Create Amazing Images Beneath The Water’s Surface With
Your Digital Camera
By Ibarionex R. Perello
If you’ve snorkeled
or scuba dived on vacation, you already know about the amazing
world that lies beneath the water’s surface. The remarkable
creatures and seascapes are so stunning that they beg to be
captured in photographs. Thankfully, you don’t have to
be a professional photographer with expensive gear to take dramatic
underwater images.
Digital underwater photography trumps film in one big way. With
film, you’re limited to 36 exposures before you have to
resurface and reload a fresh roll. With digital, you can keep
shooting as long as there’s memory on the card and air
in your tank.
You may consider a digital camera like the SeaLife ReefMaster
DC310, a 3-megapixel camera designed for underwater photography,
or you can use your existing compact digital camera. With a
protective housing and a few tips and tricks, you can return
with stunning images of the ocean depths.
Your
Camera—Underwater
Water, especially salt water, can wreak terrible damage on a
camera. Even small amounts of salt water can eventually corrode
metal components of your camera, making a submersible housing
a must.
Many housings are designed for specific camera models. Available
either through the camera manufacturer or a third party, housings
provide a rugged casing with a depth rating of as much as 40
meters (about 120 feet). They also feature full access to major
camera controls. Housings such as the Olympus PT-020, which
accommodates the Camedia C-5060, and the Canon WP-DC300, for
the Canon PowerShot S50, are built to withstand the increased
water pressure as you swim deeper.
Such housings incorporate an O-ring gasket that provides secure
closure and prevents water from entering the compartment. Before
taking a camera into the water, properly lubricate the O-ring
with compatible O-ring grease. Check that there’s no debris
in the O-ring’s channel and that the O-ring is clean and
flexible.
Before entering the water, submerge the housing into a pail
of water to ensure water tightness—without the camera.
If there are no signs of leakage (bubbles rising to the surface),
insert the camera and close it securely.
After diving in salt water, submerse the housing in fresh water
for 10 minutes. After gently rinsing it, dry the housing completely
and remove the camera.
The Ewa-Marine housings offer an alternative to the camera-specific
housing. They’re made of double-laminated PVC sheet and
include a lens port, made of flat optical glass, and a large
clear window for the camera’s LCD. With numerous designs
for a variety of cameras, the flexible housings often are rated
to a depth of 10 meters (about 30 feet).
Getting The Best Picture
Almost immediately after passing through the surface, red light
is absorbed by water, resulting in a bluish tint to images (when
the camera’s white balance is set for daylight). To compensate
for this effect, set the white balance to the Cloudy setting
to warm up the scene, or you can set a custom white balance
on a blue card to compensate.
The best time to shoot is during midday. The direct overhead
light will have deeper penetration into the water and provide
good illumination. Choose a shutter speed of no less than 1/125
sec. to ensure a sharp photograph. You may need to increase
your ISO sensitivity to achieve a relatively high shutter speed.
When shooting a fast-moving subject, increase your shutter speed
to 1/250 sec.
Water magnifies objects underwater by a factor of approximately
0.7x, making subjects appear closer than they actually are.
This will change the apparent focal length of your lens and
produce a narrower focal length. If you want to create wide-angle
images, you may want to consider a housing, such as the Fantasea
CP-4, that accommodates wide-angle adapters that can be added
to the front of the housing, even while underwater.
Flash can be used underwater, but you have to be careful how
you do so. If you’re limited to only your camera’s
built-in flash, reduce the distance between you and your subject.
If you don’t, the flash will illuminate small particles
in the water between you and your subject and create distracting
spots in your images. Some housings, such as the Light &
Motion Tetra 5050, allow for the use of external flash units
to reduce this problem and add a more powerful flash for underwater
use.
When photographing, point your camera slightly upward to use
the backlit bluish water as a backdrop. If you photograph a
dark subject while pointing downward, you could lose your subject
against the dark depths below. This technique also can produce
interesting silhouettes.
With a little planning and appropriate gear, you’ll be
creating memorable images both under and above water.
