Photo Tip: Underwater Photography

FOUR TIPS FOR GETTING GREAT UNDERWATER SHOTS

This week’s photo tip is a quick one…

Take a look at these two pictures submitted for this month’s photo challenge theme — Fins, Fangs, Feathers and Fur…
(click here to see the picture)

Underwater photography can be fun and you don’t need expensive equipment to do it. A simple disposable, waterproof point-and-shoot camera with a flash will work fine.

Here are some things to keep in mind…

** 1. Unlike regular outdoor photography, mid-day sun is perfect for underwater photography. The more sun the better. You need a lot of light to stop action in a fish or fellow snorkeler so the closer you are to the surface (where the light is strongest), and the brighter the day, the better.
** 2. Use the Rule of Thirds when you’re framing your shot. See this issue on Improving your photos with the Rule of Thirds: http://tinyurl.com/343f8j
** 3. Get in close. A lot of those disposable underwater cameras make things appear farther away than they are. Get in close to get the shot.
** 4. Watch for patterns (and interrupted patterns) and colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. For advice about exactly how, see http://tinyurl.com/343f8j and http://tinyurl.com/2g73zg

Of course, if you’re really into underwater photography, you’ll find all kinds of special equipment out there — expensive cameras, waterproof bags with a special lens hole so you can use the camera you have underwater, etc. But if you apply the tips I mentioned here, you can get great shots without spending a lot on gear.

[Editor’s Note: Learn more about opportunities to profit from your travels (and even from your own home) in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel.]