Your First Underwater Photograph

Digital cameras have revolutionized underwater photography, making it easier than ever to capture vivid images of underwater life right from the start. Once you learn the basics of using the camera, you'll find it easy and fun to share your underwater experiences with friends and family.
We'll start with an introduction to the key points of underwater photography. We'll keep it simple, avoid hard-and-fast rules, and establish some simple guidelines that will help you get the most out of your photos.
Before you take your camera in hand, though, it's important to polish your diving skills so you're comfortable and at ease in the water. Make sure you've mastered neutral buoyancy so you can remain still in the water without wasted motion. Fiddling with buoyancy and waving your arms and legs to stay in place not only wears you out, but makes it harder to take good photos.
Once you're comfortable in the water, let's dive in for our first underwater photograph!

Focus on the Eyes

When people look at an image of an animal, the first thing most of them see is the eyes. If the eyes are out of focus, the picture seems out of focus.
When you photograph an animal with eyes, your focus, like the viewer's focus, should be on the eyes. This is especially important when you're shooting close to the animal and you can't get the whole animal in focus. If you have to choose where to focus, focus on the eyes.
You'll find that eyes usually convey a sense of character better than any other feature of an animal. A fish might not have the most expressive face in the world, but look into its eyes and you feel a connection. Make sure you provide that connection in your photos.

(c)Masaaki Harada @ Ishigakijima

If the eyes are out of focus, you'll lose your viewer's interest.

(c)Masaaki Harada @ Ishigakijima

If the eyes are clearly in focus, it draws the viewer in.

A Steady Camera Sharpens Photos

If your camera moves while you're shooting a picture, the picture will be blurred. It's important to hold your camera correctly to prevent camera shake and get the sharpest possible picture.
Compact cameras are light, which makes them easy to carry but harder to hold steady. You should start by holding the camera with both hands when you trip the shutter. It helps steady the camera. Once you're more experienced shooting, you can try shooting one-handed and may learn to keep steady enough for clear shots.
To hold the camera with both hands:
- Hold your arms in to your sides and hold the camera so the index finger of your right hand rests naturally on the shutter button. Relax so you're not using a death grip!
- Rest the camera on the slightly bent index finger of your left hand and support the side of the camera with your thumb.
Now that you're ready to shoot, carefully position yourself for the shot: not too close or too far. You may want to rest your fins and knees on the bottom for stability. If so, look closely to make sure you touch only sand, rock, or dead material, and be careful not to touch or damage living substrate like coral. Watch for sea urchins or stinging animals and make sure you don't lie on top of them.
Once you've touched down, slowly and gently raise your camera, frame your subject in the LCD monitor, and move in on your subject. Exhale slightly when you trip the shutter. It's good to develop the habit of breathing gently at all times. Breath-holding while scuba diving is dangerous, and the natural tendency is to hold your breath for steadiness while shooting. Make it your practice to relax and breath slowly instead for stability while shooting.

(c)Masaaki Harada @ Ishigakijima

An unsteady camera can take out-of-focus shots.

(c)Masaaki Harada @ Ishigakijima

Clear focus is important for a compelling image.

(c)Masaaki Harada @ Ishigakijima

The focus here is on the background, leaving the important foreground out of focus and confusing the viewer.

(c)Masaaki Harada @ Ishigakijima

Focus on foreground subjects to clearly identify what you want your viewer to see.

Holding the Camera

[Hold the camera in both hands with a firm but relaxed grip]
Aim the camera naturally-don't force it. Place your index finger lightly on the shutter button so you can easily trip the shutter.

[Tuck your elbows in]
If you leave your elbows out, your upper body can sway without your noticing. Once you have your elbows tucked in, hold your arms steady.

[Shoot after you've touched bottom]
Never touch bottom in areas where there is coral. Pay attention to the location of your knees and fins in sandy or rocky areas, and be extremely careful not to damage natural formations. Look closely too for spiny or stinging animals buried in sand or resting on rock.

[Stay calm while shooting]
Chasing fish never gives you a good photo. You'll get better results by getting into position and waiting for your subjects to come to you. Take time to calmly observe the scene and frame your photo.

[Shoot your subject at eye level or lower]
When you frame your subject, try to shoot at eye-level with the subject or, if possible, get below your subject. If you shoot down at your subject, you'll usually have a backdrop of sand, coral, rocks, or rubble, a jumbled background that detracts from your subject. If you drop to the same level as your subject or below it, you clear up the background and can add a clean, simple backdrop of water and perhaps some side elements of coral or seaweed to emphasize your subject. When you shoot, think of photographing a child or pet. Getting down low brings out their face and emphasizes the subject instead of the background. If there's a horizontal background in the scene, make sure to keep it level to avoid disorienting your photo viewers later.

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Start Auto Focus With a Halfway Shutter Press

Cameras offer both manual focus (MF) and auto focus (AF). Most people like to shoot with auto focus because it's easier. You must use it correctly, though, to get good results. To start auto focus, slowly press the shutter button to the halfway point. If the auto focus is able to locate something in your frame that it can bring into focus, it tells you with a green light or other signal once it has focused. If it can't find something that it can bring into focus, it tells you with a flashing light or other signal. Once the focus is set, take your picture by gently pressing the shutter button down all the way.

Use Focus Lock

Auto focus doesn't always choose the subject you want to focus on. For example, it might choose to focus on coral in the background when you want it to focus on a fish in foreground. Focus lock lets you control where focus takes place. Put the subject in the center of the viewfinder. When you press and hold the shutter button halfway down, it engages auto focus (usually on the subject in the center of the viewfinder) and then holds the focus at that distance as long as you keep the shutter button pressed halfway. You can then frame your subject to the side or in any other location in the frame without changing the focus. Steps to take for focus lock:
[1] Frame your subject in the center of the viewfinder, then set the focus by pressing the shutter button halfway down. (When the camera is in focus, it tells you with a light or other signal.)
[2] Move the camera slightly to frame the subject the way you want it.
[3] Press the shutter button down all the way to take the photo.

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(c)Masaaki Harada @ Ishigakijima

This photo was taken without focus lock. Auto focus was unable to keep up with the moving subjects and focused on the background instead, putting the foreground out of focus.

(c)Masaaki Harada @ Ishigakijima

Using focus lock, you can focus on a close subject and then frame it the way you want while keeping focus in place.

Be careful not to cover the built-in flash, range sensor, and other camera parts with your fingers while shooting. Remember that only your finger presses the shutter button. Relax when shooting so your whole hand doesn't end up moving as you press the shutter button.

(c)Masaaki Harada @ Ishigakijima

First put the spot you want to focus in the center of the viewfinder. Press the shutter button halfway down, and then shift the viewfinder to reframe your subject.

(c)Masaaki Harada @ Ishigakijima

By reframing with the focus locked and then pressing the shutter button down all the way to shoot, you can keep your desired spot in focus even though it moves out of the area that auto focus concentrates on.

In these photos there are two octopuses, one in the foreground and one in the background, almost perfectly mimicking their surroundings. When you master focus lock, you can change focus to bring out one or the other without changing the composition of the photograph.

(c)Masaaki Harada @ Ishigakijima

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When there's poor visibility and it seems hard to find good subjects, some people might go an entire dive without shooting a single photo. They missed a good opportunity.
Each dive is a chance to capture the underwater world around you. If you don't see anything interesting, a guide or an instructor can point out subjects you might have overlooked. It helps to tell them before the dive what you're interested in shooting so they can help find it for you. Even better, develop an eye for subjects yourself. Move slowly and look closely at objects you encounter-you may be surprised at what you find. Come up with a theme for a dive such as unusual coral shapes or striking colors and search them out.
When you find something interesting, shoot it! The beauty of digital photography is that pictures cost next to nothing; you can always delete anything you don't like. The underwater world changes from moment to moment, and if you hesitate, you can lose the moment. Keep clicking and try lots of shots. The more you shoot, the more you learn, and the more you increase your chances of capturing some wonderful images to share when you come up from your dive.