Taking photos under water - the best tips

Take impressive pictures with underwater photos. In this practical photo tip, we show you how photography works best and what you need.

Photos under water: preparation is half the battle

Basically, you need an underwater camera or a housing for your digital or SLR camera.

It is particularly important that you have fully charged your battery before the dive, because of course it is not possible to change the battery under water.
Before you go into the water with your camera, you should check the housing: is it really tight? Make sure that your housing is also designed for your camera, so you avoid problems during operation.
Optimal: Take an external flash with you so that you can shoot objects from a slightly oblique top. This avoids unsightly illuminated particles in front of the lens.
Choose the right time for your dive. The best time is at lunchtime because the sun is perpendicular to the sea. Also pay attention to a cloudless sky, so that as much light as possible comes into the depths.

It is best to set the camera settings above water so that you can get started straight away. You are not as flexible under water.

If you cannot adjust the white balance yourself, use the "Shadow" option or similar. You can use it to correct the blue cast under water.
The deeper you dive, the less light there is. Therefore, pay attention to a higher ISO setting - but only as much as necessary to keep the noise as low as possible.

In our workshop "Photographing traces of color under water we show how you can hold color gradients without getting wet.