K
NOWNAS GOLDMINES
ofbiodiversity,rockpools
are fantasticplacesto
explorewithyourcamera.
Asthehometo a range
ofcreatures,includingfish,
snails,crabsandstarfish,
you couldcomeawaywitha portfolio
filledwithunderwaterwildlifeshots.
Shootfromabovewater
Mostcamerasaredesignedto be kept
firmlyon dryland,butthatdoesn’tmean
you can’tcaptureimagesof thewildlife
residingin rockpools.If youdon’twant
todisturbthemarinelife,it’spossible
toshootfromabovethesurfaceof the
water.To avoidcapturingreflections,
attacha polariserto yourlens.This
handyfilterremovespolarisedlight
fr omyourimage,whichwillreduce
reflectionsandglare.
Ifyou’reexploringtherockpools
witha friend,partneror child,takethe
opportunityto capturesomeportraits.
Whileyoursubjectis interactingwith
the creaturestheyfindin therockpool,
snapawaywithyourcamerato capture
actionshots.Usea wideapertureof
aroundf/4anda shutterspeedof at
le ast1/125sec.Ensureyou’reworkingin
si ngle-pointAF modeandusetheD-pad
onthebackof thecamerato placeyour
fo cuspointon yoursubjectbefore
pressingtheshutterbutton.
It ’s importantthatbothyouandyour
modelalwaysremainrespectfulof the
creaturesresidingin therockpool.Don’t
keepthemoutof thewaterfortoolong
and don’tprodor pokethemso thatthey
becomestressed.It’salsoveryimportant
toexercisea ‘leaveno trace’policyand
returneveryrock,creatureandshellto
exactlywhereyoufoundit.
COMB ROCK POOLS
TO FIND CREATURES
PROJECT #3
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 65
Fromindustry-leadingkit suchas the
GoProHero7Blackto underwater
di sposablefilmcameras,it’sneverbeen
easierto exploretheworldbeneath
th e water’ssurface.Buthowcanyou
guaranteethebestresults?Wildlife
photographyis primarilyaboutpatience.
If youmovetoofastor toonoisily,you’ll
sc areyoursubjectsaway.Instead,dip
yourcameraslowlyintothewaterand
le aveit submergedfora whileto allowthe
cr eaturesto becomeacclimatisedto your
pr esence.Oncetheyfeelcomfortable,
you’llbe ableto capturetheirnatural
behaviour.
The quality
ofyourfinal
imagewill dependon
theenvironmentandlighting.
Lookforrockpoolswithclearwaterand
av oidstirringup sediment,as thiswill
cr eatea cloudyeffect.A bright,sunny
day will helpyouachievevibrantresults.
However,evenin theclearestof water,
you canstillstruggleto achievea crisp
finish.In theedit,youcanboostshots
usingtheClaritysliderin AdobeCamera
Raw to removehazein theimage.
USE UNDERWATER CAMERAS
Above& left
Use a wide
aperture,such
asf/4,to render
th e subject
sharpand
bl uroutthe
background.
GEAR ADVICE
DAISY DAISY
STEVE TAYLOR
ANDREW PEARSON
