Underwater photo tutorials, techniques and tips for all types of underwater photo and video, including macro, supermacro, wide-angle, composition and best camera gear.
Rejuvenate your creative photography with these tips to sort through the multitude of photo opportunities during a dive trip
By Jeff Milisen
Rejuvenate your creative photography with these tips to sort through the multitude of photo opportunities during a dive trip
I recently checked Raja Ampat off my bucket list. I wanted to see it all - fish schools thick enough to block the sun, coral gardens many acres large, and biodiversity like nowhere else on the plant - and Raja exceeded my every expectation. And yet, after the first few days, I had only a select few photos that I was marginally happy with.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
From cone snails to sharks and many things in between, Jeff Milisen has interests firmly rooted in anything related to marine science. Such a varied career has led him to spend considerable time in remote habitats. When not plying the open ocean or poking around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, he visits the multitude of dive sites around his home in Kona. Wherever his exploits go, he is sure to have his dive gear and camera packed and at the ready.
Website: Iphotograph.fish | Social media: @JeffMilisen
SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:
The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear
Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!
The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips
Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.
Tips for lighting wide-angle scenes while reducing backscatter, including strobe positions for close-focus, big animals and reefs
By Brook Peterson
Tips for lighting wide-angle scenes while reducing backscatter, including strobe positions for close-focus, big animals and reefs
Mastering the light in an image is perhaps one of the most challenging skills we learn as photographers. Underwater, that skill must be developed even more because of the limitations we face with available light, and technology. The strobes on your rig are versatile tools that can help make beautiful images when used correctly. There are several positioning and lighting techniques that can help you become a proficient and talented underwater photographer.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brook Peterson is an avid scuba diver and underwater photographer who enjoys capturing the beauty of the under water environment throughout the world. She is an original member of the SEA&SEA Alpha program. Her work has been featured in both print and online magazines. She is the owner of Waterdog Photography and authors a blog on underwater photography and techniques. More of her work can be found at:
www.waterdogphotography.com | Facebook | instagram@waterdogphotography_brook.
SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:
The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear
Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!
The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips
Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.
Improve your shark photography with these tips for composition, creativity and behavior during shark dives in all water conditions
By Mike Ellis
Improve your shark photography with these tips for composition, creativity and behavior during shark dives in all water conditions
When you mention sharks, most picture in their mind a killing machine. To photograph and portray the beauty of these apex predators has its own obstacles and rewards. I feel the challenges are worth it as a way to make people aware, and to care about what is more scary... their startling rate of extinction.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Ellis: Sharing bottom time with some of the smartest & friendliest in the ocean to some of the largest & most feared (by some), has given me unique opportunities to photograph the popular, playful Atlantic Spotted Dolphin, to the less popular, agile Tiger Shark & much more. It has also strengthened my compassion towards them & the vital roll they play in the delicate balance of the oceans. It is my hope to convey this thru my photography. That people will look upon my images & share my concerns of acts of greed & inhumanness that bring many to their plight. And also to feel the heart n' souls of the ocean & how we all need each other. "For the oceans!"
onaiaphoto.com | Instagram.com/onaiaphoto | Facebook.com/mike.ellis.9678067
SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:
The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear
Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!
The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips
Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.
An introduction to ambient light shooting, plus instructions for setting manual white balance for underwater photo and video on the Sony a6300 and a6500
By Steve Harms
An introduction to ambient light shooting, plus instructions for setting manual white balance for underwater photo and video on the Sony a6300 and a6500
We share our underwater photos with others in the hope of inspiring awe for what we see and experience in our dives. Personally, I hope that awe translates into respect which encourages ocean conservation. To that end, ambient light provides the ability to offer a more realistic view of what we actually see underwater. Colors fade out more naturally and subjects appear more part of their environment. It also offers the secondary benefit of making our rigs much smaller a
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Steve Harms lives in Palm Harbor, Florida and has been diving since 1971. He has been taking underwater photographs since 2004. When he’s not out blowing bubbles and shooting pictures, he spends his time as a husband, father of three daughters and grandfather to two and works as a computer geek.
SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:
The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear
Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!
The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips
Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.
Philip Thurston shares his tips in creating an epic backlit wave photos
By Philip Thurston
Philip Thurston shares his tips in creating an epic backlit wave photos
The fundamental principle to good photography is understanding light; where it’s coming from, and where it is going. In this article we are going to explore the art of backlighting when it comes to moving masses of water and waves.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Philip Thurston: My goal with Thurston Photo is to create beautiful imagery and literature that provokes positive thought and inspires people to see life from a new perspective. Through my experiences and lessons learnt, I've come to know my purpose in life is to inspire faith in others to live a life of fullness with an eternal perspective, and to help others realise their own dreams, potential and purpose that's worth pursuing with all their heart. I strive to be conscience of this with my words, output and actions. I really do enjoy what I do and I think that makes a big difference with the result. I'm known to happily spend hours straight in the ocean or spontaneously launch myself into the wild in the hope of encountering and capturing creation in a new and exciting way.
Website: www.thurstonphoto.com Facebook: /thurstonphoto Instagram: @thurstonphoto
SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:
The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear
Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!
The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips
Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.
Improve your marine life behavior shots with these tips for maximizing photo opportunities and and telling the best story of the encounter
By Serge Abourjeily
Improve your marine life behavior shots with these tips for maximizing photo opportunities and and telling the best story of the encounter
As photographers, we are always after images that have a strong impact on the viewer. Of course, nice colors, good composition and a good mastering of your photographic equipment and technique are essential. But in underwater photography – like in most types of photography – you also have to tell a story. Behavior is a very good way to do so.
"How did he get that shot?" This question is the greatest compliment you could receive on a behavior shot. Here are 3 straightforward tips that I would recommend to anyone asking that question.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Serge Abourjeily has been a u/w photographer since 2005, living and working in Indonesia. He has spent the last 7 years in the famous Lembeh Strait (recently as Dive Manager at NAD-Lembeh) where he collected a lot of experience with critters and macro Photography. Beginning in 2017, Serge will be working on the Samambaia Liveaboard, cruising the Indonesian seas enjoying wide-angle AND macro.
www.serge-mondial.com
SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:
The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear
Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!
The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips
Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.
Tips for selecting underwater images that will stand out to judges and win photo contests
By Brook Peterson
Tips for selecting underwater images that will stand out to judges and win photo contests
Competitions are a great way to find out how you measure up to all the great photography out there. Competitions are also a good way to get you some recognition for your work by getting your name out there among other members of the underwater photography community. Having a good understanding of what makes a good image is critical to being a top notch photographer, but it is also important to remember that some aspects of the judging process are subjective.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brook Peterson is an avid scuba diver and underwater photographer who enjoys capturing the beauty of the under water environment throughout the world. She is an original member of the SEA&SEA Alpha program. Her work has been featured in both print and online magazines. She is the owner of Waterdog Photography and authors a blog on underwater photography and techniques. More of her work can be found at:
www.waterdogphotography.com | Facebook | instagram@waterdogphotography_brook.
SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:
The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear
Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!
The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips
Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.
Underwater photo tips for capturing dramatic photos of fast-moving sharks paired with a crisp sunburst
By Mike Ellis
Underwater photo tips for capturing dramatic photos of fast-moving sharks paired with a crisp sunburst
A few years back I worked as boat crew during a shoot for the Animal Planet network. Their main goal was to shoot nighttime shark sequences. In keeping with my regular hours, my goal was to be up at sunrise. I carried through with my various boat duties and also made sure fresh bait was in the water to help keep the sharks around. Early to rise also meant I was the only one up and therefore had the ocean all to myself. The conditions could not have been better…a gentle east breeze, sunshine with the occasional passing cloud, clear blue water and yes, sharks.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Ellis: Sharing bottom time with some of the smartest & friendliest in the ocean to some of the largest & most feared (by some), has given me unique opportunities to photograph the popular, playful Atlantic Spotted Dolphin, to the less popular, agile Tiger Shark & much more. It has also strengthened my compassion towards them & the vital roll they play in the delicate balance of the oceans. It is my hope to convey this thru my photography. That people will look upon my images & share my concerns of acts of greed & inhumanness that bring many to their plight. And also to feel the heart n' souls of the ocean & how we all need each other. "For the oceans!"
onaiaphoto.com | Instagram.com/onaiaphoto | Facebook.com/mike.ellis.9678067
SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:
The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear
Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!
The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips
Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.
Secrets and guidelines to capturing great shots with Canon 5D Mark IV when shooting in less-that-ideal visibility.
By William Winram
Secrets and guidelines to capturing great shots with Canon 5D Mark IV when shooting in less-that-ideal visibility.
It had been more than 20 years since I had last dove in La Paz, Mexico and this was long before I ever thought about taking photos underwater. Our time in La Paz was to be split between sessions with the whale sharks and sessions freediving on a line working on technique with our young ambassadors and instructors before heading out to sea with the Nautilus Explorer to tag scalloped hammerhead sharks in the Revillagigedo Archipelago.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
William is an ocean explorer, IUCN Oceans Ambassador, founder of The Watermen Project NPO and Deepblu Brand Ambassador. His images are taken during scientific and conservation related missions around the globe on a single breath of air and using only natural light.
www.WilliamWinram.com | www.TheWatermen.org
SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:
The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear
Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!
The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips
Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.
Comprehensive tutorial on producing sharp underwater photos, starting in camera and ending with detailed post-processing enhancements
By David Fleetham
Comprehensive tutorial on producing sharp underwater photos, starting in camera and ending with detailed post-processing enhancements
Focusing takes place twice for me: once in the camera when I capture an image and then a second time when I work on that file in Lightroom/Photoshop. We will look at both of these moments in this tutorial and how I personally deal with obtaining a sharp photograph.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Fleetham is one of the most published underwater photographers in the world. He began diving and photographing underwater in 1976 and has been in Hawaii since 1986. David's photographs have been published around the globe, with over two hundred magazine covers to date. In 1991 his photograph of a sandbar shark appeared on the cover of LIFE. It is the only underwater image to ever be published on the cover. His award winning work has been published by National Geographic (he has done several assignments for The NGS), The Cousteau Society, and every North American diving publication.
Website: DavidFleetham.com
SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:
The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear
Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!
The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips
Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.
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