The Complete Guide To Underwater Photography

Posted on January 04, 2021

Author: Nick Pelios

Carlos Negrete Explains

When you are just getting started in UW photography things can get pretty hectic! Which camera to buy, what lens to use, which is the best color correction software and so forth. We've all been there and it was a mess until someone helped! Alchemy partner, Carlos Negrete, is a top notch creator, freediver & instructor. We asked him to shoot a Complete Guide video for us in order to make your life easier! Here's what he had to say.

Before Diving

Before jumping in the water, make sure you're comfortable with your skills, that you have a safety body, so you can focus only on your footage,
forget about the rest and enjoy the session.

Light

First we need to understand how water affects light, we have different effects. Refraction will make objects appear much closer and bigger around 25 percent. We also have diffusion which there are particles of organic material or plankton that always going to be in the way between your subject and you. So, don't shoot too far from your object because there's going to be more diffusion in there.

Loss Of Color

Whenever light enters the water the colors are going to be absorbed in a particular order - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. The deeper we go the colors are going to be taken so also don't forget if you get super far from your object, colors are gonna be lost as well. The only way to bring the colors back is gonna be with artificial lights or strobes.

Control

You need to get familiar with your camera, understand how aperture works, iso, shutter speed and get familiar with it. If you cannot control it on land,
forget about it underwater.

Cameras

There are different types of cameras like action cameras, point and shoots, DSLRs, mirrorless. They vary in price and weight. I recommend you start diving with an action camera, get familiar with it, get familiar with underwater photography a little bit and as your skills, not only with the photos but also your diving skills, improve, you can upgrade your camera and make the most of it.

Lens

We need to pick the right lens so, depending what kind of photo and which objects we're gonna shoot, we're gonna pick the appropriate lens. For example, if you're interested in shooting close-ups of small animals like nudibranch or small fish in the coral, then you want to pick a macro lens. And in other case scenario you want to shoot bigger animals for freedivers, you want to use a wide angle lens, that is going to allow you to fit them in the frame and let more light inside.

Housings

Talking about camera housings, there are different materials manufacturers and brands. They vary, for example acrylic, polycarbonate or aluminum. Basically what a housing do is keep your camera you can keep your camera inside vacuum sealed and you should be able to operate all your camera settings without a problem.

Maintenance

Before going in the water, make sure your o-rings are completely clean and lubed with the manufacturer's lubricant. Also check for dust sand or any particles that can be inside the o-ring because this can cause you a flood and then losing all your equipment.

Rinse

Whenever you finish your session make sure you put your housing in a rinsing tank with your dome cover, so you avoid scratches, and in fresh water, you want to leave it rinsing in fresh water and you want to press all the buttons to make sure the salt and the minerals come out and avoid getting your buttons stuck.

Software

Using software like photoshop, lightroom or premiere pro, is gonna help you to edit and work on your footage after your session. The more practice and the more hours you put in these software, the more tools you're gonna be able to master and the better your footage is gonna become. So, spend a lot of time doing this. A little pro tip, always shoot in raw and this is gonna help you to get more information in your shots and make the most of it when you edit.

Tips

1. Always do a test shot before going in the water. This is gonna help you to know that you have enough battery, enough memory card space and maybe sometimes
we even put the lid on the lens so, it's nice to know before going in the water.
2. Your free diving fins, especially carbon, are gonna help you to stabilize your videos, these are gonna make super smooth movements and keep you
controlled your camera when you're diving.

3. The closer you get to your subjects, the more color, sharpness and contrast you will have.
4. Whenever you review a shot of a photo that you just take, instead of watching only the display, use your histogram which is a scientific explanation on how how light was absorbed in that photo, use that as a reference instead of your display, because then ... might seem that it's okay but maybe it's overexposed or underexposed and you're not sure until you get home and open it in the computer so, using your histogram is better.

5. When you're approaching wildlife or your subject or your free diving model, make sure you approach slowly and from your level. This is gonna make a much better shot and also make animals more comfortable. Since we're freediving, we're not producing bubbles, we're not making noise so, let's take advantage of that.
6. Composition is key, so play around with it, follow rules and also break the rules. Get inspiration from your favorite photographers and work on your own style,
it's all about enjoying.