 Roughly
15 years ago, as one of my underwater
photography seminars ended, a student pulled me
aside and said something like "I understand the
material you covered, but I really want to be
good at underwater photography, so will you
please tell me what you really do, you know, the
things you don't usually share with others." As
an instructor, I felt a little kick in the gut,
as if I had been accused of holding back the
most valuable information.
That incident caused me to make certain that
early on in my seminars I get two very important
points across to every student. Those points are
that to consistently produce pleasing images,
you must get a grasp of the fundamentals of
underwater image making, and the more often you
apply those fundamentals, the more likely you
are to be pleased with your photographs. In
other words, the "secret" information is, do
your best to apply the fundamentals, and when
you can't apply them, change something so you
can. Don't just shoot and hope that because your
mother loves you, a miracle will occur and your
images will be great.
Below are five fundamental concepts. In the two
images that accompany this piece, you can see
that even though the subjects are different, and
that one image is a wide-angle shot while the
other is macro, the same concepts helped make
each shot a winner.
1) Proper exposure and sharply focused subjects are
musts. Don't just read about, but be sure you learn
how F-stop, shutter speed, ISO, strobe power and
strobe-to-subject distance work together to
determine exposure. These concepts are not
difficult, but until they are mastered, your
composition is usually irrelevant.
2) Get close to your subject. Getting close
translates to sharper images and a richer palette of
colors in your images. When you think you are close,
get closer.
3) Get low and shoot up. At least consider this
approach. An upward angle often adds dramatic appeal
and helps you separate your subjects from their
background so your subjects stand out in your
images.
4) Pay attention to the background. No matter how
colorful marine creatures appear to us, in many
cases they have evolved to blend into or "break up"
in their immediate surroundings and background. Try
to compose your images so subjects are separated
from their surroundings. With small reef creatures,
look for color contrast between subject and
background. With bigger animals, try shooting them
against blue (or green) water backgrounds, not dark
reef or water.
5) When composing your shot, check the edges of your
frame for potential problems. Too often unwanted
intrusions such as another diver's fins or a half of
a fish often surprise and disappoint us when we
review our pictures. Those surprises weren't seen
when composing the shot because we only concentrated
on the center portion of the frame.
Applying these concepts will help you consistently
get good results. More insights into the
fundamentals will come your way in future issues.
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