If you’ve ever been interested in diving, you probably haven’t dived once, because diving is like olives or cherries. You can’t eat one, can you? Once you’ve started, is it impossible to stop?
So if you’re a fan of scuba diving and photography, you can’t miss the opportunity to take these wonderful seabeds, so magical and within reach of so little. And if you’ve never tried it, this vacation is a good time to dare. Anyway, I’ll leave you some tips to keep in mind to get amazing images of the underwater world.
- To enter the professional level the ideal is a camera with manual adjustments and interchangeable lenses.
- If yours is an absolute passion for diving.
- I recommend that you make sure that your camera has compatible cases before buying one camera model or another.
The results may be somewhat limited compared to a complete SLR equipment (or not, it depends on the quality of your compact and your know-how?), but the price is much cheaper, so to start and see if you really like the underwater world, surely it will be more than enough for you.
To get started in the underwater world, the easiest and most economical thing is to work with the built-in flash of your camera, because, although we always recommend that you enjoy the natural light of the scene, coming down, it will be impossible to work without flash. Working with an external flash requires you to invest in underwater flashes or external flash boxes.
Thanks to its wide degree of vision, the wide-angle lens allows us to capture much of the seascape, in addition to its great depth of field allows us to have practically the entire scene focused.
Macro photography lenses are ideal for photographing details or small subjects because their angle is very narrow, as well as their depth of field (small focus area on the image).
To take underwater photos, keep in mind that the density of the water is 800 times that of the air and that you will find many suspended particles that cause a loss of color and contrast in the objects, all this means that you will end up with much less light and clarity than outside the water, which forces you to get very close to what you want to photograph.
Another aspect to highlight the behavior of underwater light is the way different colors are perceived, it should be noted that the different colors are filtered according to the depth at which we find ourselves, that is, some colors disappear according to the distance. we are Red is the first to disappear, then orange and yellow, leaving only blue and green.
Another aspect to keep in mind is that horizontal distance also greatly reduces light. Keep this in mind when thinking about your frame.
The position of the sun in the sky also determines the quantity and quality of light entering the water; when it is high in a calm sea, it lets most rays of light pass; on the other hand, with rough seas or in the early hours of the day, the light is reflected on the surface and does not enter directly into the sea, so you will have less light when shooting.
The most important thing to get good images is to get as close as possible to what you want to photograph to reduce the column of water between your camera and your protagonist, we have already talked about the density of water and suspended particles that reduce vision and sharpness. The shorter the distance between your lens and the subject, the better the image quality you’ll have, as well as more interesting images, more color saturation, contrast, etc. , so it’s a good option to try to fill the frame, especially when you have very little light.
Always forget to photograph your subject from above. Although this is the easiest way to do this, since we dive, if you do, you will have images with unflattering backgrounds (such as sand) or views of unremarkable elements, and the result will be quite flat images with little interest.
Haven’t you always been told the importance of photographing a child his size?The same principles of portraiture that we apply on earth, we apply them underwater, so if you want to get a more photogenic background, with a greater feeling of depth and color. On the contrary, always try to photograph your protagonists from the bottom up or stand at eye level.
Tip: remember that in any portrait the eyes are the main subject, try to keep them in focus.
In this video, Travelling Diving friends show you the different planes and angles with which you can capture your image:
There is no photograph in the world that is worth the least damage to the underwater world in general and to a coral reef in particular, so you have to be very careful when approaching it when diving, you can not touch under any circumstances and you have to be very careful not to touch it when you walk away from it. I suppose if you like diving, you do it out of deep love for the underwater world, but you have to remember that animals should not be disturbed, that they must not touch you, that you cannot intervene and that you will not intimidate the poor creatures with our flash.
Similarly, it is especially important that you be careful when touching the bottom of the seabed so as not to confuse the water and thus have as much clarity as possible when taking your photos.
If you are working with an automatic white balance, the most interesting thing in this case could be a cloud mode, as it would allow you to reduce the dominant blue of the water, although it is always advisable to work in RAW to have better control. of all aspects of the image.
Although we recommend it in and for any type of photography, the histogram is absolutely essential in underwater photography to correct in situ any area that has been misre exposed or that you want to improve The analysis of the on-screen image is not always reliable because it depends on the quality of the image, the surrounding light, etc. , so the only safe way to get a proper exposure is to analyze the image through the histogram.
Due to the complexity of light in the underwater environment (water density, low light, suspended particles), several tests will be needed to find the right exposure, if it is the flash that has burned certain areas of the image, reduce the intensity. flash. If it is the “failure” of the available light, try adjusting its speed or opening the diaphragm.
This will depend on the type of dive or the level of control (and the possibilities of your team) that you want to have at all times.
If you have time, the most accurate measurement mode is on time. If you have little time for each frame, it is best to use a center weighted measurement mode as a second option (in the first few times, if you go with a guide and are in a hurry?).
For this type of mainly moving photography, it is highly recommended to use an autofocus mode (AF-A or AI Focus) for scenes in which a static situation is expected to become a moving situation. In this mode, you can hunt minnows and other creatures without losing sight of them.
It’s easy to say when writing from the mainland, I know, but because of the low-light conditions, the movement of the water, its inhabitants and yours, the firmer your position when shooting, the better. ?
He’s almost as important as your protagonist. A good background will make it stand out or completely destroy the image, the different plants and flowers (anemones, corals, etc. ) and the blue tones of the same water can help you highlight your protagonist.
What do you think?Dare underwater photography?A wonderful world to discover and within reach of a few awaits you!And it’s also a very summery and refreshing activity. Whether it’s snorkeling, bottle diving or just “raw” diving, try to do your best and you’re sure to get the most amazing images?Oh, and before you start, don’t forget to share them on your favorite social network so someone else can enjoy them. Thank you, and next time?