U/W PHOTOGRAPHY - INTRO

UW photography is much more dependent on the equipment used than it's land counterpart. If a land photographer doesn't have the right lens, he can often move backwards or forwards to get the picture or even recover the shot in the dark room. The underwater photographer who does not have the right lens will, in all probability, simply be unable to take even a compromise photograph.

Choosing equipment for underwater photography is often easier if you look on it as a problem solving exercise. For example, two key environmental problems that need to be overcome by choice of equipment are lack of sharpness and lack of colour.

The first is caused by suspended matter in the water such as algae, plankton or sand. The further away you are from your subject the more particles there are in the water separating you. This results in pictures taken at a distance appearing in soft focus.

To reduce this problem and achieve crisply focused photographs with bite, you need to reduce the distance between you and the subject. However, by moving closer, you can run into more difficulties. If your subject is large, like a diver or a dolphin, you won't be able to get all the subject into your picture with a standard lens like the 35mm on the Motormarine or Nikonos. Back off and the subject loses sharpness and eventually disappears. Get closer and you only get part of the subject.

Technology provides the solution. Using a wide angle lens lets your camera see a large subject from a short distance away. With a 20mm lens, for example, a 2m/7ft seal can be photographed side on from about the same distance away. Most of the diver pictures you see in magazines or books are taken with wide angle lenses such as the 20mm. Indeed, underwater, these are regarded as 'standard' lenses.

The second problem to be overcome is lack of colour. Even in very shallow water, colours are absorbed leaving most subjects dull and lacklustre. Flesh tones appear bluish grey and reds look dirty brown. Most subjects merge with the background and become little more than silhouettes.

Flashguns or strobes are essential to bringing out the subject's true colours and give each shot punch. The vast majority of underwater pictures are taken using flashguns. Strobes provide illumination and restore true colours but require a different approach to working on land, and this is reflected in their design.

The strobes are usually larger than land guns because they need to cover a much wider angle than a typical land unit and still provide high power, all of which requires large capacitors and reflectors which must be packaged in a durable pressure proof housing. Most guns, though heavy in air, are light underwater and easy to handle.

Before you start taking pictures underwater it is vital to be a competent diver. You must be able to concentrate fully on lining up your pictures without being distracted by your diving equipment. It takes time and experience to become an instinctive diver. For personal comfort, safety, good photographic or video results and the well-being of the underwater environment, precision buoyancy control is essential.

An understanding of marine life and their habits will help you to get better wildlife images. For certain types of diving, such as in overhead environments like caves, wrecks or under ice, specialised training is vital for your own safety. All agencies are able to offer such training. It will help expand the range of your photo opportunities and help you to come back with better images ... as well as operate safely.

If you are new to diving, as mentioned previously, we recommend making 20 or so pleasure dives to ensure you are comfortable in water before moving into underwater imaging. The time invested will pay off in better pictures. Equipment solves problems. You will get the best results and best value if you buy equipment because it will solve a specific problem FOR YOU rather than look macho on the dive boat.

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