Ok first I have to say, before you even THINK about underwater photography, work on your scuba diving skills!! You can have the fanciest, most expensive camera out there, but if your bouyancy isn't under control, then your pictures will be blurry. For those that don't know, buoyancy is kind of like floating completely still underwater. That's important because if you don't float, you will fall onto the reef and kill all that sea life! So work on that! I'm getting better at it, but I've only gone on 2 different scuba trips so I still have a lot of work to do.
Alright, down to business....if you've ever seen a DSLR camera in an underwater setup, all I gotta say is wow! Some of them look like robots and it's intimidating lol, but it's actually not as hard as it looks. It can be a little tricky making sure you find the right button and don't push the wrong one and end up flooding the camera, that would be BAD! Underwater photography is not a poor man's hobby, that stuff is EXPENSIVE! I would highly recommend renting some gear and get used to it before you splurge on that purchase, but be sure to get the insurance lol. You can rent gear through a company called Backscatter, they are AMAZING!! Also, you may want to start in program or auto mode at first. I know what you're thinking " I have a 5D Mark III, I know what I'm doing", well it's totally different underwater! I said the same thing (except the Mark III part, yeah I wish! lol), but unlike on land, that water that stands between you and your subject is not as clear as the air on land is. Therefore if you are too far away, or don't have your strobes in the proper position, you are going to get a lot of backscatter (the micro sized stuff floating in the water).
Lighting.....oh lighting, how I loathe thee! I'm still learning the ins and outs of artificial lighting on land, so as you can imagine, underwater is a little trickier. A lot of my pictures end up too blown out, or too dark in places...I just couldn't get it right and it frustrated me! The trick is to try to get the strobes the same distance from the lens as the subject is to the lens, but that can be easier said than done so don't beat yourself up if that becomes an issue for you. It just takes practice and patience, which can be hard to achieve when you see a really cool sea creature swimming by! That's something that still gets me in trouble, I get so excited seeing sea life! It's just an awesome experience! Also, another tricky area is aperture and shutter speed. I'm used to shooting with a wide aperture, but you have to be careful doing that underwater because things are constantly moving (especially you). Also, because things are moving so much you want to shoot with a higher shutter speed so you can freeze the action. Again, just takes a little practice, so here are a few more tips for you:
1.Your mask is just about as important as your camera when it comes to good pictures. Don't go too cheap on it, because if it fogs up or leaks, you won't be able to take that award winning photo!
2. Pay attention to your backgrounds! What's not in the picture is just as important as what's in the picture.
3. Practice, practice, practice your focus and lighting!! You'd hate for that once in a lifetime shot to be ruined because it's out of focus or too dark!
4. The amount of distance between your strobe and your lens should equal the distance between the subject you are shooting and your lens.
5. Point your strobes straight ahead, not directly at your subject
6. For Macro use a fast shutter speed and a small aperture, to capture those small details. Remember, the smaller the subject, the higher the F-stop.
7, Some recommended settings:
Macro work= aperture F/22, shutter speed 1/125, and strobe on full power
Wide angle= aperture F8, shutter speed 1/125, and strobe on full power
These are tips I learned while attending the Digital Shootout! If you are seriously interested in learning underwater photography, I HIGHLY recommend attending this event! They hold this every June and it's an entire week of scuba diving, underwater photography/videography workshops, demo equipment you can take underwater, and professionals available at anytime to help you with ANYTHING you need! They are the most amazing ever!! Plus, you are with a bunch of other people who are beginners as well so it's a great time! This was my second year going and I love it! Also, to top it off, they have a contest at the end of the week and give away like almost $50,000 in prizes! And if you think that just because you are a beginner you won't win, think again! A lot of it has to do with your creative eye, and being at the right place at the right time. I can say this because last year I won 2nd place for an underwater fluorescent photo I took and it was my first night dive ever!! (Heads up, I don't recommend this for complete beginners, it's hard as heck to see underwater at night!)
Need editing tips? One of my favorite people I met while at the Digital Shootout and that's Erin Quigley!! She runs the website www.goaskerin.com and she is amazing!! She loves teaching Lightroom so if you have any questions or need help, I recommend her no questions asked!! Well I hope I was able to help you get a little preview as to what's involved with underwater photography, but if there is anything else you'd like to know, just ask!
Just remember, like anything else, it takes practice to get the hang of it so don't beat yourself up if you take a bunch of not-so-good pictures at first..just keep at it and you'll get there! Here are a few of my underwater pictures...remember, I'm still new so be nice! lol :)
Miranda Johnson
Visions of Violet Photography
Websites to checkout:
www.Backscatter.com
www.Goaskerin.com
www.Thedigitalshootout.com
My website!
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