Imagine a world beneath the waves, a realm where gravity seems to fade away, and colors take on a new vibrancy. This is the captivating world of underwater photography, where scuba divers explore the depths while preserving their adventures through the lens. If you’re a passionate diver and want to capture the essence of your underwater escapades, or if you’re a proud parent looking to immortalize your children’s scuba diving holiday memories, underwater photography offers a unique and rewarding creative outlet.

Preparing for the Dive: Gear and Safety

Before you dive into the art of underwater photography, it’s crucial to have the right equipment. While basic waterproof cameras or phone cases might work for snorkeling, scuba diving demands specialized gear to ensure safety and quality shots.

Invest in an underwater housing for your camera that’s compatible with your model. This will safeguard your camera from water damage while allowing you to control its settings. A sturdy wrist strap or lanyard can prevent accidents.

Safety should always be a top priority. Ensure that you and your subjects are proficient in diving skills and familiar with the equipment. Adequate training and certification are essential for a safe and enjoyable experience.

Mastering the Basics of Underwater Photography

Underwater photography presents unique challenges due to light and color distortion, as well as the need to maintain buoyancy and stability. Understanding these challenges is key to capturing stunning images.

• Lighting: Light behaves differently underwater, often resulting in loss of color and contrast. To combat this, get close to your subjects to reduce the distance between the camera and the subject. External strobes or underwater flashes can help restore colors and illuminate scenes.
• Buoyancy and Stability: Maintaining control while underwater is essential for clear shots. Practice good buoyancy control to avoid stirring up sediment or disturbing delicate marine life. Using a sturdy arm or tray setup can help reduce camera shake.

Composition and Subject Matter

Like all forms of photography, composition is crucial. Consider the following tips to compose captivating underwater shots:

• Rule of Thirds: Divide your frame into thirds both horizontally and vertically. Place key elements, such as your subject or a striking piece of coral, along these lines or at their intersections for a balanced composition.
• Get Eye-Level: Shoot at eye level with your subjects to establish a personal connection. Whether it’s your child’s delighted face or a curious sea turtle, capturing their perspective adds depth to your images.
• Background Matters: Pay attention to the background, as cluttered or distracting backgrounds can take away from your subject. Position yourself to capture your subject against an open water background or a visually interesting element like a shipwreck.

Capturing Candid Moments

When photographing scuba divers, especially your children, candid moments can be incredibly precious. To capture these authentic interactions and emotions:

• Go Beyond Poses: Encourage natural interactions among your subjects. Candid shots of divers marveling at marine life or sharing a laugh with their buddies can evoke strong emotions.
• Patience is Key: Underwater scenes are constantly evolving. Be patient and ready to capture unexpected moments – a school of fish passing, a curious sea creature approaching, or a moment of serene tranquility.

Post-Processing and Sharing

Post-processing plays a significant role in underwater photography. While editing, keep the following in mind:

• Color Correction: Adjust white balance and color levels to restore the natural hues that might have been lost underwater.
• Contrast and Sharpness: Enhance contrast and sharpness to bring out details that might have been softened by water.
• Storytelling Captions: Share the story behind the photo. Whether it’s your child’s first encounter with a sea turtle or a memorable dive site, captions add depth to your images when shared with friends and family.

In the end, photographing scuba divers underwater, whether your children or fellow enthusiasts, is an exhilarating way to capture the beauty and mystery of the underwater world. It requires practice, patience, and a passion for both photography and diving. So, dive in and capture those unforgettable moments that can be cherished for years to come.

Head over to the Store to find the latest underwater camera gear and accessories here.

Learn about planning a scuba diving holiday with children here.

Join an Underwater Photography Workshop with Bluewater Travel to improve your photography skills in some of the world’s best dive destinations. Click here to view upcoming trip information.

The post Capturing the Magic: Photographing Scuba Divers Underwater first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Underwater photography is a captivating realm that unveils the secrets of the underwater world, revealing stunning marine life and breathtaking seascapes. While the art of underwater photography has been widely explored, there exists a fascinating and relatively obscure aspect that adds an enchanting twist to these images – biofluorescence. In this blog post, we’ll dive into the mesmerizing world of biofluorescence and its relationship with underwater photography, uncovering the hidden beauty that can only be captured through the lens.

The Enigmatic Dance of Biofluorescence

Biofluorescence is a phenomenon where certain organisms absorb light at one wavelength and then re-emit it at a longer wavelength. Unlike bioluminescence, which involves the emission of light generated through chemical reactions, biofluorescence is a passive process that relies on the absorption and re-emission of external light. While the exact biological purpose of biofluorescence is not entirely understood, it is believed to play a role in communication, camouflage, and attracting prey.

Underwater, biofluorescence takes on an entirely new dimension. Organisms that appear unassuming during the day transform into radiant, neon-colored creatures under specific lighting conditions. This transformation is the photographer’s gateway to capturing otherworldly and captivating images that transport viewers to an alien underwater realm.

The Art of Biofluorescence Photography

Capturing biofluorescence through the lens of an underwater camera requires a delicate balance of skill, technique, and equipment. Unlike traditional underwater photography, where natural light or artificial strobes are used to illuminate subjects, biofluorescence demands specialized lighting setups. Ultraviolet (UV) or blue lights are essential for triggering the biofluorescent response in organisms, allowing photographers to capture the stunning display of colors.

1. Equipment: To embark on a biofluorescence photography journey, photographers need a camera capable of capturing high-quality images in low-light conditions. A sturdy underwater housing is crucial to protect the camera from the aquatic environment.
2. Lighting: Specialized UV or blue lights are the keys to unlocking the biofluorescent magic. These lights often need to be positioned strategically to avoid overexposure and to bring out the intricate details of the subjects.
3. Subject Selection: While biofluorescence can be found in a variety of marine organisms, certain species, such as corals, anemones, and jellyfish, are particularly known for their vivid biofluorescent displays.
4. Patience and Technique: Biofluorescence photography requires patience and an understanding of underwater photography techniques. Achieving the right exposure, composition, and focus is crucial for capturing the ethereal beauty of biofluorescent organisms.

Unlocking a Hidden World

The results of biofluorescence photography are nothing short of mesmerizing. Photographers armed with the right tools and techniques can unveil a hidden world of glowing corals, shimmering anemones, and neon-hued fish. These images not only offer a unique visual experience but also contribute to our understanding of marine ecosystems and the intricate ways in which organisms interact with their environment.

Beyond its aesthetic appeal, biofluorescence photography has the potential to raise awareness about the delicate balance of underwater ecosystems and the need for conservation efforts. As photographers share their captivating biofluorescent images, they can inspire viewers to appreciate and protect these fragile underwater worlds.

Conclusion

Biofluorescence photography is a captivating niche within the broader realm of underwater photography, offering a glimpse into a world of hidden beauty that only reveals itself under the right conditions. As photographers continue to explore this intriguing phenomenon, they bring to light the enigmatic dance of biofluorescence and its mesmerizing interaction with marine life. Through their lenses, they unlock a captivating visual tapestry that not only delights the senses but also encourages us to safeguard the delicate ecosystems that thrive beneath the waves.

Looking for your next destination? Visit our sister site, Bluewater Travel, to plan your next dream trip with the help of our expert dive travel agents!

Interested in practicing your underwater photography skills with the guidance of a professional? Join one of our underwater photography workshops! Learn more about why you should join a workshop here.

Head over to the Photo Store for the latest underwater camera gear and accessories!

The post Illuminating Underwater Photography with Fluorescence first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Underwater photography is a captivating and exhilarating realm, offering a unique perspective of the underwater world’s enchanting beauty. It allows us to capture the mysterious marine life, vibrant coral reefs, and the play of light beneath the surface. However, shooting underwater photos is just the beginning of the journey; the real magic lies in the art of editing these images to enhance their splendor and reveal the hidden wonders beneath the waves.

1. Embrace the Blue Hues: Water has a natural blue tint that can dominate underwater photos. Embrace this characteristic rather than trying to remove it. Enhance and fine-tune the blues to bring out the depth and clarity of the image. Utilize color correction tools to balance the tones while maintaining the underwater ambiance.

2. Adjust White Balance: Due to the absorption of different wavelengths of light, the colors may appear distorted in your underwater shots. Correcting the white balance is crucial to restore the natural colors of the subjects. Utilize tools in photo-editing software to achieve accurate color representation and a more vibrant result.

3. Enhance Contrast and Clarity: Underwater images often suffer from reduced contrast and softness due to light diffusion. Carefully apply contrast adjustments to make the subjects pop and restore clarity to your photo. However, avoid over-editing, as it can lead to unrealistic results.

4. Dive into Detail: Underwater scenes are teeming with intricate details. Use sharpening and detail enhancement tools to bring out these fine features, such as scales on a fish or the texture of coral. These enhancements can make your photo more captivating and help viewers appreciate the hidden intricacies.

5. Eliminate Backscatter: Backscatter occurs when tiny particles in the water reflect light back into the camera, resulting in undesirable specks or haze in your photo. Use spot healing or clone stamp tools to remove these distractions and achieve a cleaner composition.

6. Play with Lighting: Underwater lighting can be tricky to control but offers exciting creative possibilities. Experiment by adjusting highlights and shadows to add drama to your shot. Use vignettes subtly to draw attention to the central subject while reducing distractions at the edges.

7. Mind the Composition: As with any form of photography, composition is essential for underwater shots. Crop and align your photos to improve their visual impact. Focus on creating a balanced composition to guide the viewer’s gaze through the frame.

8. Don’t Forget the Rule of Thirds: Apply the rule of thirds to add balance and interest to your images. By placing the main subjects or key elements along imaginary lines and intersections, you create a visually engaging composition that’s pleasing to the eye.

9. Dive into Black and White: Not every underwater photo needs to be in color. Converting images to black and white can add a sense of timelessness and drama to the scene. Experiment with different monochrome tones and contrasts to evoke specific emotions.

10. Tell a Story: Lastly, use photo editing to convey a story or message through your underwater images. Whether it’s capturing the delicate dance of marine life or documenting an environmental issue, powerful storytelling can elevate your photographs from visually stunning to emotionally impactful.

In conclusion, editing underwater photos is an art form that allows photographers to enhance the inherent beauty of these mysterious worlds. With the right techniques and a creative approach, underwater photography becomes an enchanting and immersive experience for both the photographer and the audience. So, dive in and explore the depths, for there’s a whole world of wonders waiting to be captured and revealed through the lens and the art of editing.

Visit the Bluewater Photo Store for all your underwater photography needs including sales, rentals, reviews, and more!

Join one of Bluewater Travel’s Underwater Photography Workshops to learn more techniques to improve your skills while diving one of the best destinations in the world!

Read our post about the Future of Underwater Photography here.

The post Enchanting Depths: Mastering Underwater Edits first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Mastering the Basics

As a newly certified diver, it’s crucial to focus on mastering the fundamental skills of scuba diving before introducing additional equipment like a camera. Spend time building your confidence, buoyancy control, and situational awareness. Becoming comfortable and proficient underwater will not only enhance your safety and the safety of marine life but also allow you to concentrate on capturing stunning images.

Start with a Compact Camera or Action Camera

For newly certified divers, starting with a compact camera or an action camera is a wise choice. These cameras are relatively affordable, compact, and easy to handle underwater, allowing you to work on your scuba diving skills and at the same as capturing images. These cameras offer automatic settings that allow you to focus on composition and subject matter while the camera handles technical aspects such as exposure and white balance. Compact cameras and action cameras are great tools to practice with before considering more advanced equipment.

Invest in Proper Housing

To protect your camera from water damage, investing in a quality waterproof housing is essential. The housing should be specifically designed for your camera model and offer adequate protection and functionality underwater. Ensure proper maintenance and care of the housing to prevent leaks and damage. Regularly inspect the o-rings and seals and follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for maintenance.

Focus on Composition and Lighting

Composition and lighting are key elements in underwater photography. Pay attention to the positioning of your subjects, their interaction with the environment, and the overall balance of the image. Use natural light to your advantage, experimenting with angles and shadows to create visually striking photographs. As you gain experience, consider adding external lighting options like strobes or video lights to enhance the vibrancy and clarity of your images.

Respect Marine Life and Environment

As a responsible diver, it’s essential to prioritize the well-being of marine life and the environment. Avoid touching or harassing marine creatures and be mindful of your buoyancy to prevent accidental damage to fragile coral reefs. Remember, your primary goal should always be the preservation and respect of the underwater ecosystem.

Practice, Patience and Persistence

Underwater photography requires patience and persistence. Not every dive will result in extraordinary shots, but every experience is an opportunity to learn and improve your skills. Take time to observe marine behavior, anticipate their movements, and seek out unique compositions. Embrace the process and enjoy the journey as you develop your own style and capture breathtaking moments.

Diving with a camera can be an incredibly rewarding experience for newly certified divers. It allows you to share your underwater adventures, preserve memories, and inspire others to explore the mesmerizing world beneath the surface. By focusing on mastering the basics, starting with suitable equipment, and practicing responsible diving, you can capture stunning images while continuing to grow as a diver. So, grab your camera, dive into the depths, and embark on an exciting journey of exploration and creativity. Happy diving and happy photographing!

Read our article about Editing Underwater Images here.

Learn more about the basics of underwater photography, including guides, tips, and tutorials at the Underwater Photography Guide.

Check out the latest underwater camera gear for sale or rent at the Bluewater Photo Store.

Looking for inspiration for your next dive trip? Head over to Bluewater Dive Travel and talk to one of their dive travel experts to plan your next holiday!

Join one of Bluewater Travel’s underwater photography workshops to improve your photography skills and experience some of the best diving in the world!

Read our tips for underwater photography at night here.

The post Diving with a Camera: A Guide for Newly Certified Divers first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

1. Wet Macro Lenses – Wet macro lenses, or diopters, are essentially magnifying glasses that you can screw on to the front of your housing. Because they go on top of the housing, they are completely exposed to the surrounding ocean. There are no moving parts in these lenses, and your camera must have on an additional lens that is compatible with the diopter. They can often be cheaper than using a dedicated, dry macro lens.
   

   A Bluewater +7 Macro Wet Lens

    

2. Dry Macro Lenses – Dry macro lenses are dedicated macro lenses that attach directly to your camera. They go inside the underwater housing and operate as any normal lens would. They can be manually focused, most autofocus, and they all contain an aperture that can widen or narrow. Dry lenses are not exposed to the surrounding ocean. They are generally more expensive than using a wet diopter with a kit lens.

How do Wet Lenses Affect Underwater Photography?

Macro wet lenses affect underwater photography in a very particular way. Some think that this makes them more difficult to use, others use their properties to their advantage. Unlike most dry macro lenses, you cannot focus to infinity with a wet macro lens. They also reduce your working distance, so you will need to get a lot closer to your subject to get a macro photo. While this makes it harder to take photos, as many underwater creatures spook easily, it does teach you to be a good photographer. The reduced working distance is also great for super macro work. Wet lenses also reduce the depth of field in your image. Some photographers like this, and others don’t. A reduced depth of field can help you get nice, artistic bokeh.

Island Kelpfish photographed with a Bluewater +7 Wet Lens

How do Dry Lenses Affect Underwater Photography?

Dry macro lenses are in many ways the inverse of wet macro lenses. You can focus a dry macro lens to infinity, which means you can often capture nice fish portraits at a mid range. This makes them more versatile than a wet macro lens. Dry macro lenses also have a larger working distance which means you don’t have to get quite as close to capture a macro photos. This lets you work with critters that easily spook, like the Island Kelpfish of Southern California above and below. The longer the focal length of the lens, the more working distance you have. However, longer working distances result in slower autofocus and any movements have a larger affect on the image composition. That being said, dry lenses will still focus quicker than using a macro wet lens. Dry macro lenses can often reach fairly small apertures, which make them ideal for black background photography.

Island Kelpfish Photographed with an Olympus 60mm dry macro lens

Stacking Dry Macro and Wet Macro Lenses

It’s definitely possible to have the best of both worlds and stack lenses! This is a great option for anyone who’s interested in taking super macro photos of very small critters. This can be a very difficult endeavor at first, but it’s very rewarding. Generally, when you stack a wet lens on top of a dry lens, the autofocus will slow down, but you gain more magnification.

A supermacro photo of soft coral polyps and skeleton shrimp photographed using an Olympus 60mm macro lens with a stacked Bluewater +7 diopter

The post Wet vs Dry Macro Lenses first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

While travelling over the past year, my partner Lisa and I took a lot of GoPro video, and used it to make professional-looking underwater videos. As an underwater photographer, I am always thinking about lighting – more importantly, how to light up my subjects in a way that shows the brilliantly beautiful colors of the underwater world. Just as in photography, with video, the most important ingredient is lighting. GoPros can and do take exceptional, high-quality video when provided with the right lighting conditions. The problem with most underwater GoPro footage is not the GoPro itself, or the subject matter, but rather the lighting.

How Light Behaves Underwater

Water absorbs light very quickly, starting with the slowest wavelengths – red, then orange, then yellow. After passing through only 15 ft of water, light loses all red wavelengths, and then the other colors follow.

GoPro Version Matters

Before I go too far, let me qualify the piece about lighting. Great lighting with an old GoPro will give you decent footage, but old GoPros can’t compete with the latest GoPro image quality. The performance step change from the GoPro 5 to the GoPro HERO6 Black was massive. Check out the underwater photography guide’s review of the GoPro HERO6 Black. The improvement from the 6 to the 7 was not very big for image quality, but it was huge for image stabilization. So to get nice image quality from your GoPro, upgrade to at least a 6. If you want incredibly smooth, professional-looking footage when shooting handheld, the 7 is by far the best choice, as you can see in the GoPro HERO7 Black detailed review.

What Lighting to Use?

My partner Lisa, being new to underwater imaging, was at first very resistant to using any lights with the GoPro. Lights are big, heavy, and expensive. Doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose of the GoPro? So we started off with a Light & Motion Sidekick Duo, which is a very compact underwater light designed to be connected directly to the GoPro mount, thus not adding much in the way of size or weight. In some situations it added some nice color, but overall we found it was just too limited in terms of positioning, power and beam angle. Some videos it would add some nice color, but others it would create a hotspot on the subject, or just light up a ton of particles in the water, making it look like it was snowing.

We also used a Sealife Aquapod Mini, which gave us extra reach with the GoPro, theoretically allowing us to get closer to subjects without scaring them. It was useful when snorkeling with sharks in French Polynesia, and for dipping in the water from a boat to capture action at the surface. However, for day-to-day use while diving, we found that the benefit of getting closer to subjects was outweighed by the disadvantage of having the GoPro on a long stick; stability. It was very hard to get stable video, especially in any kind of current. Not to say a setup with a Sealife Aquapod and Sidekick light are bad; I would say it is a pretty decent setup for casual snorkelers who just want some videos of their trip so they can remember things. However, we were interested in higher quality video.

Our current GoPro rig – Hero 7 black, Macromate mini flip diopter, tray with ball mounts, 2x Kraken 3500+ WRSU lights.

As it became apparent that we had outgrown our video setup, and wanted something better, we decided to go for it. We bought a tray with handles and two small video lights. This is when things got good. The tray helped us get stable video – holding the GoPro close to the body with two hands was a lot more stable than holding it on a long stick with one hand. And we could not place the tray down on a rock or on the sand to get it really stable. We tried some different lights, including SeaLife Sea Dragon 2000 lumen lights, which gave us some nice results. Now we have landed on the Kraken 3500+ WRSU lights, which provide a ton of power, as well as versatility of modes: flood beam, spot beam, red light and UV light, all with different power settings available.

Check out our sample footage using the Sealife Sea Dragon 2000 lumen lights below, and you can read more about these lights on the UWPG’s Sealife 2000 lumen video light review. The review also contains a comparison video showing footage taken with two lights vs footage taken with just a red filter, vs footage taken without any lights or filters.

How Many Lights? How Many Lumens?

For wide angle video, having one light is much better than no lights, and also much better than a filter. However, having two lights will allow you to position them further away from the GoPro lens, which means you light up less particulates in the water and get cleaner video.

The amount of lighting power you need depends on the conditions you will be using them in. The brighter the ambient light, the more powerful the video lights need to be, if you want to overpower the dull blue ambient light and restore the colors. Though if you go really shallow, you can capture nice colors with ambient light, especially with the sun at your back. So with that said, a good starting point for light power is the 2000-4000 lumen range. Under 2000 lumens and you really don’t have enough power or reach for many situations, and over 4000 lumens you are starting to get into higher end, more professional light systems. With 2000 lumen lights, you can get very nice colors, but only if you are no more than 1-2 feet from your subject. Anything more than that and you’ll want more lumens…but even with really powerful video lights you won’t see much effect beyond about 5 ft.

On the other end of things, if you really want the best quality underwater video you can get, then go for the 10,000 lumen + range – it sure will look nice! The store recently got in the new Sola Pro 12,000 and 15,000 lumen lights, which will give you some amazing video quality.

For macro video, you have to bring the lights in close anyway, so one light should do the trick. A second light does give you more lighting options, but you can make very nice macro video just using one. If you want to learn more about shooting GoPro macro video, check out our beginner’s guide to GoPro macro video, up on the UWPG. Additionally, since you will only be a few inches from your subject, 2000-3000 lumens is more than enough light for nice, bright colors and sharp details.

The below sample macro footage is shot with a GoPro 7 and Macromate mini, and a variety of video light powers (2000, 2500 and 3500 lumens).  Without lights, macro video tends to look quite colorless and flat, as expected…it really loses its magic. So I would not recommend trying your hand at macro without a light!

The Bottom Line

We have used our GoPro with tray, video lights and macro lens to create promotional videos for a few dive resorts, and they have all been very happy with the results.

As they say in the movies…lights, camera, action! With just the camera, and no lights, you can get some decent footage under ideal conditions (ie at or near the surface of the water). But if you really want to get consistently great underwater footage, you need all 3. Sufficiently powerful video lights, a GoPro 6 or 7, and some great underwater action!

Hit me up at bryan AT uwphotographyguide.com if you have any questions!

The post Getting professional-quality video by using video lights with a GoPro first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Dome Port Basics

As anyone who has used a dome port is probably aware, they are notoriously prone to scratching. So why even use one in the first place, when a flat port is much easier to care for? Optics, optics, optics. Flat ports magnify images underwater by about 30%, due to light refraction. This is why things look larger underwater than they really are – because scuba masks are basically large flat ports in front of your eyes. Dome ports avoid this issue, meaning that they maintain the wide field of view of a wide angle lens underwater. (See Dome Ports and Wide Angle Optics and Dome Ports vs Flat ports on the UWPG for more technical info than you thought was possible).

A wider field of view allows you to get closer to your subjects, meaning sharper images due to less water between camera and subject, and better lighting due to less distance for light to travel between your strobes, the subject and the camera lens. Most importantly, good luck trying to put a fisheye lens behind a flat port – and as I wrote in a previous blog post, Why You Should Use a Fisheye Lens for Wide Angle Shooting – in my opinion, as well as that of many professional underwater photographers, the fisheye is the best wide angle option out there! So, that is why a dome port is essential for taking great underwater images.

Acrylic vs Glass

So now, should you go with acrylic or glass? Acrylic ports are a lot cheaper, lighter, and generally smaller, but they are less robust and much easier to scratch. Glass dome ports are more expensive, heavier, and often larger, as well as much more scratch resistant and better at shedding water…and manufacturers claim they have better optics. Take that claim of optics with a grain of salt though, as our test of Sea & Sea Glass vs Acrylic dome port image quality found basically no difference.

As someone who has used both a glass and an acrylic dome port with my Olympus OM-D E-M1, Olympus 8mm Fisheye lens, and Nauticam OM-D E-M1 underwater housing, my preference is for the glass dome port over the acrylic, despite the more expensive cost. (Here is what I have used: Nauticam 140mm N85 Optical Glass dome port and Nauticam 4″ fisheye dome port). I prefer glass because of the durability and the better shedding of water. Let’s talk about each of those.

Durability

First is durability. I started off using an acrylic dome port, and got some scratches on it. I tried to remove the scratches with a micromesh kit, but ended up creating an irreparable mess. I had a Bluewater Galapagos photo workshop coming up, which I knew could have crazy currents and surge, so I decided to try a glass port for its scratch resistance. The diving was amazing – check out the Bluewater Travel Galapagos diving guide for more info. And, as expected, I got banged about on the rocks at a number of dive sites.

Unfortunately, I had not yet learned my lesson about prioritizing my dome port over photos, so I picked up a couple of scratches. However, I know with an acrylic port it would have been a lot worse, as a number of the times I scraped my dome port on the barnacles or the rocks, no damage was done to the glass. Another trip attendee had an acrylic port, and scratched it so badly he had to move his focus point off to the side, otherwise his camera just focused on the scratch on the port!

I captured this hammerhead at Wolf Island, a couple of dives after getting battered around and picking up my first scratch on my new glass port.

Protect your Dome!

Despite getting some scratches, I was still able to take lots of great photos on the trip, and just had to remove some scratch bits and pieces from some images in Lightroom/Photoshop. From this trip I learned a really important lesson – always protect the dome port!

Now when diving somewhere like Komodo, where it’s time to go into some heavy current, I put my neoprene dome port cover on my port before letting go of the rocks, so that in case I lose control of my camera, the port will be protected. I always have my camera passed to me from the boat with the dome port cover on, and take it off as I descend. I put it over my wrist, where it fits nicely (please note, if your dome port cover fits too loosely over your wrist, you might lose it – in that case, put it down the neck of your wetsuit). Then, at any point where the conditions seem crazy, I put the cover back on, and I always put it on at the end of the dive before I pass my camera back on to the boat.

Having my glass dome port while diving with the marine iguanas was a life-saver. I have never been smashed around so much on the rocks, and port survived without any significant damage despite quite a few bumps.

Since the Galapagos I have scratched my port a few more times, diving in places like Fakarava, but most have not done much of any permanent damage. And speaking of Fakarava and the Galapagos, both are amazing places for shark diving, landing on the Top 5 Shark Diving Destinations in the World over at Bluewater Travel.

Now that I am extremely careful with my port, I have pretty much stopped hitting it on stuff. I don’t think I have really lost any shots to the scratches on my port, but those original scrapes from the Galapagos do cause me to spend a few minutes editing some of the photos which they show up in, and that time does add up. So now I am looking at getting a new glass port, which I will keep immaculate, and any time I have a crazy dive, I will put on the old scratched port and just remove the scratches in post.

I didn’t notice any scratches on the image while taking this photo with my now non-immaculate port.

Shedding Water

This brings me to the second reason I picked glass, and that is the ability to shed water. Split shots are a really cool way to show the underwater world through a different lens, and something every underwater photographer should try to add to their portfolio. Here’s a great tutorial about shooting split shots (over-unders).

Large dome ports are best for split shots, and with smaller dome ports like the ones I have used, split shots can only really be taken in relatively calm conditions. But in the right conditions, the glass port can take some great shots. Here is one from Greenland, where we had very calm water. With the glass port, I fully immerse it in the water, and then pull it half out of the water and take a few shots right away. Using this technique I rarely get any water drops in my photos.

Other than the -3 C water, this split shot was very easy to capture with my glass dome port.

Other than the -3 C water, this split shot was very easy to capture with my glass dome port.

Final Thoughts

Whether you go with glass or acrylic, as long as you protect your dome port, you will be able to take great photos. The important thing is to know your limitations and how to best use the equipment you get. If you get the acrylic port, you may learn that it’s not worth your time trying to take any split shots unless the water is mirror-flat, but enjoy the advantages of the smaller, lighter and cheaper equipment. Or you may figure out a technique that works for you. If you get the glass port, then you will be able to get better split shots, and shrug off a good amount of the contact between the port and rocks/coral (but still do your best to protect it!).

Happy shooting, and always feel free to email me with questions. bryan@uwphotographyguide.com

The post Dome Ports: Acrylic vs Glass first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

I shoot with an Olympus OM-D E-M1 in a Nauticam E-M1 Mark II housing, and whenever I am shooting wide angle I use the Olympus 8mm f/1.8 fisheye lens. I run into a lot of people who either don’t use a fisheye lens at all, or who think it is a specialty lens that you only use for big things like mantas, whale sharks or humpbacks.

Yes, fisheye lenses are definitely the best for giant subjects like that, but they are incredibly useful for a lot of other situations as well. Although fisheye lenses are used more as art lenses or for niche applications on land, underwater, it’s a different story. Rather than the fisheye being the specialty lens, underwater I think of the fisheye lens as the default wide angle lens, while non-fisheye wide-angle lenses are the specialty lenses.

Fisheye Lenses 101

The first thing to understand about fisheye lenses is what sets them apart from normal wide angle lenses. The big difference is that they have an enormous field of view – typically, 180 degrees! Compared to the 75 – 114 degree field of view of the 7-14mm f/2.8 Olympus wide angle lens, the 8mm fisheye’s 180 degree field of view is much more (plus it is significantly smaller and cheaper).

To be able to create this massive field of view, the fisheye lens warps the image, with the warping most pronounced at the edges of the image. For more of a comparison between the two types of lenses, check out this very detailed article on fisheye lenses vs wide-angle.

Wide Angle Shooting Basics

When shooting wide angle underwater, you always want to be as close to your subject as possible (while still having a nice composition). The closer you are, the less water between you and your subject, meaning the subject is sharper. Additionally, the less distance your strobe lights have to travel between your camera and the subject, and then back to your camera, the brighter and truer the colours will be.

If your strobe light has to travel 4 ft to the subject and 4 ft back, you will have a lot less color (especially reds) than if your strobe light only has to travel 2 ft in each direction. Of course, the fisheye lens is the best at getting you as close as possible to your subject. Additionally, the barrel distortion of the lens, which can be very difficult to use above land, works great underwater, where there are very few straight lines.

Below is a collection of my favorite shots taken with my fisheye lens, as well as some explanation about why the fisheye made them so great.

Manta ray belly taken at Manta Point, Nusa Penida, Bali. The water was pretty murky there, as it is at most manta dive sites. The only way I was able to get the belly so sharp and detailed, and have the nice lighting, was by shooting with my fisheye lens in my underwater housing and being only about 3 feet below this manta as it passed over me. With a wide angle lens, I would have had to be much further away to get the whole manta in the frame, meaning less clarity, more backscatter, and poorer lighting.

Octopus in Manta Bay, Nusa Penida, Bali. The fisheye lens allowed me to get very close to this octopus, bringing out the detail in it, but also to include two dive models in the photo, and bring the sun into the composition. I did this by getting low and shooting up. Without a fisheye lens I would have had to be further back from the octopus just to get the two dive models in the photo, and would not have also been able to include the sun. There was not enough space to get that far back and that low for the same composition. Without the sun, this photo loses an important point of interest, and becomes just a decent photo rather than one that really pops.

Coral at Crystal Rock, Komodo. The fisheye lens allowed me to get very close to the coral and rock, within less than two feet. This meant I could stop down my camera to f/18 and max my shutter speed at 1/320s to bring out the details in the sun, but I was close enough to my subject that I could still light it very brightly with my strobes. When I tried this shot 2-3 feet further back, which is what I would have had to do with a wide angle lens, my YS-D1 strobes at maximum power could not illuminate the coral and rock properly.

School of fish beneath the jetty at Tetamanu Village, Fakarava South Pass, French Polynesia – one of our 5 “scuba diving bucket list” destinations. Without my fisheye lens, there is no way I could have been far away enough from these fish to get them all in the frame with a nice shape, and close enough to light them properly with my strobes. This shot was taken about 3-4 ft in front of them. The added bonus of the fisheye is that with the exaggerated perspective it creates, it amplifies the “3D” effect where it feels like the fish in the water are coming right at you out of the image.

A beautiful reef scene at Batu Bolong, Komodo…one of the nicest sites I have ever dove. Same as above…sun rays, beautiful colors, sharpness…only a fisheye can start to do justice to a spectacular reef scene like this. No matter what I did I could not get a photo which really did this site justice, but at least the fisheye gave me a fighting chance.

I have lots of other examples, but I think these shots give a good idea of some of the reasons why I love shooting with a fisheye lens, and why if you don’t have you, you really should pick one up for your rig – assuming your underwater camera supports a fisheye lens.

Which is Right for You?

When people are just getting started and they ask me whether they should get a fisheye lens or a wide angle lens, I ask them this question. Do you want to be able to get a lot of decent photos, especially of skittish pelagic subjects? Or do you want to get a lower number of decent photos, and have some frustrations with skittish pelagics, but instead be able to get some really amazing, extraordinary shots?

If you want the former, then go with a plain wide angle lens. But if you want to get those shots that make people go “Wow” when they see them, the shots that can win awards, and are OK dealing with some frustrations, then it’s fisheye all the way!

Some Great UW Photo Destinations…

And if you want to travel and do some great diving where amazing wide angle opportunities await you on every dive, definitely check out the places where I took these shots:

• Bali Dive Travel Guide
  • Bali Hai Diving Adventures – amazing resort, small groups, excellent boat and guides. Beat the rush to manta point by staying on Nusa Lembongan, so you can get there ahead of all of the day boats from Bali!
• Komodo Diving Guide
  • Dragon Dive Komodo – budget diving in Komodo, but with top-notch guides with a heavy focus on safety, small groups, and customizing experiences for people based on skill level and experience.
• French Polynesia Diving Guide
  • Tetamanu Village – spectacular walls of sharks in a remote paradise

Learn More About Wide Angle Photography!

If you want to learn more on the Underwater Photography Guide about wide angle photography, check out these useful tutorials:

• Strobe positions for underwater
• Wide-angle underwater photography
• Underwater composition

As always, if you have any questions then drop me a line at bryan@uwphotographyguide.com!

The post Why You Should Use a Fisheye Lens for Wide Angle first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

A discussion on Flash Triggers, and the different ways to fire strobes

Today I want to talk about flash triggers, TTL, and a little history of how photographers used to fire their strobes underwater.

Back in the day, to fire strobes quickly you needed an electronic sync cord, which went from your camera hot shoe, through a hole in the housing called a “bulkhead”, to your strobe. Sync cords often flooded, or got corroded. Underwater housing maintenance was extremely important. The advantage, was that you could fire quickly, as there was no internal camera flash that had to “recycle”. You were limited by just your camera buffer, memory card write speed, and of course your strobe recycle time.

Eventually, as internal flashes could fire faster, and strobes advanced, fiber optic cables became more popular. With fiber optics, no sync cord or bulkhead was needed, the only requirement was that you could pop up your camera’s internal flash inside the housing. Some strobes even supported basic TTL (Through the Lens) functionality through the fiber optic connection. TTL means that your strobes or TTL converter can set the strobe exposure automatically, instead of the photographer having to dial in a particular strobe power.

Now in 2019, we have flash triggers. Flash triggers sit on the hot shoe of the camera, and fire a weak flash of light similar to an internal flash, but with the ability to fire quickly. Flash triggers have the advantage of being corrosion-free like fiber optic cables, but fast-firing like electronic sync cords. However, they do have their disadvantages – they can stop working, batteries in the flash trigger can die, and some fiber optic cables don’t transmit the weak flash well. The good news, is that these downsides are improving and this year’s flash triggers, like the Nauticam flash triggers, are better than ever. There is also a new Fantasea flash trigger that can work with several different cameras.

Some flash triggers are even building in TTL technology, so you get a flash trigger and a TTL converter in one unit. Check out this impressive Sea & Sea TTL converter demo.

Of course, having a fast method of firing your strobes doesn’t really matter if your strobe can’t keep up, even if you are shooting with the best dSLR camera. That’s the advantage of using a fast-recycle time strobe like the Ikelite DS-160 strobe, I wish I had one while diving Socorro Island recently with all the fast moving sharks and manta rays in front of me.

I have one word of parting advice – whether you use sync cords, a flash trigger, or just fiber optics, have a backup method! – Scott

The post Flash Triggers & Underwater Strobes first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

One thing that does not get talked about much, but is very important for an underwater photographer, is the bag or bags used to transport and keep your gear safe while traveling. Every experienced underwater photographer seems to have their favorite, but I want to convince you that you should think about the one that I use! I shoot an Olympus OM-D E-M1, with Nauticam housing, ultralight arms and foam floats, dual YS-D1 strobes, a GoPro 6 Black and a Sola 1200 photo light. So, a standard mirrorless setup; not as big as a dSLR package, but also not small. On my first underwater photography trip, to the Sea of Cortez, I had bits and pieces of this rig packed into any spare space I had in my other bags. After the trip I went looking around on BlueWater photo for a good protective case that would keep my rig safe during travel, but that would also not be too heavy or bulky. I was thinking about some kind of hard case, as I had seen other people on the trip with them, and that seemed the norm. As I was browsing around, I came across a very intriguing item – the AO Cooler Bag, for a cool $70 for the “24-pack” size. It’s an insulated, soft bag for keeping drinks cold, meaning that it is heavily padded, tough, and waterproof. It sounded like just the answer I was looking for, so I picked one up.

I thought it would be good, but I did not expect to become so attached to it. Here is why I like it so much:

• It’s the perfect size. It fits my complete mirrorless rig with some room to spare, and is a perfect size to be my second carry-on bag on the plane
• It is heavily padded, so it keeps my gear totally safe during travel
• It is easy to access – the wide zipper across the top allows me to easily unpack it at airport security and then pack it back up after the TSA officers have inspected everything
• It is waterproof, meaning that it is a perfect little portable dunk tank
• It has a decently wide base with good “grip”, so it does a decent job of staying put on a rocky boat deck
• It is large enough that I can fold up my assembled rig and fit it inside, making it perfect for keeping it safe from moving objects on boat decks (especially small boats)

I have taken this bag all over the world with me. Whenever I fly anywhere, I carry on my cooler bag. It slings over my shoulder in the airport, and fits perfectly in the overhead luggage compartment, or under the seat in front of me. It has protected my camera from people and rolling objects on a pitching boat deck while searching for orcas in Northern Norway in January, and also kept my gear safe when I had to check it for a flight on a very small plane. It has kept my camera safe and in one place on some rough and choppy boat rides in BC, Canada and in Mexico. It got my gear to the Galapagos and kept it safe throughout many long international flights, and it kept my gear out of the wind when ice diving in a snowstorm with a topside temperature of -15 C (0 F).

Most recently I took it ice diving in Greenland in April, where I really put it to good use. When taking a small plane from Iceland to the remote airport of Kulusuk, East Greenland, it was the only bag I had that could fit on the plane as carry-on luggage. While some people left their camera rigs on the ice between dives, I could put mine back in the bag, to insulate it and reduce the amount of battery drainage, as well as protect it from any gear being slung around by ice divers suffering some level of exhaustion after too long under the ice. After every dive day I zipped it up and put it on the snowmobile to take my gear back to our house, confident that even if it fell off the sled, it would protect my gear. And after the trip was all done, as other people were holding their camera rigs under the shower and trying to press every button to clean off their housings, I just filled my cooler bag up with water and left my rig to soak. Then I used it as a dunk tank to soak my regulators, and after that I was all set to go home. (link to Greenland article on UWPG)

So, if you want a cheap, lightweight and versatile bag for your rig, check out the AO Cooler Bag. You may find yourself liking it a lot more than you ever expected to like a camera bag. And don’t forget, it also doubles as a portable cooler for, well, a 24-pack of cans, or the equivalent!

Here are a couple related articles on uwphotographyguide.com:

• Greenland Iceberg Diving (for more info about my trip)
• In the Camera Bag with Ken Kiefer

AO Cooler Bag keeping my gear from freezing to the ice

Rinsing my rig in the AO cooler bag

Rinsing my regs in the AO cooler bag

AO cooler bag fitting nicely under the small seat of the plane from Greenland.

Iceberg photo from Greenland trip

Iceberg photo from Greenland trip

Iceberg photo from Greenland trip

The post One of My Favorite Underwater Photography Accessories – the AO Cooler Bag first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.