When snorkeling, we like to take pictures of the beautiful scenery we meet underwater and our own snorkeling process. The photos taken by many divers underwater are almost blue and green, with no other colors. This is caused by the absorption of red light underwater. And the world without the red light is what your "blue-green" photos look like. So how do you shoot a super-beautiful blockbuster underwater, and what are the tips? Let's take a look!
Before snorkeling, remember to wear sunscreen, bring snorkeling equipment and shooting equipment. Shooting equipment can also be selected according to your needs. If the frequency of diving to the island to take pictures is not particularly high, it is recommended to rent underwater cameras directly from the Internet. At the same time, it is not recommended that you choose an ordinary waterproof cover, or use a SLR for underwater shooting, because the ordinary waterproof cover can easily enter the water and cause damage to the camera, which is not worth the loss. In addition, the use of the camera must be carefully read in advance to avoid accidents that damage the camera.
When you're ready, you can dive into the water and shoot. If you want to shoot wonderful underwater works, the most important thing is to deal with light. Whether you use natural light or artificial light source, all works will have color when there is light. However, the natural light deep underwater is often very weak, and even if there is red light, it will be filtered out by the sea water. Although artificial light is an ideal light source, the cost is too high, and it is not necessary for the majority of divers. You can add a red filter in front of the lens to restore the color of the seabed. The principle is to create a "scam" for the camera's sensor by artificially creating a red color.
If you encounter a sea area with high light transparency, you must remember to start with less than ten meters, so that the effect will be the best. Otherwise, there will be too much red light in the photo. On the contrary, in the sea area with poor light transparency or too deep, adding a filter will make the light source insufficient, and the effect is not very ideal. So it is best to be about ten meters underwater, and the light is just right. At this time, you can use a filter to achieve the best effect.
About composition
The core technology when shooting with an underwater camera is composition, especially when it is impossible to frame the scene underwater, composition is particularly important.
Learn to use surface light sources. To take good-looking underwater photos, you must first know what the properties of the lens are. If it's a wide-angle lens, it's able to capture a lot of content into the frame at close range, which can make your subject blurry. At this time, you can compose the picture from the bottom to the top, and learn to use the natural light from the water surface, so that the effect of the photos taken is more layered.
How do you compose a picture without a viewfinder? Most people are accustomed to using the viewfinder to frame the shot, otherwise they feel like they are shooting blindly. The reality is that most underwater cameras do not have a touch screen, but they also meet everyone's shooting needs under the sea. You don't have to worry about inaccurate framing and composition, because the wide-angle lens can capture the content you need to record in the widest range. If you are really worried, you can fine-tune the angle and take a few more shots, and then trim and adjust them later.
Important knowledge points, the composition and framing of a handheld camera underwater are the same as those on land. As long as you are familiar with your camera properties, it is generally not too far behind. Like playing with a toy gun, the body is parallel to the eyes, assuming that the subject needs to appear in the center of the frame, just point the lens at his middle waist, not his head. The same is true for shooting scenes.
How to position it when shooting moving objects? For example, in underwater free diving, you can plan the composition underwater in advance, complete the framing, and then let the model swim to the pre-set position, and then shoot.
Image post-processing
Generally, after the shooting, the photo editing process should be started. Use the photo editing function of the mobile phone to slightly crop and color, and focus on highlighting the original color of the subject, and then you can send it to the circle of friends. For example, if the photo is of a variety of fish, it would be great to do some defogging when you get home. But when taking pictures, pay attention to the light, aim at a place with sufficient sunlight, take the background first, and then wait for the fish to enter the mirror. Don’t be too far away from the fish being photographed, otherwise it will be unclear. So it is recommended to go snorkeling in the morning, the water quality is clear and the water is shallow, so it is easy to take clear pictures.
At the same time, note that in the actual shooting, people will dangle with the sea water, so there is a high probability of waste films, so don't worry about this.
Well, having said so much, it’s time to practice! Remember, taking pictures is not a one-day process, the process is also gradual, remember to be patient.