How to take photos underwater? Tips from an award-winning pro

There isn’t a single diver who hasn’t struggled with how to take photos underwater! I am sure you have been on a dive where most of the pictures you took came out completely blue. And then one day, playing with your underwater camera, you finally take a decent picture with great contrasts of red, yellow, purple and many other warm colors against a vibrant deep blue. Mistake or not? Surely, it cannot be….

This is how my journey started as an underwater photographer, when I finally got my perfectly lit underwater photograph. I was using only an underwater compact camera with an internal flash and couldn’t understand how to make those wonderful images that were straight out of the magazines. So I started looking for underwater photography tips wherever I could. The internet had just arrived and we had only a few magazines and underwater photography books to rely on.

 

Understanding the basics of underwater photography

Once I started reading and finding good underwater photography reviews I was enlightened by those wonderful underwater images that were filling my brain. Learning about the basic language of photography helped me make senses of what is and how to take good photos underwater. ISO, shutter speed, Aperture, Depth of field, flash light, constant light… But how I am going to master underwater photography?

 

The most important skill before you even submerge with a camera

Before going any further, I understood that becoming a good and responsible diver was a priority. I found out very quickly that lifting sand while taking underwater photographs were not helping in terms of having a lot of particles and backscatter in my shots. So buoyancy was critical and practicing my breath control and BCD management were constantly in my head during my normal dives! Not only that I had to care about being weightlessness, I also took noticed that my camera was sometimes putting me off my balance.
Being able to manoeuvre an additional piece of equipment required some time and practice. I was able to move more graciously underwater and controlling better my jerky and rapid movements, which helped a lot into my approach to the fish and other critters of the reef.

Becoming a good diver will not only make you a more respectful one towards the reef, but will also help you improve your pictures, by reducing backscatter, making a better approach towards you subjects as you are looking less clumsy and scary! Only then you need to understand what is happening to the light underwater.

 

Understanding what happens to light underwater

The main source of light underwater is coming from the sun, but why is it that, when I take a shot out of the water, my colors are vibrant and underwater they are completely blue. The white light from the sun is composed of a spectrum of all the colors seen by human eyes and even more… like infrared. Those colors have different wavelength and are going to be absorb by the column of water and they will disappear. The first one to go are what we call the warm colors, mostly the red and yellow. The predominant source of light at depth, especially deeper than 10 meters will mostly be composed of greens and blues. This is why using the sunlight as your predominant source of light is inconvenient underwater. So what should we do to get the colors back into your underwater pictures?

 

How to take colourful photos underwater

It was time for me to get a better underwater camera and housing as well a proper source of light… a good underwater strobe!

On my way to my first holiday in the UK, I had only one thing in my mind! I need to go the the camera shop as soon as I arrive. I was like a kid walking into a toys store! So many cool things to play with.

After a good chat with Steve and Dan it was clear that I had to go for an underwater strobe first. Strobes are external waterproof flashes, which bring in the light absorbed by water at depth. So if you ever wondered how to take colourful photos underwater, your strobes will be your best friends for that!

My first choice was Inon as they use AA batteries and 20 years later… I am still using them. They definitely proved their worth!

 

Pick your housing first, then your camera

The choice of the housing was however another dilemma… ok, so here is my advice! You need to first choose your underwater housing and the extra features that it can fit before you choose your camera. Yes… not all cameras have a housing for it… and if they do sometimes they are not so reliable and versatile.

I also got myself my first wet added lens the Inon UFL-165AD which proved to be of great help in getting closer to my subject and still being able to have a wide angle perspective. Less water between you and your subject means less loss of warm light from my strobe and less particles in the shot, overall sharper and more contrast images.

 

Practicing how to take stunning photos underwater

Back to Mauritius… I couldn’t live without my camera anymore. It was as important as my regulator and my mask. Becoming a master at underwater photography took me some years of learning, especially when it came to make a good composition. Diving with a camera taught me that chasing fish was useless. You can only catch the tail! Learning what the fish like and do not like also made me more aware of their behaviour and body language. I learned how to read them and think like them. Taking good underwater images also challenged me at being a better and more aware underwater naturalist.

 

Post-processing is a must

Despite the fact that I was correctly exposing my underwater images, even the best underwater camera set up has got its limits in terms of lighting. The water might not always be clear and blue. The surge can lift particles in suspension and the current can also affect your framing. This is why post-processing your underwater images is critical.

With hundreds of pictures on my laptop, I needed to find the best way to edit and transform my underwater images. Software like Photoshop and Lightroom were the best tools created, in my opinion, and only making micro adjustments can sometimes improve your result drastically.

 

Online underwater photography course

Taking underwater images is a journey that starts with you becoming the master of light underwater. It is a sport, an art and the best way to teach yourself about the reef, the wildlife and the environment.

It has changed my life forever and I have enjoyed sharing my knowledge for the last 20 years. I have been running workshops around the world, teaching underwater photography abroad and within my own dive center in Mauritius.

Despite the global pandemic and lockdown, I am determined to continue sharing my passion for underwater photography. I have launched a series of online courses, which are tailor made and suitable for beginners and experienced photographers.

If you are bored at home, have some free time on your hands, or simply want to become a better underwater photographer then this is the best time to gain some knowledge and up your game! I offer live online coaching on two different topics. And I guarantee you, you will learn how to take much better photos underwater!

 

All the aspects of underwater photography

In this part I cover the theory of light to the correct type of equipment, exposure techniques, flash positions, composition etc. in order to improve your imagery underwater. This is a full hands-on virtual class in which I share proper expertise and individual advices.

 

The dark room workflow

In this part I cover the extensive usage of Lightroom and Photoshop to improve your pictures and also discuss exposure and light positions. This too is a hands-on class, where we will be working with your own underwater images.

You can find more information about the online photography courses here. The readers of Dive into Life get a BONUS – a customised presentation of the course. Just present the bonus code you get per email below and after the course I will send you a PDF with everything we discussed during the sessions, which is customised to your camera and needs.

And to throw in a SECOND BONUS – the readers of Dive into Life, who participate in the course, get 50% off my book “Mauritius Underwater“. I would be delighted to sign your copy!

I look forward to passing my knowledge on to you. May the light be with you!

 

 

 

About the author

Gerald Rambert is a multi award-winning underwater photographer from Mauritius. In 2007, 2008 and 2009 he was the Mauritian national champion. In 2007 he represented the island at the CMAS world championship  where got a silver medal for the macro category. His photos are extensively published in magazines and online.

For the last 12 years, Gerald has been running underwater photography workshops in the best diving destinations in the world. He is also an avid videographer whose footages can be found in National Geographic documentaries, Netflix, CNN and other film productions.

You can find more of Gerald’s stunning images on his website, Instagram page, Facebook profile and YouTube channel.