Underwater Photography Tips - Olympus E-3 User Manual

Underwater photography tips

1. Get close – Less light is available under-
water. This means you have to get closer
to your subject for optimal exposure.
With increasing distance floating particles
can diffract light beams and affect picture
quality.
2. Move slowly – This will prevent you from
stirring up the water and agitating the
floating particles. Furthermore, fish are
rather shy animals, so moving slowly
around them decreases the risk of scaring
them away.
3. Use light from the back – Generally, better
results are possible if the light comes from
behind the photographer (unless you want
silhouette shots).
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4. Shoot upwards – Alter-
natively, you can make
good use of available light,
by aiming the camera
slightly upwards while
taking care not to shoot
directly towards the
lighting above.
5. Stay shallow – Taking pictures at low depths
generally yields better results, as more natural
light is available and colours generally come
out better.
6. Stay off the ground – Disturbing the ground
causes unwanted particles to float up, which
could spoil photos. Furthermore, it may be
harmful to marine life.
7. Hold your breath when taking the picture –
The air bubbles caused
by exhaling can scare
fish away and holding
your breath also gives
added camera stability.
8. Keep the camera steady
– To minimise the po-
tential effects of camera
shake, try holding the
camera with both hands while
pressing your elbows to your body.
9. Enter the water slowly – Don't jump
into the water with your camera as
it puts an unnecessary amount of
mechanical strain on your camera
and the outdoor or underwater case.
10. Prepare the camera before going under-
water – Do this in a dry area well in
advance and have the silica gel pack
in the outdoor or underwater case for
some hours before underwater use.
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