you will find yourself surrounded by plenty of fish. Using a wide-angle lens, your pictures will come out stunning even if you only have your camera in the water for a minute.