Taking undersea images is one of the most challenging areas of photography. It requires special equipment and training to take successful pictures under the water. Even with these challenges, people often take up the career because of its exciting photographic opportunities. Animals like marine mammals and and fish are common subjects for undersea images, but as diving equipment gets more sophisticated, photos of shipwrecks, complex cave systems and underwater landscapes are becoming more popular.
One of the biggest problems with underwater images is the loss of light. This can cause the loss or distortion of colors and contrast. Because the sunlight is absorbed by the water, everything under water can appear in blues and greens. As subjects are further away from the camera, you also lose color. This is even true in clear waters like coral reefs.
This is easily solved though using a couple techniques. First and most obvious is to get as close to the object as possible that is being photographed. This will help to minimize the horizontal color loss. The best way to take these close photos without losing some of the object in the photo is to use a wide angle lens. This also allows for a very close focus and the ability to catch detail.
An alternate technique is using the camera’s flash. This helps restore much of the lost color that happens under the water. Something called a fill flash will help to paint in the missing colors, filling them in. The lights full spectrum will be visible again to the eye and this will help in the overall exposure.
Most undersea images are done while on scuba diving expeditions. Because of the possible complications that can arise during scuba diving, photographers must be quite skilled as divers as well. This will help to maintain safety and since the diver will be handling more equipment than normal, safety is essential. A skilled scuba diver will also show when photographs are taken. Calm divers tend to cause less disturbance when underwater and know how to remain calm in order to achieve those one of a kind shots.
Poor visibility and tidal flow along with heavy currents can really be a problem as well. These situations can mess up a great diver who is paying full attention to their dive, let alone a diver who’s focus is on their camera equipment and only a small part of their surroundings.
People creating undersea images use special equipment for their photographs. There are wonderful state-of-the-art digital cameras that are point and shoot type. What they do require that other, more expensive underwater equipment doesn’t is an underwater waterproof casing.
A waterproof casing is made special for each camera sold. These are made from anything from plastic to aluminum. They can also be inexpensive or expensive, it all depends on what you want. Using these housing units, the cameras will be waterproof. Knobs are accessible with special knobs on the casing making underwater images easier to take with a more familiar camera. They can also be equipped with special flash units. Refraction can sometimes be an issue and can cause distortion in the finished product. But the flash can help greatly. An attachable wide lens can also help. These special lenses can be detached and changed under the water.
Want to find out more about undersea images, then visit our video channel, Underwater videos for your needs.
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