Underwater portrait photography skills

Lead: Why do so many people want to shoot underwater with their cameras? As photographers, we know that there are fewer and fewer opportunities to take amazing photos on familiar land. Therefore, we hope to take photos taken by haunted people and consider them from the perspective that others have not considered. Therefore, there is no world more in line with this concept than the underwater world: there are more than 90% oceans to be explored, which contain many unknown fields and mean more opportunities.

Underwater photography is not just diving into the dark abyss. In fact, many amazing opportunities exist in swimming pools or shallow lakes around us. Underwater portrait photography is as colorful as those that photograph marine life in the most remote diving destinations. You can add underwater engagement to your wedding portfolio, add underwater ballet to your high school photo portfolio, or hold a summer family gathering in the backyard swimming pool. Besides, don't forget those gorgeous and light maternal scenes, which can only be completed in the water.

Choosing the Right Equipment for Underwater Portrait Photography

Underwater portrait photography is unique, interesting and challenging. Your minimum equipment requirements are a camera, a wide-angle lens and a camera waterproof case.

camera

If you can start with a full-frame camera with low sensitivity, it will be your best choice, but if you start shooting with an entry-level SLR or even a card machine, there will be a corresponding solution.

camera lens

Wide-angle lens is necessary, but it is best not to use fisheye lens to avoid distortion caused by fisheye lens. A wide-angle lens with a small focal length can bring you closer to the subject. The less water there is between the camera and the subject, the clearer the image will be. If you use a card camera, be sure to attach a wide-angle wet lens so that the viewing angle of the lens exceeds 140 degrees.

Waterproof shell

You don't need a loan to buy a camera waterproof shell, but you should choose to buy a waterproof shell with excellent waterproof performance and convenient underwater handling performance. Don't buy that waterproof plastic camera bag! There are many brands of waterproof housings on the market, which have proved to be reliable, easy to operate and allow us to easily adjust my camera settings.

Keep it simple

At the beginning, you don't need to pay too much attention to equipment such as off-board flash or high-brightness video fill light. Focus on using available light (natural light is often used in water) and develop your style accordingly. So, what you need to start with is a camera, a wide-angle lens and a reliable waterproof shell.

Tips for underwater portrait shooting 1: Respect the underwater environment.

First of all, we should realize that underwater shooting is a dangerous environment and respect it. If you shoot in the sea, pay attention to the laws of water flow and tides, and any potentially dangerous animals (such as jellyfish) may be encountered, so you need to take necessary preventive measures there. Even in the swimming pool, you should make sure that your model is as comfortable as possible. If they wear something that may hinder their swimming ability, don't go too deep. Remember, never underestimate the environment.

Skill 2 of underwater portrait shooting: learn to breathe correctly.

Whether it is a photographer or a model, it is best to bring less equipment when you first come into contact with underwater portrait photography, and you can start with snorkeling in the pool. Usually, our first thought before diving may be to take a deep breath. In fact, a lot of air in your lungs will make you too buoyant, and you will float on the water. On the contrary, by properly releasing the air in the lungs (which requires a little practice), you will be comfortably suspended below the water surface, and when we feel that our bodies are short of oxygen, we can swim out of the water surface quickly.

Skill 3 of underwater portrait shooting: semi-automatic shooting mode

Perhaps you have deeply thought that all great photographers shoot in manual mode. But not all. The technology of your camera is developing rapidly, so when you start in a new environment, using "aperture priority" or "shutter priority" can let you focus on framing and composition shooting instead of spending time adjusting settings. If the cloud blocks your sunshine for a second, do you really have to stop when your model holds its breath and manually adjusts the settings?

Underwater portrait shooting skill 4: take more photos.

Although this is a cliche in many types of photography, taking more photos will help you choose the best one because you and the model are relatively moving underwater.

Underwater portrait shooting tip 5: find high-quality light.

Water greatly reduces the amount of light reaching the camera sensor, so if you don't have enough budget to buy a complete light compensation device at first, just make sure there is enough ambient light when shooting. Of course, if shooting in open water, choosing the best shooting time of the day (morning or dusk) can also make your picture have more light elements.

Summary:

For land photographers, underwater photography seems to be an unreasonable adventure. On the surface, it looks expensive and terrible, but in fact it is just like any other form of photography. What is really needed is a little curiosity and a lot of practice. But just as portrait photography on land is a unique photography, portrait photography in water is also full of uncertainty and its unique charm.