6.⁠ ⁠Use the Right Lighting.

The deeper you go, the more colors disappear, with red being the first to go. A camera’s built-in flash is usually not powerful enough and will cause “backscatter” (illuminated particles in the water). An external strobe (underwater flash) or video light is essential for bringing back vibrant colors and creating a more professional-looking image.

• Video lights help bring back colors in wide shots.
• Strobes freeze the action and reduce motion blur.
• Trays with dual handles keep your camera stable.

7.⁠ ⁠Composition Tricks That Work.

Shoot Upwards.
Instead of shooting down on your subject, get on their level and shoot at a slight upward angle. This helps to create a more dynamic composition, uses the water’s surface or the open blue as a clean background, and makes your subject stand out.

Use the Rule of Thirds.
The rule of thirds is a simple guide to make your photos more interesting. Imagine your shot is a grid of nine squares; instead of putting your subject in the middle, you place it on one of the grid lines or where they cross. Most cameras today will have the option of a rule of third grid on the back screen. This off-center placement creates a more balanced and visually appealing photo, making it a key tool for improving your underwater shots.

Focus on the Eyes.
Just like with portraits on land, the eyes are the most important part of an animal portrait. A sharp, well-lit eye creates a connection with the viewer and makes the photo more compelling.

Include Divers.
Including divers in your underwater photos adds a crucial human element, instantly making the scene more relatable and dramatic. A diver’s presence provides a sense of scale, helping the viewer appreciate the true size of marine life or a vast underwater landscape like a shipwreck or coral reef. Beyond just scale, a diver can also introduce a sense of adventure, wonder, or interaction, transforming a simple wildlife photo into a captivating story. It allows the viewer to imagine themselves in that moment, connecting them more deeply to the image and the beauty of the ocean.

8.⁠ Use Editing Apps.

Shoot in Raw.
A RAW file is an uncompressed image that contains much more data than a standard JPEG. This gives you far more flexibility in post-processing to correct for exposure, white balance, and color, which is especially important for underwater shots.

Smartphone and Tablet Apps.
Smartphone apps have become powerful tools for editing underwater photos, allowing divers to quickly and easily correct the common issues caused by water’s effect on light. Dedicated apps like Dive+ and AquaColorFix are specifically designed to combat the blue-green cast, often with a single-tap color correction feature that restores the reds, oranges, and yellows that are filtered out at depth. More versatile apps like Adobe Lightroom Mobile offer advanced manual controls for exposure, white balance, and selective adjustments, giving photographers more precise control. These applications make it possible to turn a dull, washed-out image into a vibrant and compelling photograph, all from the convenience of a phone or tablet right after a dive.

Computer Editing Software.

For photographers who prefer the power and precision of a desktop or laptop, there are several robust computer applications that are considered the industry standard for editing underwater photos.

The most popular choice is the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan, which includes both Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop.

• Adobe Lightroom is the go-to for most photographers. It’s a powerful tool for organizing a large library of photos and for making global adjustments to color, exposure, and white balance. Its sliders for temperature, tint, and vibrancy are perfect for correcting the blue-green cast of underwater images. Lightroom is particularly great for “batch editing”—applying the same set of adjustments to a whole group of photos taken in similar conditions.

• Adobe Photoshop is a more advanced, pixel-level editor. While Lightroom is great for general corrections, Photoshop is the tool you’d use for more intricate work. This includes removing “backscatter” (the small, illuminated particles in the water) with precision, creating composite images, or making detailed, localized adjustments using layers and masks.

  Other notable computer applications include:

  • Capture One: This software is known for its excellent color grading and tethered shooting capabilities, making it a favorite among professional photographers who need precise control.

  • DxO PhotoLab: This program leverages artificial intelligence to automatically correct and enhance images, which can be a huge time-saver for underwater shots that require a lot of initial correction.

  • Vivid-Pix’s Land and Sea Scuba: This software is specifically designed for divers and simplifies the editing process with a focus on one-click correction, making it a great option for those who want fast, easy results.

  While mobile apps offer a quick fix, these desktop applications provide the comprehensive toolsets, fine-tuned control, and workflow management needed to truly transform RAW underwater files into stunning, professional-quality images.

9. Share your Images.

Sharing your underwater photos is an essential and rewarding part of the creative process. It allows you to showcase the hidden beauty of the ocean to family and friends who may never get to experience it firsthand, fostering a deeper appreciation for marine life and conservation.

Social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook are perfect for this, allowing you to reach a wide audience and connect with other divers and photographers.

For those who want to take it a step further, entering your best shots into underwater photography contests—many of which are hosted by diving magazines or organizations—can provide professional recognition and valuable feedback on your work.

Ultimately, sharing your images is a powerful way to tell a story and share your passion for the underwater world with others.

10. Practice on Land.

Before you get in the water, familiarize yourself with your camera and housing. Practice changing settings, focusing, and taking pictures with the camera inside the housing so that you can operate it instinctively underwater. This will allow you to focus on your diving skills and the environment.

Conclusion.

You’ve learned the ten essential tips for underwater photography, from mastering buoyancy and getting close to your subject to using light effectively. Now that you have the knowledge, the next step is putting it into practice. To truly master these techniques and capture the breathtaking beauty of the reefs of Cozumel, there’s no better way than hands-on learning with experts. Ready to take the plunge?

Book your Underwater Photography Course with Jungle Divers today and turn these tips into incredible photos!

📩 Contact us today at dive@jungle-divers.com
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