The underwater world is just as gorgeous as the one on land, so it would make sense that people would want to photograph these beautiful sights as well. But underwater photography is a bit different from above water photography.
Here are some underwater photography tips for you to get lovely photos underwater!
Get Close
Try and get as close to your subject as possible. While you might be able to see them somewhat clearly, water tends to reduce color, sharpness and contrast, so if you want a photo that’s clear and showcases the beauty of your photo’s subject, you want to get as close to it as possible.
Keep Your Flash On
Flash doesn’t look so great on land, but it can help a lot with capturing underwater subjects! Since light doesn’t pass through the water so well, flash can help you illuminate the space and get a better picture.
Practice On Land
Before you start taking photos underwater, you want to practice your skills on objects on land. Take close ups of flowers, animals and household objects to improve your photography skills before moving on to subjects under water.
Depth
When shooting in natural light, it’s best to take your photos at the minimum possible depth. Ideally, you want to take the pictures when the sun is behind you, and you are at a depth of no more than 20 feet. The closer the objects are to the surface, the better.
Resolution
Because the water will blur your subject out a bit, it’s always best to use any camera at the highest possible resolution with the lowest ISO. This will help get a better picture, though there will likely still be the need for processing the image later and bringing it to max resolution.
However, this will definitely help you get a better photo than you would otherwise!
Editing
You’re going to need to edit your photos after taking them to make them look as good as possible. While you can get some pretty decent photos by following these tips, you’ll still have to take to Photoshop to make them worthy of posting to Instagram!
Increasing the contrast a bit usually makes them clearer, and the subject more visible, but you can always use other processes if you want as well.
Improve Your Diving Skills
Regardless of whether you have all these other things down, if your diving skills aren’t up to par, you’re going to have a lot of trouble getting a good picture – or even handling the camera! Make sure you get your diving skills down before you go for underwater photography!
You can also take an Underwater Photography course online with PADI. You can learn more about that here. Deep Blue Dive Center can help you with your diving skills through their various dive courses for divers of any skill and experience level. Visit the website and learn more about our PADI dive courses!
