Guide to Taking Underwater Pictures With a Digital Camera
Underwater photography used to be the exclusive province of the best professional photographers. That was before the days of waterproof and digital cameras. Today, you can take digital pictures with an underwater camera that will create memories that last for years. Even if you don't have a specialized underwater digital camera, you can use a waterproof case for your digital camera that will allow you to use it underwater without fear of damage.
Get Close
You might be swimming around in the water and a fish or a coral arrangement will catch your eye. It looks good to you, so you point and shoot. When you look at that photo, though, it is grainy and dark. Chances are that you did not get close enough to do the picture justice. Get as close as possible--while keeping your own safety a priority--to get the best underwater pictures with a digital camera. Usually you will need to get as close as 5 feet to your subject. If you are farther than 10 feet away, the picture probably will not come out the way you hoped.
Shoot Up
The best way to take a picture in the water is to shoot up at it. If you shoot up, the subject of the picture is going to appear the size you saw it in the water or perhaps even a little bigger. If you shoot down on the subject, it will look smaller--sometimes much smaller. Take your time when you are assessing your shot. It might take you a few seconds longer to find the shot you are looking for, but if you take the time to find the shot you want while shooting from below the subject, you will probably get the shot you want.
Proper Lighting
To get the clearest photos, you need to use a waterproof strobe light made for underwater use. Some amateur photographers aren't aware of this until they try to take underwater pictures and they come out dark and muddled. There are other well-meaning underwater photographers who have strobe lights and forget to turn them on when they are underwater. Again, this will result in failure. However, if you turn on your strobe and get close to your subject you will produce memorable shots.
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