5
keys to improve your
underwater photografies
(03-06-08) Summer is coming
and we are preparing our equipment and also our cameras for diving
holidays. We intend to get a good memory of our dives. Therefore
we describe five very simple but very important keys, which improve
our underwater pictures.
do not shoot from above
 
Shooting from above should be avoided. Many divers
are shooting their photos as they dive from the top down, and these
pictures often lack depth and in most cases are not very interesting. Pictures should
be done from the same height as the subject is, a little below is
perfect too, if it is possible. This way we get better shots of the
subject, who is looking at the camera, and we make the back look
better because we get more depth. The background will be blue and
not the bottom of the sea.
The subject will
be the main character in the scene because the shot is better. It
is also important not to take pictures to the fishes from their back:
the subject has to approach the scene, not to go away. Remember:
try to find the upward angle, and take the picture at the eye level.
PUT THE SUBJECT AT INSERCTION POINTS
The success of
a picture depends on many factors. One of them is the composition.
The viewfinder has to be divided into three areas: it is the rule
of thirds. These three spaces both vertical and horizontal lead to
an intersection of lines where we must focus the interesting thing
of our picture. For example, if it is an animal, eyes and mouth should
generally be framed in this area.
find a good background
The background
of our picture is important too, since in many cases it will serve
to enhance the portrayed subject. If we do not take it into account,
we risk loosing the interest in it. The subject can “disappear” if
the background is the same colour, or in case there are too many
background elements that distract our attention.
Therefore, it is very important to think
quickly what we want to photograph, and then to find the best
place for it.
Most of the times, we only need to stay in the
place we have chosen, and wait for the subject to go in front of
us. If it is a motionless subject we will have to find the best background
before shooting. It is a fast thought that make us observe and that
is going to improve our pictures quite a lot.
A good background will always be the blue one.
APPROACHING
 
The big problem we face underwater is the curtain
of water between our camera and the subject we want to take a picture
of. The bigger is this distance; the fewer colours enter our lens,
the flash light disappears, the object looses importance, and we
will have to change the frame when we edit.
The zoom also leads us to make mistakes because
many times we abuse of it, rather than approach the subject. We are
very far from the subject, we approaching it with the zoom, but the
light is no longer the same...
Therefore, we have to bear in mind that we need
to minimize the curtain of water as much as we can, approaching the
subject the maximum. If it is an animal we must take care not to
frighten it by approaching very slowly and without sudden movements,
trying to make it be interested in us instead of fear.
AREA AROUND THE SUBJECT IN PORTRAITS
When we take a photograph
of something, for example a fish, we have to take into account the
area around the subject. We have to avoid that this area is too narrow
(in this case it could seem that we have cut part of the subject),
and that it is too wide (the picture would look unbalanced)
With these easy rules we all can significantly improve our
images. Whether it is a reminder of the immersion or not, we can always have
better quality artistic photos by keeping these rules.
Text and Photographs: Loli Alcarria |
