What are the underwater photography skills?

What are the underwater photography skills?

Underwater portrait photography has aroused great interest of photographers since its rise. The unpredictable light and shadow effects in the water and the vivid and dreamy visual effects brought by the current have been sought after by many photographers. The following is the information of underwater photography skills I have compiled for you for your reference!

Underwater photography skill one,

1, the difference between underwater photography

Visual misjudgment in water, because of the refraction of light, the distance between objects in water looks closer than the actual distance 1/4, which makes the objects look bigger 1/3, and it is easy for photographers to misjudge the distance.

The change of color temperature disappears at the water depth of about 6 meters, and the yellow color disappears at about 19 meters. The deeper the water is, the higher the color temperature is. However, since the light intensity decreases with the water depth, it is not recommended to use a color temperature correction filter, but an artificial light source should be used to increase the light intensity and correct the color temperature, such as a flash lamp. And the reasonable use of manual white balance for mediation.

Suspended particles in water The light in water is atomized by the reflection between suspended particles, which will produce sharp photos. Especially when the flash is used, the phenomenon will be aggravated and even light spots will appear. Here are five suggestions: minimize exercise and avoid raising bottom sand; Try to get close to the subject and shorten the distance between the subject and the lens; You can use backlight to shoot silhouette pictures upwards; The middle layer of the water layer is clearer than the water meter and the bottom; Adjusting the flash to an angle of 45 degrees can not only avoid the refraction of light to the lens, but also simplify the background.

2. The use of underwater light sources

The closer you get to the subject, the better. The shorter the distance, the thinner the water layer from the lens to the subject, so that a clearer picture can be obtained, and at the same time, the ability of the flash to correct the color temperature can be prevented from weakening because of the long distance.

Under the natural light source, the boundary of corrected color temperature (CC 30R) is within 8 meters of water depth.

When mixing light sources, we should pay attention to the visual differences caused by different color temperatures. Because the flash output is the standard color temperature, the color temperature outside the flash range is high, but if used properly, it can make the seawater appear bluer.

Single-point lighting is not as good as double-point lighting. Although sunlight is also a point light source, it can be regarded as a fully diffused light source because it is too far away, especially in the water layer, and spreads more evenly than on land. But the flash can be a standard point light source, and it is close to the main body, which is easy to make the main body produce shadows. If the flash is close to the optical axis of the lens, it is easy to make the reflection of suspended particles enter the negative film and produce small white bright spots. Therefore, it is suggested to use double lights and light at a 45-degree angle from left to right, which can obtain better stereoscopic effect and prevent shadows. If dual lamps cannot be used for various reasons, here is a suggestion: the single lamp is at a 45-degree angle on one side, and the other reflector is at a symmetrical position as supplementary light. The reflective plate can be replaced by the underwater recording plate, as long as it is a white strong reflective material. Due to the barrier of the water layer, the closer the reflector is to the subject, the better the light compensation effect will be.

3. Underwater wide-angle photography skills

Skills of using flash lamp

The greater the angle at which the photo is locked, the farther away the flash should be from the lens. A light with a flashing angle of 100 is suitable for this kind of shooting. If the angle is wide, especially when using fisheye lens, two flashlights are needed. In order to avoid floating dust, flashlights must be placed horizontally or vertically. Underwater, the performance of floating dust in wide-angle lens is much stronger than that in telephoto lens, which also determines the particularity of lamps placement. So try to keep the light away from the lens, killing two birds with one stone. The ideal data is that when using a 20 mm lens (about 96 degrees shooting angle), the lamp should be mounted on a 2 x 400mm lamp arm. When the angle is wide, use 2 x 600mm lamp arm; When using a fisheye lens, use a 2 x 400mm lamp arm.

Wide-angle landscape photography

Fisheye lens is the most suitable. Generally, when shooting such subjects, the light is mixed and changeable. Exposure depends on the ambient light at the scene, and the flash is only a supplement. Never use TTL mode. In order to show the perspective effect, choose a lower position and point the lens slightly to the water for shooting. Avoid shooting underwater landscapes from top to bottom like a bird's eye view, otherwise your photos will be a large plane without any contrast and clarity.

Wide angle portrait

The portrait was taken with a 20mm lens at a distance of about 1 m, and you will get a full-body photo of the diver with clear details.

The fisheye lens is not suitable for this kind of shooting because it is too deformed. When using flash lighting, don't forget to consider the ambient light to create the surrounding environment.

The golden rule of wide-angle photography

The shooting method of wide-angle lens is completely different from other long-focus lenses ―― as close as possible is the only rule for successful shooting of large films.

The position of the flash lamp is very important for reducing the reflection of floating dust and distributing the light evenly. The wider the lens angle, the farther away the lamp should be from the lens.

A wide-angle lens can give you a very large depth of field, and it is unnecessary to use an aperture smaller than f8. A larger aperture allows you to absorb more ambient light and get rid of the bulky flash.

In wide-angle shooting, the foreground lighting is given to the flash, and the rest lighting is taken care of by the ambient light. It takes some time to study the skills and short-term effects of several organic light combinations.

The first step in the combination of ambient light and flash is to extend the shutter time, perhaps 1/60 seconds to 1/30 seconds, or even115 seconds. This shows that ASA 100 (ISO 100) film is a better choice-it allows you to use the appropriate shutter speed even in dark ambient light, such as in the deep.

For wide-angle photography, the best condition is that the sea water is clear and sunny, which can give enough ambient light. So take a wide-angle shot into the water when the sun is shining, and leave the macro to those rainy days.

Wide-angle lens is a sharp weapon to shoot divers, because even at a close distance, you can take a full-body photo of divers. If there is only one diver in the photo, please be careful not to exceed 100 degrees, otherwise there will be serious deformation.

A good wide-angle photo should also have three parts: close shot, middle shot and distant background.

4, underwater macro photography skills

Lighting lamp and its position

The traditional macro lighting method is front lighting. Putting the flash directly above the camera can ensure that the subject can have good lighting in most cases. In some cases, front lighting and side lighting are combined to emphasize some specific functions.

Exposure; expose

To minimize the aperture, a 50/60mm macro lens and a flash with a flash index of 1 1 (GN value -translator) are suitable. When shooting with 100mm/ 105mm macro head, the flash output should be doubled. This can be achieved by using two lamps. The special macro flash can provide a suitable color temperature of 5600K, so the color reproduction is good and easy to carry and control. Wide-angle flash is used for long-distance lighting, its color temperature is relatively low, and its color tone will be orange or red.

hole

In view of the short depth of field of the macro lens, it is necessary to properly select the focal length, and at the same time, of course, keep a small aperture f22 or even f32. When shooting a plane object, the camera should be parallel to the plane object.

Underwater photography skills II

1, water absorbs various colors, such as red, orange, yellow and so on. That's why your underwater photography looks blue when you don't use flash or flash. The deeper you dive, the more colors the water absorbs, so we often say that the depths of the sea are black.

2. Portable camera with built-in flash can be used to add color to your underwater shooting.

3. Professional diving photographers usually buy external flash or strongpoint as a means to add color.

4, water will reduce the contrast, color, clarity, so when shooting underwater, the distance between your camera and the subject should be kept within 1 meter, or even closer.

Explanation of some commonly used underwater photography terms

1, flash/flash (flash/flash)

Especially important is the underwater photographer, which can be used to provide a complete spectrum source. Flash or flash can be built-in or external to provide more light.

2. Underwater houses

Waterproof shell, as the name implies, is to add a waterproof protective shell to your camera, which can protect your camera from water and let you shoot underwater. According to different camera brands and models, there are many kinds of waterproof cases to choose from. Of course, the more professional the camera, the more expensive the waterproof case and the better the protection effect.

3. O-ring

Waterproof sealing rubber ring. The stroboscopic and waterproof casing will have several O-rings for waterproof effect.

4. Background light

Underwater photography, also known as natural light, is usually a mixture of ambient light and flash.

5. Low power camera lens

Used to move slowly in the water to find small marine life and shoot it at close range.

6. Wide angle lens

It is used to photograph large marine creatures close to each other. Without a wide-angle lens, the contrast and color of underwater photography will be poor.

7. Backscattering

Small spots caused by using flash lights, sand and plankton in the water will be reflected in your underwater photography. They may look like dust on the lens or camera, but they are not.

8.TTL technology &; optical cable

TTL is a technology that can automatically set the flash/strobe value and keep the setting value relatively correct. Optical cable is a simple cable that can transmit light, synchronize cameras and flashlights.

More basic knowledge of underwater shadows

1. In underwater photography, it is very important to use flash and strobe. It can not only be used as a light source when diving, but also plays a vital role in underwater photography, so many professional underwater photographers will bring an extra flash/strobe when shooting. Buying an external flash is the best way to improve the quality of underwater photos. Of course, if there is no external flash, it will be a beautiful work to turn on the forced flash mode, get close to the shooting target and take some macro shots.

2. Try to shoot from a lower angle or eye level, instead of shooting those cute little creatures from above.

It is very important to practice snorkeling and diving skills before shooting in water, whether for your life safety or shooting effect.

4. Use automatic white balance when using flash/flash, and use custom white balance or camera built-in underwater shooting mode when not using flash/flash.

5. Learn how to use manual mode or aperture priority mode, which allows you to control the balance between natural light and flash.

6. A telephoto lens for underwater photography is really not a good choice. Light cannot travel in water as it does in air. Even if the naked eye can see creatures at a certain distance, what can be captured at this distance is only darkness for the lens, and usually the flash or portable lighting equipment can't reach a long distance. In addition, long-distance shooting will also reduce the color and clarity of the work. So underwater photography, wide-angle and macro lenses are the best choices.

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