Types of Underwater Photography
Wide Angle
Wide angle photography is used generally for bigger subjects such as whales, dolphins, turtles or reef scenes. Wide angle lenses also offer the greatest depth of field. The wide angle of coverage allows you to get closer to your subject, which reduces the amount of water volume between the subject and your lens.
When using wide angle lenses, a good compositional technique to keep in mind is get low, and close. It is a good idea to shoot wide angle when there is relatively little turbidity so there is no backscatter.
When using a strobe and shooting wide angle, it is a good idea to use a diffuser on your strobe so that the angle of coverage for the strobe is greater than the angle of coverage for the lens.
Macro Photography
Macro photography is extreme close-up of very small and close subjects. Examples can be nudibranchs, shrimps, gobies or any other small critters. Backscatter is usually not a problem because you are very close to the subject, thus minimising the particles in between. Compact and mid-price cameras usually have a macro preset to help you get closer to your subject and still get it to focus.
Underwater Still Life Photography
A “Still life” is a photo of a non-moving subject such as a coral head, a sponge, or a group of bubble corals. Still life makes good subjects for studying exposure and composition because you can try different settings and techniques and compare them.
Fish and Wildlife Portraits
Fish and Wildlife portraits are very popular photo pursuit. They are ideal for compact camera systems and are not limited to a specific lens.
Diver Photography
Diver photos are good for most camera systems and can be something you do with your buddy. Unlike wildlife subjects, you can cooperate with your buddy to compose your frame.
Ambient Light
Ambient light photos use sunlight as the main light source. The resulting photo will be in the blue colour range with complementing or harmonic colours. It might be a good idea to stay shallow in order to utilise the maximum light available.
50/50 Photography
50/50, or over/under photography, is a specialty area all to itself. It’s probably the hardest aspect of underwater photography to master successfully. This is not so much because of the equipment or skills needed but rather because water conditions invariably determine the final outcome. Unless the conditions are absolutely ideal, it is next to impossible to get an acceptable photo. But when you do, the time and effort are certainly worth it.
For equipment, you will need a wide-angle lens (in a dome port) to focus in two environment, air and water. Water is a denser medium and absorbs light much readily than air. As a consequence, there is less light below the water than there is above. There are two problems with this situation: uneven focus and uneven light distribution. The solution for the first problem can be utilising a split-diopter accessory lens. A split-diopter lens is merely a screw-on filter that fits over the primary lens. Split diopters are essentially photo-quality magnifying lenses cut in half and mounted in a rotating bezel. The primary lens can now focus on two different environments, air and water. The second problem is solved with a graduated neutral density filter meaning a filter that is dark at the top, becoming transparent at the bottom.
Further Resources
- Andrew Dawson, Underwater Wide Angle Photography on Nature Photographers—Dawson discusses requirements of wide angle photography and includes some specific tips.
- Andrew Dawson, Underwater Photography on Photo.net—This article covers same concepts of wide angle photography as the previous one but also covers an overview of macro photography.
- Aquatic Images, Underwater Photography Tutorials: Shooting Wide Angle