Do You Really Know Photography Underwater ?
Under the sea is a colorful and alien world that most people will not have the time or the inclination to see. Coral reefs, oysters, clams, star fish, clown fish, and all other marine creatures make good photography subjects; they're more interesting since they're not usually seen. Photography underwater is therefore assuredly rewarding. Just remember the following things that will mean the difference in the quality of your prints: lighting underwater, water magnification, the right gear, your vantage point, and photography retouching. This article will discuss these elements so that you can achieve great-looking and rewarding underwater photographs. The first thing that you need to know is the fact that light behaves differently underwater than it does on land. On land, the color you see is generally what you get; underwater, this is not the case. Seawater reflects blue light and absorbs both the yellow and red wavelengths. This means that if you need to get a good picture with good color definition (one that isn't uniformly blue all over), you need to get as close to the subject as possible. This has implications on the camera you must use, though.
The camera you must use for underwater photography is something that has a wide scope. If you get too close to your subject so you can get a colorful picture, you're likely to leave off a good part of your subject out of your photograph. Thus, you should get the right equipment before you get underwater. However, the "rightness" of underwater photographic equipment also depends on where you're going to take the picture from. The best, the safest and the easiest way to take pictures of underwater creatures is from above them, just around snorkeling depths. From this depth, you won't need specialized underwater equipment. Just the basic waterproof camera will do. From this vantage point, too, you'll have ample light to get good photographs. In calm weather, you also have a very good chance of using light streaking to provide extra illumination. However, if you want to get closer to your subjects, you'll need pressure-resistant cameras as well as a good camera casing to protect your gear. You'll also need strobe lights to improve visibility. If all else fails, however, and you just managed to get good but not outstanding shots, load up your image editing software and begin photography retouching Photo retouching is done to make your photographs as good and as beautiful as they can be. Given the innate difficulty of photography underwater, you're more likely to get mediocre than exceptional underwater shots. Thus, use your imaging software to tweak your picture's clarity, remove superfluous elements from your photograph, improve brightness and contrast, and achieve better color balance. Photography underwater is indeed one of the most challenging fields of photography. However, for all the obstacles that you must overcome and all the things you must consider, underwater photography is definitely worth it. Attaining good composition and producing great photographs even after all you have gone through to get your handful of shots, tend to give more satisfaction than achieving the same on land. |
