Technique/Tutorial

Underwater photo tutorials, techniques and tips for all types of underwater photo and video, including macro, supermacro, wide-angle, composition and best camera gear.

These are the hidden benefits of using an external monitor/recorder for underwater video
By Nirupam Nigam

External Underwater Video Monitors & Recorders

External Underwater Video Monitors & Recorders
Nirupam Nigam
These are the hidden benefits of using an external monitor/recorder for underwater video

As underwater videography becomes more accessible, some of the tools that have previously only been used by professionals are becoming more mainstream. External recorders and monitors are essential tools for any underwater video shooter who wants to take full advantage of the data that their camera is collecting.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nirupam Nigam is the Editor-in-Chief of the Underwater Photography Guide and the President of Bluewater Photo - the world's top underwater photo & video retailer. While growing up in Los Angeles he fell in love with the ocean and pursued underwater photography in the local Channel Islands. After receiving degrees in Aquatic and Fisheries Science and General Biology, as well as a minor in Arctic Studies, Nirupam worked as a fisheries observer on vessels in the Bering Sea and North Pacific. Since then, Nirupam has been a full time underwater photographer and photo gear head. Check out more of his photography at www.photosfromthesea.com!

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


A discussion on strobe trigger methods from TTL to Flash Triggers to Sync Cords to Fiber Optic Cables
By Nirupam Nigam

How to Fire Your Underwater Strobes

How to Fire Your Underwater Strobes
Nirupam Nigam
A discussion on strobe trigger methods from TTL to Flash Triggers to Sync Cords to Fiber Optic Cables

The terminology, method, and discussion around firing underwater strobes is needlessly complicated. There are also many misconceptions regarding what method for firing a strobe is "best." The goal of this article is to dispel any myths and explain the science and terminology behind strobe triggering in simple terms.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nirupam Nigam is the Editor-in-Chief of the Underwater Photography Guide and the President of Bluewater Photo - the world's top underwater photo & video retailer. While growing up in Los Angeles he fell in love with the ocean and pursued underwater photography in the local Channel Islands. After receiving degrees in Aquatic and Fisheries Science and General Biology, as well as a minor in Arctic Studies, Nirupam worked as a fisheries observer on vessels in the Bering Sea and North Pacific. Since then, Nirupam has been a full time underwater photographer and photo gear head. Check out more of his photography at www.photosfromthesea.com!

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


Snoot photography is about more than just black backgrounds
By Nirupam Nigam

The Hidden Bokeh Benefit of Snoot Photography

The Hidden Bokeh Benefit of Snoot Photography
Nirupam Nigam
Snoot photography is about more than just black backgrounds

Snoots are versatile tools for underwater photography that allow photographers to isolate their subjects with a dramatic flare. A snoot is a tool that is placed over the head of your strobe or video light that condenses or isolates the light output into a small shape. This allows you to place light only on your subject without light getting into the background of the image. Often using a snoot will result in a nice black background that many photographers crave.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nirupam Nigam is the Editor-in-Chief of the Underwater Photography Guide and the President of Bluewater Photo - the world's top underwater photo & video retailer. While growing up in Los Angeles he fell in love with the ocean and pursued underwater photography in the local Channel Islands. After receiving degrees in Aquatic and Fisheries Science and General Biology, as well as a minor in Arctic Studies, Nirupam worked as a fisheries observer on vessels in the Bering Sea and North Pacific. Since then, Nirupam has been a full time underwater photographer and photo gear head. Check out more of his photography at www.photosfromthesea.com!

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


The Top Underwater Settings for the Sony A7S III Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera
By Nirupam Nigam

Sony A7S III Underwater Settings

Sony A7S III Underwater Settings
Nirupam Nigam
The Top Underwater Settings for the Sony A7S III Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera

Sony A7S III Underwater Settings

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nirupam Nigam is the Editor-in-Chief of the Underwater Photography Guide and the President of Bluewater Photo - the world's top underwater photo & video retailer. While growing up in Los Angeles he fell in love with the ocean and pursued underwater photography in the local Channel Islands. After receiving degrees in Aquatic and Fisheries Science and General Biology, as well as a minor in Arctic Studies, Nirupam worked as a fisheries observer on vessels in the Bering Sea and North Pacific. Since then, Nirupam has been a full time underwater photographer and photo gear head. Check out more of his photography at www.photosfromthesea.com!

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


By UWPG Staff

Why Smartphones Could be the Future of Underwater Photo and Video

Why Smartphones Could be the Future of Underwater Photo and Video
UWPG Staff

People have been talking about smartphones taking over the camera market for years. But will they actually become viable replacements for entry-level cameras, particular underwater cameras? For all intents and purposes, it's looking more and more like this could be the case. Earlier this year, Olympus sold its imaging business to Japan Industrial Partners (JIP).

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


The best settings for shooting photo and video with the Canon EOS R5
By Nirupam Nigam

Canon EOS R5 Underwater Settings

Canon EOS R5 Underwater Settings
Nirupam Nigam
The best settings for shooting photo and video with the Canon EOS R5

The Canon EOS R5 is a camera that has it all - 8K internal RAW recording, 45 megapixel still images, 4K video at 120 fps, 5 axsis in-body image-stabilization...you really couldn't as for a better camera. As with any camera packed with tons of great features, it can be a little daunting when you first hold the R5 in your hands. Thankfully, we've done all the hard work for our readers during multiple dives with the R5.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nirupam Nigam is the Editor-in-Chief of the Underwater Photography Guide and the President of Bluewater Photo - the world's top underwater photo & video retailer. While growing up in Los Angeles he fell in love with the ocean and pursued underwater photography in the local Channel Islands. After receiving degrees in Aquatic and Fisheries Science and General Biology, as well as a minor in Arctic Studies, Nirupam worked as a fisheries observer on vessels in the Bering Sea and North Pacific. Since then, Nirupam has been a full time underwater photographer and photo gear head. Check out more of his photography at www.photosfromthesea.com!

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


Tips on shooting Pygmy Seahorse
By Mark Hatter

Photographing Pygmy Seahorses

Photographing Pygmy Seahorses
Mark Hatter
Tips on shooting Pygmy Seahorse

In the world of underwater macro photography, few subjects are so perfectly suited for spectacular one-to-one macro image capture than the venerable pygmy seahorse.  These are tiny animals.  The largest species measure a mere 3/4” with the smallest measuring an astounding 1/4” as full-sized adults.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


Tips for working with a model underwater
By Robert Bailey

Top tips for working with a model underwater

Top tips for photographing models underwater
Robert Bailey
Tips for working with a model underwater

I was in London some years back listening to a presentation by David Doubilet. Being with the foremost underwater photographer in the world (at the time) you paid careful attention to every word. One thing that really stuck with me was his philosophy about underwater image making.  His goal was to leave the viewer with a feeling of what it’s like being underwater. He likened being underwater to how an astronaut might feel in space.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robert has worked professionally on commercial television sets doing production photography, shot modern dance for the art department at the University of Calgary, and has worked in a freelance capacity shooting a variety of subjects. Rob worked as a NAUI scuba instructor, and then instructor trainer for the University of Calgary from 1993-1999. He is still an avid diver, and never dives without a camera. 


He moved to Europe in the late 1990s and now resides in the UK. 

 

Robert has enjoyed success in both national and international underwater photography competitions over the years. As a result his images have been published in national magazines, books, scientific publications, and newspapers in the UK. He’s an active committee member for the British Society of Underwater Photographers (BSoUP), and the website administrator for the Bristol Underwater Photography Group (BUPG). He’s written several articles for national dive magazines, and often gives presentations on his own underwater photography and photographic technique for photographic clubs in the UK. 

 

Robert worked as a technical specialist, and then technical account manager in the IT industry for many years, and now works part time as a photographer, and full time as editor for the Underwater Photography Guide. 

 

You can see more of Robert's work at www.robertbaileyphotography.com

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


A review of the best underwater camera housings for the underwater photographer.
By Robert Bailey

Best Underwater Housing Brands

Best Underwater Housing Brands
Robert Bailey
A review of the best underwater camera housings for the underwater photographer.

Underwater photographers in days gone by had to invent their own camera housing solutions, because they didn’t exist. Today we surf the web, and are daunted by the myriad of choices available to us. Manufacturers have already anticipated our needs, and they try to out do each other on one aspect or another, in hopes of attracting a buyer. At the end of the day all manufacturers of underwater camera housings set out to perform the same basic functions. In the first place creating a box, or a bag to keep your camera dry.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robert has worked professionally on commercial television sets doing production photography, shot modern dance for the art department at the University of Calgary, and has worked in a freelance capacity shooting a variety of subjects. Rob worked as a NAUI scuba instructor, and then instructor trainer for the University of Calgary from 1993-1999. He is still an avid diver, and never dives without a camera. 


He moved to Europe in the late 1990s and now resides in the UK. 

 

Robert has enjoyed success in both national and international underwater photography competitions over the years. As a result his images have been published in national magazines, books, scientific publications, and newspapers in the UK. He’s an active committee member for the British Society of Underwater Photographers (BSoUP), and the website administrator for the Bristol Underwater Photography Group (BUPG). He’s written several articles for national dive magazines, and often gives presentations on his own underwater photography and photographic technique for photographic clubs in the UK. 

 

Robert worked as a technical specialist, and then technical account manager in the IT industry for many years, and now works part time as a photographer, and full time as editor for the Underwater Photography Guide. 

 

You can see more of Robert's work at www.robertbaileyphotography.com

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


A 5 step post process workflow for Adobe Photoshop
By Jenna Szerlag

Best Photoshop Tips for Underwater Photography

Jenna Szerlag
A 5 step post process workflow for Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop is Adobe’s powerhouse for editing underwater photos. Layering images together for split view composites or designing a new logo from scratch are just a couple of examples of what Photoshop can do. But it's also a breeze to do popular adjustments on your underwater photos from contrast to correcting underwater white balance. Whatever your vision is, the ideas are endless and so are the capabilities of Photoshop! 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As a long-time Hawaii resident, Jenna moved to Maui in 2002 to pursue her interest in diving. Discovering the beauty of the islands and the desire to show it to the world led Jenna into her passion for nature photography. She pursued her education by attending hands-on workshops and conferences with respected educators mastering the camera topside before taking her photography underwater.  

Jenna is a certified Hawaii Marine Naturalist and enjoys travel and adventure. Her images have been published in Forbes Magazine, Travel and Leisure, calendars and several other publications. She has been a professional contributor for Pacific Stock since 2012, the largest worldwide curated stock photography agency exclusive to the Hawaii and Asia Pacific Regions. You can find her images at www.jennaszerlag.com and on Instagram @seaofphotos.

 

SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:

The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear

 

Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!

 


The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips

 

Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.

 


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