Previously, underwater photography was for the very experienced photographer and was quite an expensive hobby. Since the introduction of digital cameras and advances in rapid technology the prices of digital cameras have dropped immensely. Many of the digital cameras available today have an underwater housing dedicated to that specific camera at a very reasonable price.
Digital photography makes taking photos—above but especially underwater—easier than ever. Digital underwater photography has many advantages. Here are just a few:
- instant results and playback
- more photos can be taken per dive
- ability to adjust camera’s settings on the fly (for example, ISO, white balance and preset settings)
- ability to correct your shooting techniques immediately
- low shooting cost
- retrieve, store, catalogue, back up and review your photos on site at ease
- edit and control the final image
This site is aimed at the seasoned photographer or the avid beginner and will provide a good start to better techniques to using your underwater camera system.
As there are so many different cameras models around, we will not provide detailed instructions on how to use a specific camera but cover basic concepts and techniques that could be applied regardless of specific camera model. The cameras and photos you can see on this site were taken with Nikon D200, Canon Powershot A540 and Olympus 725SW, only because these are the cameras we have on hand.
We hope you will find this site helpful. Any feedback will be much appreciated.
General Resources
- PADI Digital Underwater Photographer Specialty Course
- Ryan Frimel—Digital Underwater Photography for the Beginner
- Underwater Photography.com—Underwater Photography Handbook
- Wikipedia, Underwater Photography