Getting Started in Underwater Photography (Part 1)
It can feel like a daunting hobby to take on, but getting started in underwater photography doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Whether you are an underwater photography beginner or just looking to improve your skills, there are just a few things to consider before you dive in.
Prerequisites: Getting Started in Underwater Photography
First things first, you have to know how to dive. Seems logical right? But what I really mean is that you need to have at least a little experience under your belt before adding a camera into the mix. Diving can be a fairly dangerous sport if proper care isn’t taken to ensure your safety. There are tons of things requiring your undivided attention to get through a dive safely - especially when you are just starting out. Things like: paying attention to your remaining air and depth, keeping an eye on your dive buddy, keeping up with the dive group, making sure your buoyancy and trim are good, keeping your eyes peeled for cool and interesting marine life and oh, yeah! having a good time.
So what qualifies as a little experience? Unfortunately, there is not a specific number of dives or an amount of time I can give you since it can be very different from person to person. But generally speaking, you should be comfortable in the water, be familiar with enough with your dive equipment that it is second nature to use, and have a good Idea how much weight you need to achieve proper buoyancy. Additionally, you should be able to control your breathing and movement so that a tank of air can last you 45min or longer on a dive that is 50-75ft in depth. Of course, unless it is your absolute first time in the water, no one is going to stop you from taking a camera with you.
Determine your goals and your budget
I have always joked around by saying underwater photography is like taking the worlds most expensive hobby and combining it with the worlds second most expensive hobby. In some cases this is less a joke and more a fact, however, it doesn’t have to be. There are a number of options available to suit any budget and experience level.
Underwater cameras can range anywhere from $350 all the way up to $15k or more, depending on the set up. With that in mind, it’s important to spend a little time figuring out what your goals and budget are before you go shopping. Are you looking for an affordable way to capture some snapshots or a quick video clip on your up coming vacation? Are you an avid scuba diver but novice photographer looking to bring back photos and video of your adventures to show your land dwelling friends and coworkers? Or perhaps you are a more experienced photographer looking to combine one hobby with another, but you’re not quite sure if you are ready or willing to invest in an underwater set up for your existing camera. No matter what, you can find the right underwater photography set up.
Designing an underwater system that fits both your goals and budget can be daunting to say the least. There are so many options to consider that will ultimately affect your budget. Besides the camera and housing, you may want to budget for a few accessories as well. For instance, a housing tray will help provide stability underwater and help you return with sharper, more stable photos and videos. A light source, such as a video light or a strobe, will help the camera focus and improve the color and quality of your images.
Things to consider when determining your underwater photography goals:
What are you planning to do with the photos and video you take?
How often are you able to dive?
What is your skill level with photography / video?
Are you looking for a system you can grow in to?
Are you wanting to shoot photos, video, or both?
What kind of photography are you interested in - wide angle, macro, or both?
Things to consider when determining your underwater photography budget:
If you already own a camera, is there a housing available for it?
Consider that a properly set up camera rig will yield better photos/video than just a camera and housing alone.
What accessories might you want or need for your set up?
Depending on how big your set up is you may have additional travel costs for extra luggage
IT’S A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT
Finally, remember that underwater photography is a journey. At first, it will be very frustrating as you learn what works and what doesn’t in a given situation. There will be plenty of missed opportunities as well as right-time-wrong-camera-settings moments. But there will also be wins. You will take photos that will be awesome and you will be encouraged to keep going.
Everyone starts somewhere! For example, here is the very first underwater photo I ever took:
But later on in the week, as I became more comfortable, I managed to get this photo.
Certainly not an award winner, but considering where I started, I was inspired to keep going and not give up.
In an effort to make this topic more web friendly and bite sized, I am going to break it up over a number of different posts that focus on specific aspects of getting started in underwater photography. In part 2 of this series I will break down the different camera and housing options that are available.
Recommended Courses:
PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy
PADI Digital Underwater Photographer
