Hi SD fans, and welcome back to the channel. With digital cameras and waterproof housings
getting ever more affordable, it seems like virtually everyone is turning into an underwater
photographer. Now we can’t guarantee that you will be producing award-winning images
after watching this video, but these 10 basic top tips will certainly help you up your game
and set you on the road for getting some cracking photographs.
For those here for the first time, my name is Mark, I am the editor-in-chief of the Scuba
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Now, let’s dive into the video!
Tip #1 Nail your buoyancy
One of the biggest problems with cameras and housings becoming ever cheaper is that even
beginners are entering the water with them. Before you even consider trying your hand
at underwater photography, please get your buoyancy down pat first. There is nothing
worse than people ploughing their way through a pristine coral reef chasing a fish for a
photograph without a thought for their buoyancy. You want to have your buoyancy control as
second nature before adding a camera and housing into the mix. If getting neutral in the water
is instinctive, then you’ll be able to retain decent buoyancy control while you are attempting
to take photographs. And remember, no photograph is worth trashing the reef for – if you
can’t get in to take a shot without damaging the reef, move on in search of another subject.
Tip #2 Get used to your camera
Now this might sound common sense, but you’d be amazed how many times I have been asked
extremely basic questions about someone’s camera system, and on talking to them, found
out they have only just bought it. As with any piece of diving equipment, it is best
to get your head around at least the basic functions before heading off underwater.
I’d suggest starting with the camera itself first – familiarize yourself with all of
the main controls, take some test shots around your home and local area, and then put it
into the housing – and do it all over again. Yes, the controls are all in the same place,
but it is amazing how different it can feel operating a camera through a housing.
If you have access to a pool, it is a good idea to go for a dive with your camera and
housing in there prior to your first diving holiday. As before, you might have used the
camera and housing topside, but it is a whole different scenario using one actually underwater.
It is much better to get to grips with your camera and housing in these situations rather
than grappling with the complexities on your first dives of your diving vacation. Not only
will you not get any decent shots, but you could also end up kicking the living daylights
out of the coral and/or your buddy, or worse, end up in a accident because you are so caught
up in trying to wrestle with your camera and housing that you take your eye off the ball
when it comes to your basic diving requirements.
Tip #3 Don’t cut corners when getting ready to
dive Although as I said in the introduction, digital
cameras and housings are coming down in price all the time, if you are using a decent mirrorless
camera or DSLR, then the camera itself is still going to be a pretty penny, the lenses
are still quite pricey, and the housings will be a wedge of cash, so you will want them
to last. The quickest way to a dead camera is by skimping on your preparation, which
sooner or later will end up in a flood, but I still see people playing Russian roulette
by just not taking the proper precautions before each dive.
Take great care with each and every O-ring, make sure there are no nicks or cuts in them,
and apply a small amount of silicone grease before you fit them into your housing. These
days, with more and more strobes being triggered by fibre-optic cables, which don’t have
to hard-wire into the camera housing, there are fewer and fewer O-rings to contend with,
so there is no excuse to cut corners. After you have got all of the O-rings in place,
before you close the housing, have a good look at them for any errant hairs or pieces
of debris – even a small piece is enough to break the seal and cause a flood. Once
your housing is sealed, dunk it into water to ensure it has sealed and there are no bubbles
coming out of it. If your housing has a vacuum pump, make sure you use it.
On the flipside, I remember being on a trip with an underwater photographer who was seriously
OCD about O-rings – he would literally pour over each one for a good 10-15 minutes before
fitting them into his housing. I am all for being careful, but watch that you don’t
go too overboard and become obsessed!
Tip #4 Get a strobe or two
Most cameras have a built-in flash, but these are next to useless underwater. One, the flash
is too small to really light anything underwater, and two, the flash that it does emit will
only light up all the particles in the water and ruin your shot with backscatter (built-in
flashes are located too close to your lens). What you want is an external strobe or two.
Again, like cameras and housings, strobes have come down a long way in price. There
are numerous benefits to using external strobes. Being mounted on arms that keep them a decent
distance away from your lens, with careful positioning, you can minimize that dastardly
backscatter. Strobes also pump out significantly more powerful flashes, so you will be able
to better light your subjects. And as they are on articulated arms, you can move them
wherever you need them for specific shots.
Tip #5 Take a test shot!
I have seen far too many underwater photographers excitedly grab their camera housing off the
camera bench and then giant stride off the boat ready to capture some amazing images,
only to realise once they are on the dive itself that they left their lens cap on!
Once my camera and housing have all been fully prepped, I do a test shot – including any
strobes I have on the system – to make sure that everything is working. It is far better
to discover the lens cap is still in place, the camera battery is nearly flat, or you
haven’t got any batteries in your strobes when you are sat in your room and can rectify
the issue, rather than once you are underwater, when all you can do is curse.
Tip #6 Get close
So you have got your camera all prepared and you are now on the dive ready to start shooting.
One of the most sage pieces of advice I received when I started out taking underwater photographs
was to get close to my subject. In fact, I was told to get close – and then get closer,
as inevitably when you are starting out, what you consider is close is still too far aware.
You don’t want to have your subject fish being a tiny spec in the middle of your image,
do you? But I can zoom in, I hear you say. Well, yes,
you can use zoom on certain cameras or with certain lenses, but it is best to keep this
to a bare minimum – I have seen people with compact digital cameras zoom in and fill the
frame with their subject, but they are a good four or five metres away, in which case their
strobes are not going to be able to properly light the shot.
Try to move in slowly and carefully and fill the frame when it is set as wide as possible.
I tend to use a 16mm lens when shooting wide-angle, and so I am the zoom – and it is amazing
how close you really have to be to get a good shot. So just remember the mantra – get
close, then get closer.
Tip #7 Shoot upwards
The other piece of advice that has always stuck with me is to always shoot upwards,
or at the very least level with your subject. Sometimes it is impossible to do anything
but shoot downwards, but it is extremely rare that such shots will come out well. By shooting
upwards, you will get better lighting, and you can often frame the subject against a
blue-water background, which will make it pop far more than if it is against a cluttered
reef scene, for example.
Tip #8 Take it slow
Don’t chase after your subject, as guaranteed unless it is a nudibranch or something like
a frogfish, it can swim faster than you. I am constantly amazed at people who insist
on shooting off at speed after a turtle – believe me, you are not going to catch it, and at
best, will get a shot of its rear end disappearing into the blue. Approach your subject slowly
and carefully, not being afraid to stop for a while if it appears nervous or skittish.
If you take your time, it is possible to get extremely close to some creatures, such as
turtles, stingrays, and so on. I always try and approach animals from head on – if they
can see you coming, they are less likely to swim away, whereas if you come at them from
behind, their survival instincts will kick in and they will be off. This may mean when
you spot a potential subject, you have to do a wide arc to swim around and get in front
of them.
Tip #9 Maintenance is key
While preparing your camera and housing to go diving is vital, it is just as important
to perform after-dive maintenance as well. Try to dunk your camera in a rinse tank as
soon after diving as possible, but this will only get rid of some of the saltwater your
system has been swimming around in. When you are back to your room, leave your housing
to soak in lukewarm water for an hour or so, and when you first put it in, give all of
the buttons a press five or six times each, to help that freshwater get into all of the
nooks and crannies and rinse out any residual saltwater. If there has been a reasonable
length of time between leaving the boat or dive site and getting back to your room – maybe
a stop-off for an apres-dive beer or two – then I will leave my housing to soak for a couple
more hours to get rid of any dried salt crystals. Once it has had a good soak, I give it a quick
towel off and then set it on a towel on the floor to fully air dry.
Tip #10 Don’t be afraid to use technology
Some underwater photographers can capture amazing images that look fabulous when taken
straight off the camera, but by and large, most images need a little tweaking once you
have downloaded them, and there are a multitude of computer programmes out there that you
can use to give your photographs a bit of a lift. Just as with your camera and housing,
you need to get to grips with this software, so practice is key. And don’t feel like
you are ‘cheating’. I have seen the originals of many an outstanding magazine shot, and
they don’t look anything alike, so everyone does it. If the technology is there, why not
make use of it?
What are some of your top hints and advice for budding underwater photographers? Leave
your comments below, and if you have a question, fire away – if we can’t answer it, I am
sure some of our ever-growing subscribers will be able to assist.
Remember, if you enjoyed this video, please hit that subscribe button, so you don’t
miss out on any of our future content, and go check out our playlist for more educational
and entertaining videos. As always, if you are going diving, stay safe!