Learning to photograph
underwater.

Check battery, cards, housing, port, O-rings, latches and controls. A clean, correctly seated O-ring is as important as the camera. Make a final visual inspection before closing the housing.

The choice depends on the subject and working distance. Macro is for small details and isolated subjects; wide angle is for reefs, large animals and scenes where the environment is part of the story.

Set focus, exposure mode, ISO, starting shutter speed, aperture and strobe power. Configure the buttons you will use with gloves and make sure you can change essentials without looking.

A good photograph requires stability. Maintain controlled buoyancy, avoid resting equipment on the bottom and learn to approach without raising sediment. Body control is part of camera control.

Decide whether the dive will focus on macro, fish, environment or a sensible combination. Having an intention avoids constant changes and missed opportunities.

Ambient light can create blue backgrounds, silhouettes and sun rays. Changing the camera angle relative to the surface radically changes the result.

Every centimetre of water between camera and subject removes information. Getting closer, when safe and respectful, improves colour, contrast and sharpness.

Strobe position is as important as power. Moving them away from the lens axis helps illuminate the subject without excessively lighting particles in the water.

Suspended particles reflect light back toward the lens. If the strobe points directly forward, the problem increases. Work with strobes opened out and aimed at the subject area.

With ambient light, white balance can help control colour casts; with strobes, artificial light provides a more stable reference. RAW gives you more room for later adjustment.

Aperture controls light and depth of field. In macro, smaller apertures can help keep more detail within a very shallow depth of field.

Shutter speed determines how movement is recorded. With ambient light it strongly affects the background; with flash it also controls how much ambient light enters the exposure.

Higher ISO allows you to work with less light, but can increase noise and reduce editing latitude. Use it as a tool, not as a goal.

In environmental images, think of two related exposures: the background with natural light and the subject with artificial light. This separation lets you control blue water without losing the subject.

The screen can be misleading underwater. The histogram and highlight warnings help check whether important bright areas are losing information.

Look for a reliable focus point, especially the eye. With small subjects, pre-focusing at an approximate distance and moving your body to find the sharp plane can be useful.

Approach progressively without chasing the animal. A stable distance makes focusing easier and lets you place light precisely.

The closer you are and the greater the magnification, the more critical depth of field becomes. Decide what really needs to be sharp.

A black background can be achieved by reducing ambient contribution and avoiding lighting the background with the strobes. The subject must be properly separated and illuminated.

Try side lighting, backlighting or different strobe angles to reveal textures. Change direction before simply adding power.

Higher magnification makes composition and focus even more demanding. Look for small structures that can become the entire story.

Never manipulate animals or damage their habitat for a photograph. A technically perfect image is not worth disturbing the subject.

Watch routes, refuges and reactions. Many species repeat patterns and allow you to anticipate the frame.

The eye is usually the main point of attention. Look for sharpness and a head position that communicates character.

Move slowly and avoid sudden movements. If the fish retreats, stop and wait. Chasing usually produces poorer backgrounds and tense images.

A small change in your position can turn a confusing background into a clean or dark area. Move yourself before asking the animal to change its path.

Feeding, cleaning, territorial behaviour or interaction with other animals create unforgettable moments. Anticipating the action matters more than firing many frames.

Distance between lens and subject is decisive for colour and contrast. Get close to the foreground and let the environment extend behind it.

First decide what you want the background to do. Then adjust the strobe for the foreground. This separation preserves blue water without losing subject colour.

Sea fans, walls, corals and bottoms can create diagonals and layers. Look for a foreground, middle ground and background that help tell the story.

With turtles, sharks and other large animals, do not always try to fill the frame. Sometimes the space around the animal tells its relationship with the ocean better.

A diver can provide scale, direction and story. Place them where they help reveal the size of the scene, not simply where there is space.

Shooting upward can produce sun rays, silhouettes and clean backgrounds. Control highlights and remember that the frame still needs a clear protagonist.

Before shooting, identify the protagonist. Every secondary element should help or at least not compete with it.

Thirds are a guide, not an obligation. A centred composition can be powerful when there is symmetry, a direct gaze or a dominant shape.

Leaving water around an animal can increase its sense of movement, isolation or freedom. Empty space also communicates.

When an animal looks or swims to one side, leaving space in front usually reinforces direction. For tension, you can deliberately break that expectation.

A red, yellow or orange subject against blue can become a natural focal point. Use colour as a compositional tool.

A look, interaction or gesture can last a fraction of a second. Technique must be ready before it happens so you can react.

Remove blurred, duplicated or aimless images. Keep the ones that have something to say and then reduce the selection again.

Adjust exposure, shadows and highlights moderately. The goal is to recover information, not manufacture nonexistent light.

Correct colour casts while keeping the water natural. Blue does not have to disappear: it is part of an underwater photograph’s identity.

A little local contrast can restore volume. Too much creates halos, noise and an artificial appearance.

Remove small distractions when reasonable and sharpen according to final output size. A web image does not need the same treatment as a high-resolution master.

Always keep an original. Export a web copy and, if needed, another for social media, with suitable dimensions and compression. Keep folders and names consistent.