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XIII. Great pictures made easy
There are plenty of challenges that photographers face in the
underwater world. Please take some time to review SeaLife’s
online guide called
Great Pictures Made Easy
by visiting
www
.sealife-cameras.com. The guide is located under the
Technical Support menu.
The following information summarizes the basic principles of
underwater photography.
1. Crystal clear water
Clear water is essential for good underwater pictures. Fine
particles suspended in the water, like algae and sediments,
cause low visibility and small spots to appear in your picture,
commonly referred to as “backscatter”. Your external flash
will help you reduce the backscatter effect because the flash
only illuminates the outer rim of the floating debris. As a
general rule, limit your shooting distance to 1/10 of the water
visibility.
2. Limit your shooting distance to 6 ft (1.8m)
Water is 800 times denser than air and quickly absorbs light.
Your external flash has a limited reach of 6ft (1.8m) to 8ft
(2.4m) depending on water visibility. Keep your shooting
distance inside of 6 ft (1.8m). 4 ft (1.2m) is ideal. Consider the
SeaLife Fisheye Lens accessory (SL975) which allows to keep
a closer shooting distance and fit everything into the picture.
