Essential tips for underwater photography

— -- It's summertime, and that means vacations, road trips, and time spent splashing about in the water. Whether you're just taking a dip with the kids in the backyard pool or scuba diving among tropical reefs, there's a lot of fun stuff going on underwater. You might think photographing what's below the waves lies beyond your abilities or means, but you can effectively capture all that wet and wild activity even without spending a fortune.

Do you need special gear?

Obviously, if you want to shoot professional-quality photos underwater, you'll have to fork over quite a bit of cash for professional-level equipment. That said, you can find quite a few consumer-level options out there that provide decent results. The Canon PowerShot D20, Olympus Stylus Tough 8010, and Panasonic Lumix TS4 are all excellent waterproof cameras that can be found for under $300.

If you already have a camera you like, you could buy a waterproof housing to use with it. DicaPac makes several sizes of waterproof digital camera cases, all of which fit several different models. Most manufacturers make waterproof housings for specific models of both point-and-shoot and DSLR cameras. You might find it a bit difficult to use your camera's finer settings through a waterproof case, so you might want to take care of your settings before you seal up the camera. Make sure to choose a case designed to work specifically for your camera model — you don't want to ruin your expensive camera by using the wrong housing.

Underwater light

As anyone who's worn swim goggles can probably attest, water does funny things to both light and distance. It makes things appear closer than they are, and of course everything will have that lovely blue tinge that comes with the underwater territory.

You might find you like the blue tint, but if you'd prefer a bit more daylight color to your photos, try using the camera's flash. Not only will it brighten your photographs, it will also let you use a faster shutter speed, making it easier to capture movement. You might need to use a forced flash setting, if the camera thinks it has plenty of light without the flash. If at all possible, use an external strobe rather than the on-camera flash — it will reduce backscatter, which is caused by the light reflecting off particles in the water.

Up close and personal

In general, get as close to your subject as possible when shooting underwater. That's not something you can do if you're photographing, say, sharks, but try to get as close as reasonably safe. The more water between you and your subject, the more distortion and the less color, contrast, and clarity you'll find in your photo.

Don't forget the basic rules of composition just because you're underwater! Bear in mind that you're also moving around in three dimensions of space, which isn't often the case on land. Try to get down to eye level with your subject, rather than shooting from above. Most fish have eyes on the side of their heads, so shooting them from the side will yield a much more interesting picture.

Know your gear and the water

It may sound obvious, but be sure you know how to swim before you try to take photos underwater! If you'll be snorkeling or scuba diving, brush up on your skills before you bring the camera with you. Remember, you'll have at least one hand busy with the camera, so moving around and keeping yourself still to take pictures is a bit trickier.