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UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY
ESSENTIAL GUIDE © W W W .IS T OCKPHO T O . C O . UK

Beneath the

waves

Whether you’re setting out to capture lush coral formations deep underwater
or looking for a simple waterproof compact you can take snorkelling, our
guide to underwater photography has you covered…

W ORD S O A UDLEY J AR VIS
t some point we’ve all waterproof compacts on the shooting underwater also
thumbed through a copy market that are perfectly adequate provides a different type of
of National Geographic for snorkelling in the shallows with. physical challenge to shooting
Amagazine or tuned into Likewise, while some of the best on dry land. Suffi ce to say that if
a marine biology documentary on underwater housing units can cost you’re going to take a camera into
the Discovery Channel and stared as much as the DSLRs they are open water then at the very least
in wonder at life beneath the sea. designed to keep dry, there are you’ll need to be a strong and
From eye-popping coral formations more cost-effective ways to take confi dent swimmer. And if you
to rusting shipwrecks, and from pictures underwater. Put simply, want to go deeper than you can
schooling fi sh in the open ocean while your budget will largely while holding your breath then
to your kids splashing about in dictate the quality of the you’ll need to learn to dive.
the hotel pool, the ability to use equipment you can afford, it Over the next few pages, we’ll
your camera underwater provides won’t exclude you from shooting look at all these issues in more
you with an unlimited supply of underwater altogether. detail and aim to provide you with
interesting things to photograph. Of course, underwater a basic understanding of how to
In common with many other photography comes with its own deal with them. We’ll also point
specialist genres of photography set of technical challenges and you towards some of the better
the transition from fi lm to digital even with the best equipment specialist underwater photography
has made underwater photography money can buy, you’ll still need to brands, as well as some of the best
considerably cheaper and more know a thing or two to get good waterproof compacts. Obviously,
accessible than it once was. Sure, results. For example, understanding we can’t hope to cover absolutely
You’ll need to
you can still spend huge amounts how water affects ambient light everything in the space we have,
overcome the
of money on professional-grade and colour temperature are two however, there are plenty of
technical challenges
underwater rigs, but there are also critical things that stand between that come with excellent online resources where
plenty of relatively inexpensive you and a decent image. Likewise, shooting underwater you can learn more.

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