PHOTO TIPS
23
- The number one rule in underwater photography is to eliminate as much
water between the camera and subject as possible. Get as close as you
can to the subject, then use the zoom. If you are using flash for still photos,
subjects beyond 6 ft (1.8m) will not have much color regardless of strobe
power.
- Photograph in clear water; do not stir up the sand or silty bottom. If
backscatter becomes a problem in the environment you are photographing,
an external flash will help eliminate much of the backscatter or small floating
debris in the water which reflects light.
- Many digital cameras have a slight lag time between when you press the
shutter release button and the camera actually takes the picture. Hold the
housing steady a second or two after pressing the shutter release button.
- Do not shoot down on subjects as they will quite often blend into the
background and be difficult to see in the photograph. Shoot subjects
straight on or shoot up at a slight angle using the blue water as a
contrasting background.
- When using daylight or flash, if your camera consistently over or
underexposes the image, you may want to adjust your camera’s exposure
compensation or flash exposure compensation settings.
- If you error in exposure, it is better to have the image slightly underexposed
rather than overexposed. An overexposed image is missing color
information which cannot be adjusted in a photo processing program. A
slightly underexposed image has color information that can be adjusted.
- It is important to respect all living creatures underwater, including people,
marine life, and coral. While we encourage people to get close to their
subjects when taking a photograph, they should not touch, lie on, or in any
way disturb the things they find underwater.
