Whilst we love taking pictures on land, underwater photography is an exciting pastime for all to enjoy. Nature is most flamboyant in the marine environment and there are so many amazing colours and fascinating wildlife, making the ocean depths the ultimate playground for any photographer. Thanks to digital cameras, underwater photography is more accessible than ever before.

With this in mind, here we provided you with three essential tips that will help you capture the most fantastic photographs when you dive in to capture the hidden wonders of the world.

1)    Having enough light is a necessity.
Photography is all about light and understanding how to control it, however underwater photography poses a unique challenge due to the properties of water and how that affects light.  Light absorption over distances of a few metres is significant, that means that the underwater environment is dark and will continue to grow darker the deeper you dive. Unless you’re snorkelling in extremely shallow waters, or shooting on a bright afternoon when sunlight travels intensely into the water, you will probably require artificial lighting such as flashlight. Flash is daylight-balanced so it provides a great source of lighting to illuminate your underwater snaps.

Kristi Ogden fully utilized natural light in her underwater, fishy photo!

2)    Distance is key
When you’re underwater, you’re never as close as you think you are to your subject. That’s why, unless you’re capturing a huge shark, it’s best to get as close as possible to your subject. If you’re too far away there will be a recognisable amount of distortion and your photo will lack clarity. So don’t zoom with your camera, zoom with your flippers!
It also helps if you get down to eye level with your subject, rather than shooting from above, as you can make the most of the light and your image will have a far greater depth.
Take a look at this jellyfish, captured by Albert Olle I Callau. The photograph has been captured at close range meaning there is a fantastic clarity and the jelly fish comes into sharp focus. An excellent underwater photograph!

3)    Be comfortable and confident!
Bear in mind that if it normally takes you 30 minutes to capture the perfect shot, it will probably take you a lot longer when you’re underwater. Shooting is a lot more complicated, whether it’s focusing, breathing or changing settings. You’ll also find yourself getting tired so things become harder. If you’re deep water diving to capture shots, then make sure you’re extremely comfortable in the water, have the ability to swim well and in some instances move fast – if you want to catch up with your moving subject.

The Right Camera

Putting these tips into use is one thing but another crucial element of underwater photography is having the right camera. The Olympus Tough TG-3 is a splash proof pocket camera and is waterproof up to 50 feet. Simply add the PT-056 underwater housing and it becomes waterproof up to 150 feet. A tough piece of equipment the TG-3 has a microscope mode which allows for extreme close ups with the wildlife whilst you’re diving.

Another great camera is the Sony RX 100 III. Part of the popular RX Series the RX 100 III keeps the features which made its predecessors popular but adds improvements for underwater shooters including a wider, faster lens and added low light performance.

For more of the best cameras to use underwater visit Backscatter.com

If you’ve taken any underwater photographs then we would love to see them. Make sure you upload your snaps CoinaPhoto - you might even earn yourself some coins!