5 Easy Tips to Improve Your Underwater Photos

1. Shoot from below!

Many photographers tend to shoot from above, thus creating two problems – cluttered background and boring angle.

Shooting the same object from below might strain your neck a bit, but will solve both problems! The background becomes the deep blue, which separates your object, isolating it in the frame, and the angle becomes much more interesting.

Oh yeah, did I mention Sunballs? 🙂

2. Get Closer!

Yes, it takes practice and good diving skills, but it’s worth it. Shooting a photo of a tiny blenny with huge coral space around it is just not as interesting as filling your frame with one. It’s true that many subjects won’t let you get as close, but some will, such as Blennies, Pipefish, Sea Horses, Clownfish and more!

Using a macro lens would be helpful in this case, but even without one, many cameras today allow you to get pretty damn close and still be able to focus. Know your cameras Minimum Focus Distance and use it wisely!

3. Capture Interaction!

Marine creatures interact with each other. Unless they’re New-Yorkers.

Interactions showing behavior and telling a story will upgrade your photos significantly. Ask your dive master to take you to place where these interactions might be expected, or look for them yourself patiently during the dive.

4. Compose Your Shots!

Use basic rules of composition such as Rule of Thirds, Framing and Symmetry to add interest to your shots. Don’t settle for just placing your subject in the center because that’s the easiest way to focus. Master the half press or move your focus points around to create order and interest in your frames.

Stay tuned for a Full Underwater Composition Guide next month in the blog! (Sign up to our newsletter for updates).

Update: Composition Guide has been published!

5. Shoot Big Stuff with Macro Lenses!

You’d be surprised how cool close ups on big marine animals could be, capturing the eye of a Shark or an Octopus could be a fantastic image and very different from the regular wide angles you are used to seeing.

Don’t give up on a shot just because you have your macro lens on, and if you see the big subject is not swimming away, take the time to grab a shot of his eye or other interesting body parts.

Eilat 284 — Bet you didn’t notice the Lionfish in the corner…

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Ran Mor

Sales and Marketing at Mozaik Underwater Cameras

Ran is a professional photographer for over 14 years. His passion for scuba diving and photography has pushed him to combine his profession and hobby and become a professional underwater photographer. Teaching is one of his greatest passions and over the years he has shared his experience with many divers and aspiring photographers. Along with his wife Danielle, an experienced Scuba Instructor, they have founded Dive and More, leading dive trips and UW photo workshops all over the world. Ran is also an electrical engineer and an avid internet marketing specialist.
Visit his personal portfolio at www.ranmorphoto.com.