Exotic, challenging, and exciting, underwater photography has grown tremendously in recent years and draws interest from many photographers. These days, one can just as easily find images of beautiful fish and coral, as he can of images in other categories, such as portraiture, fashion, and still life.
Photographer: Zena Holloway
Want to jump on the bandwagon of this growing trend, but don’t know the first thing about underwater photography? Our friend Benjamin Von Wong has put together a list of 9 tips to help you prepare for a creative underwater photoshoot. In his article, he provides advice on the unique challenges in underwater shooting, lighting, posing, and yes, even breathing(!) to name a few examples.
Underwater photography can be quite challenging!
My Takeaways
Reading through his article, I can certainly relate to his experiences, as I have occasionally dabbled in underwater fashion photography myself. For starters, the underwater environment is vastly different and reminds you of all the things you take for granted. Take breathing and movement, for example. It takes much skill and practice to time your breathing to coordinate with shooting and following the model’s movements so that your own air bubbles don’t get into the image.
Take care that your air bubbles don’t end up in the shot!
Another thing you’ll realize within 10 minutes of being in the water is that comfort is critical. This means your own comfort by wearing a wet suit to keep you warm and to protect your knees when you kneel on hard, rough surfaces; as well as that of your model by providing an assistant to help her in and out of the water and handle the heavy and wet fabric of her beautiful dress or even by taking breaks every 10-15 minutes as your model will tire more quickly.
Wearing proper scuba gear is critically important and makes your experience more comfortable
In the end, I wished I had known of Benjamin’s tips before my first underwater shoot a few years ago. Not only would I have felt more prepared, but it would’ve also saved me the trouble of learning many things by trial and error.
If you’re inspired by underwater photography and wish to read more of Benjamin’s tips, then check out his article. Happy reading!
