Underwater Photography Tips to Photograph Humans

Underwater photography is a lot more fun than you can imagine. Underwater is a whole new world of amazing things including corals, fish, plants, etc. If you have had your fill of photographing fish, corals, and underwater plants, then it is time you switch to photographing humans underwater. Shooting on land is one thing, but a whole different ballgame to click images underwater. Don't worry, we didn't mean to scare you. With the underwater photography tips listed below, you would be able to make some amazing pictures of humans underwater.

You might have researched a lot of underwater photography tips by now, but the tips listed here are simple to understand and easy to follow. Most of the underwater photography tips are filled with jargon and technicalities but here, we have tried our level best to simplify them for better understanding.

Clicking with models – professionals, or simply your friends—can be a creatively satisfying activity since you can control the poses and expressions. That is something you cannot do with aquatic life in the sea.

So take the plunge and go through these tips which will help you click some amazing images underwater.

Underwater Photography Tips to Photograph Humans

1. The first thing to take care of is communication. Your model needs to clearly understand what you want, and since it is impossible to shout out instructions underwater, hand signals will come to your rescue. Practice all signals before you dive in. If that is not working out, use a slate to convey written messages.

2. Do your research before you take the camera underwater. Do a mock photoshoot, but without the camera. Swim around with your model to identify which are the best possible positions, poses, and angles to capture what you need. It will also give you an idea of the kind of natural light present, and whether you need reinforcements in that area.  

3. Breathing is important, even while underwater. Fewer bubbles make the shot look clean, and it’s natural to want to hold your breath as long as possible to help create a great shot, but comfort and safety come first. Holding your breath should not reflect into a weird expression on your face.

4. Sheer fabrics like organza flow well in the water behind or around your subject while adding a splash of color to your photograph. You can buy fabric by the yard or use sheer curtains. For clothing lighter weight fabrics that “flow” in bright bold colors usually work best.  

5. Under the surface of the water, the deeper you go, colors will start fading, especially red. So try not to go too deep and stick to within a couple of inches of the surface. That will also ensure that natural or ambient light is in plenty. And the model is going to need to breath every now and then, so frequent trips to the surface to catch some air won’t take up a lot of your time if you are not that far down anyway.

If you have some underwater photography tips, please do share with us at community@picbackman.com