Introduction to the basic principle of underwater photography mechanism

Lead: Many people like underwater photography. In fact, the composition method of underwater photography is similar to that of ordinary composition method. Let's take a look together.

What is a composition?

The basic definition of composition is how to arrange the elements in your photos. Composition and light are extremely important parts of a photo. The most important thing is to integrate your own creativity into the composition. There is no right or wrong composition. This is an art rather than a science.

? Only good photos, no guidelines for good photos? Ansel? Adams

In other words, some composition methods are easier to satisfy the audience, and proper combination will enhance the impact of the theme on the audience.

Composition is not just what you see.

Novice photographers often start shooting when they see a subject they like. Taking some time to think about how this theme looks best in the whole environment can greatly improve its visual impact.

This article will provide some basic composition skills to help improve your photos. Many technologies are not limited to underwater photography. These basic principles will become the starting point for cultivating photographers' creative vision.

Stop flapping your dorsal fin and back.

When diving, we are in a three-dimensional world. When we swim across coral, we usually look down at the creatures below. Don't shoot from this angle, usually you need to shoot from below the fish, or at least shoot at the horizontal position of the fish, so the picture will be more pleasing to the eye. So, always remember to shoot lower before shooting, you have shot enough dorsal fin!

Another common mistake is to scare your subject, because fish can swim faster than you, so you can never catch up. In the end, only the back of the fish can be photographed. Be patient and take time to wait until you can face the subject directly. I will talk about eyes later, and eyes are also a very important part.

Keep the whole theme

Avoid cutting off the edges of the subject in the picture. Some photos don't need to contain the whole subject, usually some creative macro photography, shooting a certain part of the subject. If your picture can't cover the whole theme, cutting off a part of the main body will make people subconsciously feel that the object is incomplete.

The octopus in the picture gives people a sharp feeling, but unfortunately the octopus is missing a part of its body.

Focus on the eyes

Some people say that the most important thing in wildlife photography is to ensure that the eyes of the subjects are sharp enough. Lack of focus means that people who look at photos will lose focus. Humans can express many feelings through their eyes. When we talk to people, we look into each other's eyes. So the eye part in the photo can naturally attract people's attention. Especially when taking high-magnification macro photos or shallow depth-of-field photos with large aperture, eye focusing is very important. Fortunately, the contrast of eyes is often high, and autofocus can be locked.

Even if the rest are in Jiao Wai, their eyes must be sharp enough.

Give the fish room to swim.

In fact, any subject, or potential subject, should leave enough space for them. If the moving object is close to the edge, it will subconsciously give people an uncomfortable feeling.

This fish feels that it is going to swim out of the country, giving people an uncomfortable feeling.

This is a copy of the same fish in the picture above, so it looks much more comfortable.

Introduction to the Basic Principles of Underwater Photographic Composition

trichotomy

Trigonometry is also the golden rule of photographic composition. This rule stipulates that an image should be divided into three equal parts horizontally and vertically, and the important elements in the photo should be in focus.

Aim the diver's eyes near the intersection, which will make the photo more interesting.

You will notice that the key objects in most landscape photos are not in the middle of the picture, but near these bisectors. Trigonometry is mainly to prevent photographers from focusing on the middle of the picture, which will make the picture look boring.

The horizon is placed in the third part of the picture, not in the middle.

Lines, shapes and colors

Maomaojiao

Adding a diagonal line to the picture can make your photos more dynamic and make the audience more interested.

Gorgeous ghost fish uses diagonal composition.

Y-track

Lines on the sea floor are more common than you think. Effective use of these lines is helpful to improve the composition of photos. Different types of lines have different characteristics. For example, vertical lines are relatively rigid. If you want to emphasize the size of an object, such as a vat of sponge or a huge stalactite, they can better show the small fruit by shooting vertically.

This is the sharp-billed fish in the picture above, this time represented by vertical composition.

Horizontal composition means rest or leisure. Horizontal shooting of goby may imply that goby is motionless and perched on coral reefs.

It's the same fish. Horizontally, you can pay attention to the influence on the photos.