[http://www.underwaterphotographie.com]
Keep in mind that underwater photography obeys imperatives which hardens its task when compared to terrestrial photography. Numerous parameters need to be taken into account when you decide to go further in shooting underwater: the automatic mode of you camera as well as pre-settings have their limits. Light is certainly the main parameter. As it decreases with depth, artificial light is required as soon as you have reached around 5/6 meters. (depending on the brightness) this is one of the reasons for which I think that 10 meters in depth offers freediver photographers a sufficient space for pleasure and entertainment While freediving, the quality of light depends on a variety of factors : sun position (aprox. 10am/2pm would be the best slot), sky appearance (cloudy/clear), water transparency, depth, fish reflection (rather silver or dark), the environment in which the fish stands (cavity, open water...), ... Two problems add themselves to the brightness constraint which forces you to slow the shutter speed : the speed of the fish (make sure to avoid any blurring effect, try not to set your camera below 1/50'') and the nearness (be careful of the depth of field while using wide appertures).
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1- My point of view 2 - Apnea, freediving or snorkeling ? 3 - Freediving and photography : the material 4 - Practice of apnea 5 - Practice of underwater photoraphy 6 - Approaching fish
Practice of underwater photography Shooting underwater implying a descending movement the idea is thus to be able to feel at ease with camera handling as well as moving underwater while free-diving. Photography on the surface is not to be banned yet it is likely to give very average results if it is not carried out at very shallow depth or if it is not aimed at a flatfish like a Ray.
Personally I focus on speed, diaphragm and light measures (for instance the spot measure often turn out to be very interesting) Concearning the white balance, I use my own presets, I also happen to bet on the Exposition Value (-1 EV) to avoid over exposition (or burnt effect) on the picture. I do not venture to raise the ISO value to compensate for the lack of light, taking into account the 'noisy' nature of digital cameras with tiny sensors and especially mine ! As a consequence most of my pictures are set to 80/100 ISO. A freediver has to manage this set of shot parameters in no time. In the end this further difficulty generously contributes to the pleasure given by this activity as it only add spice to the venture. Free-diving also have its assets like fish approach. If you wish to further your knowledge of underwater photography techniques, I highly recommend Pierre Courtys' excellent website : http://perso.orange.fr/pcourty/
Underwater photography and free diving
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6 - Approaching fish
Certain flat fish as this enormous Ray can be taken from surface (even here a wide angle was needed)
PHOTOGRAPHY AND FREEDIVING
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