Technique/Tutorial

Underwater photo tutorials, techniques and tips for all types of underwater photo and video, including macro, supermacro, wide-angle, composition and best camera gear.

Manual is usually the best mode for underwater photography. However, there are certain situations where using semi automatic modes works better. This articles breaks down when to use them and which one is best.
By Bryan Chu

When Auto is Better than Manual - S and A Modes

Bryan Chu
Manual is usually the best mode for underwater photography. However, there are certain situations where using semi automatic modes works better. This articles breaks down when to use them and which one is best.

One of the most important steps to improving your underwater photography is shooting in manual mode. When I'm helping people, it is one of the first things I get new photographers to try. Manual really opens up a new world of creative control.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bryan is an editor and writer for the Underwater Photography Guide. He loves any activity that takes him out into nature, and is especially fond of multi-day hiking trips, road trips to National Parks, and diving. Any kind of diving. He discovered the joy of underwater photography on a Bluewater trip to the Sea of Cortez and has been hooked ever since. He recently finished a 1-year "radical sabbatical" with his partner Lisa (both of them quit their jobs), which included over 120 dives, mostly in Indonesia and the Philippines. His very favourite underwater experiences include swimming with humpbacks in Moorea, being smashed against the rocks next to marine iguanas in the Galapagos, marvelling at the riotously colourful reefs of Komodo, freezing his hands off under the ice in Greenland, and exploring the never-ending wonders of muck diving in Tulamben and Anilao (where he was a Bluewater photo workshop co-trip leader).

Fortunately, Bryan and Lisa managed to avoid killing each other during their year of traveling together (though at times it came close). Now they are back home in Canada, planning their wedding and doing their best to figure out what they want to be when they grow up. Their main concern at this point is finding a way to not run out of money, while avoiding returning back to their old 9-5  jobs (oil & gas, government). Oh, and also continuing to support their diving and underwater photo/video habits...

You can find more of Bryan's underwater photos on Instagram at @bryan_chu_photography and on his website at www.bryanchu.ca.

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


The Olympus TG-6 and Ikelite fluorescence kit is the easiest way to get started taking underwater fluorescence photographs
By Nirupam Nigam

The Easiest Underwater Fluorescence Photography Kit

The Easiest Underwater Fluorescence Photography Kit
Nirupam Nigam
The Olympus TG-6 and Ikelite fluorescence kit is the easiest way to get started taking underwater fluorescence photographs

In my ten years of taking underwater photos, I’ve been admittedly hesitant to try what is still considered a relatively small niche in underwater photography – fluorescence (or “fluoro”) photography. When I’ve thought about trying it, I would write it off as another reason to buy more expensive gear with a potentially steep learning curve.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nirupam Nigam is the Editor-in-Chief of the Underwater Photography Guide and the President of Bluewater Photo - the world's top underwater photo & video retailer. While growing up in Los Angeles he fell in love with the ocean and pursued underwater photography in the local Channel Islands. After receiving degrees in Aquatic and Fisheries Science and General Biology, as well as a minor in Arctic Studies, Nirupam worked as a fisheries observer on vessels in the Bering Sea and North Pacific. Since then, Nirupam has been a full time underwater photographer and photo gear head. Check out more of his photography at www.photosfromthesea.com!

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


The Wolf* Snoot Mounting Method Eliminates Most Technical Difficulties
By Ze'ev Kirshenboim

Snoot Mounting for Easy Macro Photography

Macro & Super Macro Underwater Photography Made Easy With a Snoot
Ze'ev Kirshenboim
The Wolf* Snoot Mounting Method Eliminates Most Technical Difficulties

Why using a snoot is difficult?

I started taking photos underwater two years ago. During my first intensive underwater photography in Anilao, Philippines, I noticed the advantage of using a snoot for controlling the light of a strobe. I also noticed how much its users struggle to direct it and align the light beam with the object and simultaneously focus.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ze’ev Kirshenboim, an Electronic Engineer by trade, is a seasoned amateur photographer of 53 years and makes his living as the president of ACS Motion Control Ltd which he founded 34 years ago. He likes shooting sport, wildlife and people, and lately has combined his photography hobby with scuba diving, some results of which are also depicted in this article.

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


The Olympus FCON-T02 Fisheye Lens and Ikelite housing is the perfect wide angle underwater combination for the Olympus TG-6 compact camera!

Olympus TG-6 Wide Angle Photography: FCON-T02 Fisheye Lens

The Olympus FCON-T02 Fisheye Lens and Ikelite housing is the perfect wide angle underwater combination for the Olympus TG-6 compact camera!

The Olympus TG-6 is a popular compact camera for underwater photography, particularly macro photography. Until recently the Olympus TG-6’s potential as a wide angle set up was limited by it’s lack of a manual mode.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nirupam Nigam is the Editor-in-Chief of the Underwater Photography Guide and the President of Bluewater Photo - the world's top underwater photo & video retailer. While growing up in Los Angeles he fell in love with the ocean and pursued underwater photography in the local Channel Islands. After receiving degrees in Aquatic and Fisheries Science and General Biology, as well as a minor in Arctic Studies, Nirupam worked as a fisheries observer on vessels in the Bering Sea and North Pacific. Since then, Nirupam has been a full time underwater photographer and photo gear head. Check out more of his photography at www.photosfromthesea.com!

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


Exploring a quiet, off-the-beaten-track Philippines dive destination, with beautiful wide angle scenery and some nice macro
By Bryan Chu

Diving Cabilao, Bohol: A Wall Diving Underwater Photography Tutorial

Bryan Chu
Exploring a quiet, off-the-beaten-track Philippines dive destination, with beautiful wide angle scenery and some nice macro

Last month I had the honor of being invited by renowned underwater photographer Jerome Kim to join him on his 4th annual Underwater Dream Tour. On this tour, he invites a small group of underwater photographers to travel with him to four dive destinations on the Philippines. The last stop of the tour was a place most people have never heard of: Cabilao. It may sound kind of like Anilao, but it's definitely a very different type of destination!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bryan is an editor and writer for the Underwater Photography Guide. He loves any activity that takes him out into nature, and is especially fond of multi-day hiking trips, road trips to National Parks, and diving. Any kind of diving. He discovered the joy of underwater photography on a Bluewater trip to the Sea of Cortez and has been hooked ever since. He recently finished a 1-year "radical sabbatical" with his partner Lisa (both of them quit their jobs), which included over 120 dives, mostly in Indonesia and the Philippines. His very favourite underwater experiences include swimming with humpbacks in Moorea, being smashed against the rocks next to marine iguanas in the Galapagos, marvelling at the riotously colourful reefs of Komodo, freezing his hands off under the ice in Greenland, and exploring the never-ending wonders of muck diving in Tulamben and Anilao (where he was a Bluewater photo workshop co-trip leader).

Fortunately, Bryan and Lisa managed to avoid killing each other during their year of traveling together (though at times it came close). Now they are back home in Canada, planning their wedding and doing their best to figure out what they want to be when they grow up. Their main concern at this point is finding a way to not run out of money, while avoiding returning back to their old 9-5  jobs (oil & gas, government). Oh, and also continuing to support their diving and underwater photo/video habits...

You can find more of Bryan's underwater photos on Instagram at @bryan_chu_photography and on his website at www.bryanchu.ca.

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


A guide to macro lenses and close up wet lenses available for underwater photography
By Jenna Szerlag

Macro Lenses For Underwater Photography

Jenna Szerlag
A guide to macro lenses and close up wet lenses available for underwater photography

Nature’s patterns and color come to life with underwater macro photography. The mesmerizing detail that dedicated 1:1 macro lenses capture show textures that we otherwise would have never realized existed. Both dSLR and mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras offer some incredible macro choices to add to your underwater arsenal.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As a long-time Hawaii resident, Jenna moved to Maui in 2002 to pursue her interest in diving. Discovering the beauty of the islands and the desire to show it to the world led Jenna into her passion for nature photography. She pursued her education by attending hands-on workshops and conferences with respected educators mastering the camera topside before taking her photography underwater.  

Jenna is a certified Hawaii Marine Naturalist and enjoys travel and adventure. Her images have been published in Forbes Magazine, Travel and Leisure, calendars and several other publications. She has been a professional contributor for Pacific Stock since 2012, the largest worldwide curated stock photography agency exclusive to the Hawaii and Asia Pacific Regions. You can find her images at www.jennaszerlag.com and on Instagram @seaofphotos.

 

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


A guide to in-camera compression and its affects on image quality and storage
By Jenna Szerlag

Getting To Know Your Camera's Image Quality Formats

Jenna Szerlag
A guide to in-camera compression and its affects on image quality and storage

Compact, mirrorless and dslr cameras offer several file formats when it comes to recording your underwater images. The two most common are jpeg and RAW.  Both formats offer levels of compression to choose from, each with their own benefits. 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As a long-time Hawaii resident, Jenna moved to Maui in 2002 to pursue her interest in diving. Discovering the beauty of the islands and the desire to show it to the world led Jenna into her passion for nature photography. She pursued her education by attending hands-on workshops and conferences with respected educators mastering the camera topside before taking her photography underwater.  

Jenna is a certified Hawaii Marine Naturalist and enjoys travel and adventure. Her images have been published in Forbes Magazine, Travel and Leisure, calendars and several other publications. She has been a professional contributor for Pacific Stock since 2012, the largest worldwide curated stock photography agency exclusive to the Hawaii and Asia Pacific Regions. You can find her images at www.jennaszerlag.com and on Instagram @seaofphotos.

 

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


A quick guide to charging Light & Motion Sola Dive Lights with care and maintenance tips.
By Jenna Szerlag

How To Charge Your Sola Dive Light

Jenna Szerlag
A quick guide to charging Light & Motion Sola Dive Lights with care and maintenance tips.

Sola Dive Lights by Light & Motion are a popular choice when it comes to lighting the underwater world. Their innovative design combining portability with the rigidity of a factory sealed body assures that the light will never have to be opened to charge the battery.

Light & Motion Sola Dive Light

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As a long-time Hawaii resident, Jenna moved to Maui in 2002 to pursue her interest in diving. Discovering the beauty of the islands and the desire to show it to the world led Jenna into her passion for nature photography. She pursued her education by attending hands-on workshops and conferences with respected educators mastering the camera topside before taking her photography underwater.  

Jenna is a certified Hawaii Marine Naturalist and enjoys travel and adventure. Her images have been published in Forbes Magazine, Travel and Leisure, calendars and several other publications. She has been a professional contributor for Pacific Stock since 2012, the largest worldwide curated stock photography agency exclusive to the Hawaii and Asia Pacific Regions. You can find her images at www.jennaszerlag.com and on Instagram @seaofphotos.

 

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


GoPro Quik Is A Simple, Free App To View, Edit, and Share Your Footage
By Jenna Szerlag

Editing Video With GoPro Quik

Jenna Szerlag
GoPro Quik Is A Simple, Free App To View, Edit, and Share Your Footage

GoPro Quik for desktop is a fast and easy way to view and edit your GoPro videos. You can organize your footage and highlight your favorite moments to create powerful stories with a soundtrack in minutes. Share your creation with a link or straight to social media directly from the app.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As a long-time Hawaii resident, Jenna moved to Maui in 2002 to pursue her interest in diving. Discovering the beauty of the islands and the desire to show it to the world led Jenna into her passion for nature photography. She pursued her education by attending hands-on workshops and conferences with respected educators mastering the camera topside before taking her photography underwater.  

Jenna is a certified Hawaii Marine Naturalist and enjoys travel and adventure. Her images have been published in Forbes Magazine, Travel and Leisure, calendars and several other publications. She has been a professional contributor for Pacific Stock since 2012, the largest worldwide curated stock photography agency exclusive to the Hawaii and Asia Pacific Regions. You can find her images at www.jennaszerlag.com and on Instagram @seaofphotos.

 

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


Best underwater settings for the Olympus TG-5 and TG-6
By Nirupam Nigam

Olympus TG-5 and TG-6 Underwater Settings

Olympus TG-5 and TG-6 Underwater Settings
Nirupam Nigam
Best underwater settings for the Olympus TG-5 and TG-6

The Olympus TG-5 and TG-6 are two of the most popular compact cameras currently on the market for underwater photographers. They are notable for their amazing durability, waterproofing down to 50 ft without a housing, beautiful image quality, and impressive macro capability. Because the TG-6 was a somewhat superficial upgrade from the TG-5, there are relatively few differences between the cameras.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nirupam Nigam is the Editor-in-Chief of the Underwater Photography Guide and the President of Bluewater Photo - the world's top underwater photo & video retailer. While growing up in Los Angeles he fell in love with the ocean and pursued underwater photography in the local Channel Islands. After receiving degrees in Aquatic and Fisheries Science and General Biology, as well as a minor in Arctic Studies, Nirupam worked as a fisheries observer on vessels in the Bering Sea and North Pacific. Since then, Nirupam has been a full time underwater photographer and photo gear head. Check out more of his photography at www.photosfromthesea.com!

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


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