6 Quick Tips to Level Up Your Underwater Photography

Whether you're a seasoned photographer or just starting out, there are always new things to learn when shooting underwater! I think most photographers can agree that while your gear is important, often, it's not about what camera you have, it's about how you use it (wink). So here are my top 6 tips I find myself repeating the most, and would recommend to anyone getting started in underwater photography:

1. Get Close (if you can), and Shoot From Below

I still remember when I bought my very first Olympus TG6 camera. It was the exact same camera that my housemate had, but for some reason, I just wasn't getting the same results that he would!

"Hey Lawrence," I asked, "How is it that your photos look like that (points to flawless shot of octopus) and my photos look like THIS?!?" (Pans to blurry photo of unknown subject covered in backscatter).

"Well Tiani," he answered, "first things first, it's all about the angle. Notice that you've taken your photo from quite far away, while I've gotten up close and shot from below. This invites the viewer to really look at the subject and gives your photo a really cool perspective."

Woah! He was right! I couldn't believe what such a small change could make to my photos. I started getting up closer to my subjects (when they would allow me to), and shooting from below. These days, I also like to try out some different angles. Shooting from above can still be cool, if you're focusing on the shape or texture of a subject. I never like to rule anything out – vary it up and you can always delete the excess.

2. Use the Sun!

   
   

Natural light is a huge game changer when shooting underwater. This is why strobes and video lights are so powerful (but we won't get into that now, that's going to have to be a whole other blog post). To get started, start to notice your positioning in regards to the sun. This makes a huge difference to your images, whether you're shooting silhouettes, light rays or you really want to light up your subject. You'll start to notice that the sun makes a HUGE difference – especially when shooting in shallow water.

3. Shoot in RAW

Now here comes the real game changer. What is RAW you may wonder? Without getting too technical, photographing in RAW saves more detail and colour information for your photos. This means that when editing, you can get a lot more out of your images, especially when conditions are dark/murky/basically anytime you're underwater. Of course, shooting in RAW also involves the necessary subscriptions to Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, etc. to then edit your photos, but if you're really going to get into photography, then in my humble opinion, it's 10000000% worth it (AND Adobe didn't even pay me to say this) (although I would be open to that Adobe, if you're listening). If you're on a budget, PS Express is a great free app you can use to edit photos on your phone. They will, however, always try to entice you with those lovely upgrades.

4. Crop your Images

Honestly, I used to be so against cropping, I'd be sad for the rest of the photo and all the details that were once there, that now all of my friends would now never get to see. But recently, a good friend brought me over to the dark side (thanks Francesca). These days, I'm a big believer of a good old crop. If it's blurry? Crop. Ugly? Crop. The wrong colour...? CROP. You get the point.

Funnily, cropping can actually do a whole lot of service to your photos. If you're too far away you get to be up close and personal, and if you've been listening to my previous notes and are now shooting in RAW, your images are likely still going to be pretty sharp when you crop them in. Oh, and you also never again have to worry about your photos being wonky or off centre. I'm a big fan of the whole, "I'm going to have fun now and I'll fix it later" philosophy.

5. Learn about Marine Wildlife Behaviour

Did you know that you can sometimes find Emperor Shrimp living on Spanish Dancer nudibranchs? Or that you can sometimes find tiny Ghost Shrimps living in anemones?

Perhaps you didn't know that Mandarin fish HATE white lights, or that the Red Spot Night Octopus is most active at night.

With any subject, it's good to do your research. Learn about what where they live, what they eat, what they like and what they don't like. You'll be a better photographer for it, and you'll also appear cool and knowledgable to all of your diving friends.

6. If you don't know how to take shots, take lots!

No! Not those shots! Okay but seriously, my hard drives are ridiculously full of photos, and I definitely need to get better at deleting them. Lightroom Classic has a fun feature for this, where you can press "X" to reject your images and then Command Delete and BAM they're gone – and from your disk, too! (I wish I could do this with people, too) (Woops, did I just say that?).

Like any sport, when you're just starting out, taking good photos is a game of chance. Try shooting 10 arrows with a bow, then try shooting 1000 arrows. Shoot 1000 arrows, and you're more likely to hit a bull's eye. Not because you're more skilled or anything, but because you put in the extra work than the other guy who only shot 10. Like any sport, really, photography takes practise. (And no, I'm not saying that photography is a sport... but actually shooting underwater can be quite the workout).

My personal philosophy? Bring your camera with you everywhere. Take lots of photos, fill up your entire SD card and I guarantee you that you will end up with one or two photos that you like.

Good luck and happy shooting everyone! Remember, it's not about how expensive your gear is, it's about how well you know your stuff. If you want to learn more, sign up for one of my underwater photography workshops – we have a few coming up in June!

Best fishes,

Tiani 🐠

P.S. Also a very special thanks to the legends who I've learnt from along the way:

Lawrence @snorkeldownunder AKA my first ever underwater photography mentor.

Janaka @janaka Welcomed me to the magical world of Photoshop. Francesca @franintheblue Cropping and white balancing changed my life.

And of course, Ran! @ran_mor_uwphoto For teaching me how to teach!

I am continuously inspired by all of your amazing work!!