If you think diving is easy, try underwater shooting!

Underwater photography is a great way to take breathtaking photos of the ocean or other water-related subjects. But it is often hard to shoot underwater because of the lack of light and difficulty controlling your camera.

So, how hard is it to do an underwater shoot? It depends on the following:

• Length of the shoot – The length of the shoot will determine how many days of shooting you will have to do in order to get the perfect shot. Longer shots will mean that you will have to spend more time in one location as it will take more time to get there and then back again.
• Type of the equipment and its specifications – To be an underwater photographer, you first must master the equipment. A few years ago, that was limited to just a camera, some scuba gear, a dive mask, and a lot of trial and error. Nowadays, you can go out and find a wide variety of affordable yet high-quality underwater cameras and strobes, which dramatically cuts down on the need for trial and error. Underwater photography is just one of the awesome uses for smartphones nowadays too, with some models being waterproof to a certain depth.
• The desired depth and water clarity – Many people go diving with a specific goal in mind: to capture a certain type of subject. However, there’s another very important reason you should be looking for during your dive: the desired depth and water clarity. These two criteria are the foundation of any underwater shoot, and if you’re not looking at these things, you may miss out on some incredible shots. And let’s face it, sometimes all it takes to get that shot is to keep your eyes open.
• The gear you are using – Underwater photography is quite the challenge for those who don’t know. First, you need to decide if you want to do it with a regular camera or with a waterproof camera. If you do it with a regular one, then you will need to practice your skills. Practice your skills by taking photos of the ocean or underwater with different settings, seeing what works and what doesn’t.

When you have your gear together and ready, it’s time to get in the water and take some pictures. But that’s not the only part of the shooting equation: the water itself is the other half of the equation. The water’s temperature and visibility have a huge effect on what you can see and how much you can photograph.

Things to Consider for Underwater Shoot

Underwater photography is an extremely popular activity among both amateurs and professionals. Nowadays, people prefer their wedding photography to include underwater shoots of the couple which they can cherish forever. For instance, if a couple is getting married in Rhode Island, they can search for wedding photographer Rhode Island on the internet and select the one that can do their choice of photography at their wedding. The main reason for the craze of this is that many of the photos taken underwater are completely different from those taken on the land since the settings tend to be very different. In the end, it is up to you to decide whether to continue with underwater photography.

The underwater shoot may seem to be the ultimate, intimidating, and difficult of the photographic scenes. However, the truth is there are plenty of other things to consider when doing an underwater shoot, like lighting. The #1 rule of underwater photography is not to have your camera bump into any of the rocks, coral, or other objects that it might encounter. This is why experienced photographers prefer visiting places like Hawaii and booking a snorkeling session with a sailing company (check Kai Kanani Sailing if interested) in the vicinity. That way, they can get a chance to shoot underwater as well as have an experienced diver with them who can ensure the safety of the photographers and their equipment.

You also need to be very careful about using strobes and flash since they can reflect off of the lens and cause a reflection to appear in the water that may be very distracting. If you can get away with it or have the budget and power to do it, it is useful as a secondary light source for creating separation between subject and background to create and focus.

Perhaps the best way to have maximum control over the environment when doing an underwater shoot is to do it in a pool. If you’re planning to do underwater shoots for a living, then it would be ideal to have custom pool builders make a pool that’s optimized for photography. This way, you eliminate a lot of the unpredictable factors like the tide, algae, lighting, etc. and you have unlimited time to shoot there.

Is Underwater Shooting for You?

If there’s one thing that most underwater photographers love to complain about, it has to be the challenge of getting the perfect shot. While it’s true that trying to get good shots under the water is much harder than shooting on land, this doesn’t mean that one should give up.

If you want to capture some of the most amazing underwater images, you will need to put in the work. If you’re looking for an easy way to get a perfect and clean underwater photo, then you can do the “underwater shoot.” But there is no “one size fits all” solution for underwater photoshoots. You have to know how your camera works.