Contributed by Tim Hochgrebe
Mathieu Meur is author of a number of books on underwater photography and will be conducting photography workshops as part of the 2011 Underwater Festival 2-11 September 2011.
Underwater conditions are not always ideal for underwater
photography. This doesn't mean that you should leave your camera behind
when faced with the prospects of low visibility. Some techniques can
prove very efficient in such conditions.
Being familiar with the dive site helps you understand which
subjects to look out for, and where to look for them.
Make sure to dive at a deliberately
slow pace, so as not to miss any
opportunities. Also, there's less chance that you'll scare your
subjects this way.
Angle your strobe(s) inward, aiming slightly behind your subject for
macro. Move them back behind the housing and aim slightly outward for
wide angle. This minimises backscatter.
Select lenses that focus close to the port, to reduce the amount of
water between you and the subjects.
This is oft repeated under any conditions, but is vital when
shooting in low visibility: get close!
If shooting in manual mode, set a large aperture. This reduces the
amount of strobe power required to light up your subject, which means
less backscatter. Selecting a higher ISO also achieves the same result.
Vertical visibility is better than sideways visibility. Shooting up will make the water appear clearer than it actually is, as more light comes through.
Instead of using strobe(s), take natural light or filter shots
instead. No backscatter guaranteed!
Should the worst happen, it is relatively easy to remove some
obvious spots of backscatter in Photoshop using the Healing Brush Tool.
The Levels or Curves tools can also help balance foreground and
background in case of problems due to poor conditions.
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