Popular Photography - "The World Below"

The first article I read in Popular Photography is titled "The World Below". Written by Jad Davenport, this article is all about the new advances in underwater photography as well as some tips for getting the lighting how you would like it and a few other tidbits of information. Davenport refers underwater as "the most hazardous and difficult shooting environment there is".

In shooting underwater photos there are many things to be aware of. First, shooting underwater, especially salt water which is particularly corrosive, will mess with your electronics in less time than you would imagine. Also there is the amount of pressure as you go down into the water. (Think of how your ears feel when you dive into the deep end of a pool. Now multiply that exponentially to get the amount of pressure in the depths of the sea.) To fix these problems manufactures have produced pressure- proof equipment that span the entire spectrum of camera gear. From ones made of plastic, polycarbonate to top-of-the-line aluminum for DSLRs.

Another obstacle that must be overcome is lighting. As you get deeper into the ocean some colors, such as red, are not visible. So getting color into coral and fish can be quite a challenge. "It's important to have a little light in order to add color and detail in an otherwise monochromatic scene" says photographer and marine conservationist Brian Skerry. He uses a heavy-duty Hartenburger 250 TTL strobes on articulated arms connected via sync cavles to his Nikon D3X and D3S bodies in aluminum Subal housings. Even the most powerful strobes lose about 1 stop of output for every foot they travel through. Sometimes there can even be too much light as well. Sometimes simply dialing your stobes down or moving them away from your subject help get the right balance of light.

The last topic covered in the article is titled "Macro Management". Here Davenport discusses different shots that are usually taken in underwater photography. He says, "Since you can generally get enough visibility for telephoto shots, most underwater photography is either wide-angle or macro".