TRAIN:^
IMAGING76 / SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 SCUBADIVING.COMTIP 1
BASICS MATTERWorkshops get the enthusi-
asm and creative juices flow-
ing, but it is important for
photography to be based on
solid technical foundations.
And this starts with an area
that too many photographers
ignore: diving skills. A good
diver with a basic camera
will always get much better
shots than a poor diver with
a fancy system.
While diving qualifications
are always valuable under-
water, what really matters for
photography is your stability
and maneuverability in the
water with a camera in hand.
A clumsy diver will stir upsediment, spook more crea-
tures, potentially harm sen-
sitive marine life, and find it
harder to frame and focus on
a subject.
Most keen photographers
are experienced divers who
often think their skills are
fully formed. Yet I see plenty
who have good photos and
hundreds of logged dives but
would have even better shots
if they worked on their diving
skills. My advice is to speak to
a dive instructor about work-
ing on in-water technique,
booking them for one-on-one
coaching rather than a for-
mal certification.
It is important to take your
camera along because the
goal is developing your diving
technique with your camera.OPEN THE
FLOODGATES
Common fixes for avid photographers looking
to get over the hump
BY ALEX MUSTARDU
nderwater photography workshops have never been more
popular. Photographers tend to shoot far better pictures
alongside like-minded divers at sites selected by an experi-
enced group leader who shares tips and techniques for win-
ning images. While the photographers who join my workshops
have a wide range of equipment, they are all united by one goal:
to move on to the next level. Over the years I’ve seen common
mistakes enthusiastic shooters make and noted the fixes
needed to push them over the hump.»
Nature photographers
using bokeh patterns like
this behind plants caught
my attention, inspiring me
to incorporate the effect in
my underwater pictures.