Be aware that taking pictures, especially video, takes your focus off of diving, this can be turn out dangerous for you and at least annoying to your buddy.
OTOH, it really depends on the approach to the task and how much awareness you're willing to allocate to the photography. I've been a hobby photographer literally for decades. Even without a camera, I'm continually looking for subjects, scenes and potential photographs when I'm walking around. Or driving. Or taking the bus. Or hiking, Or... well, you've got it, I guess. It's second nature, and I usually don't even think consciously about it. I have the basic composition rules in the back of my skull, and camera controls (f/stop, shutter speed, ISO setting, zoom) are second nature. I also (think I) am able to determine when I can allocate mental bandwith to more complex photography, like manual settings or experimenting with angles, crops and perspective, and when it's time to put the camera in P mode and be content with a quick snapshot. I've also been comfortable in the water since I was a kid, so just being in the water was never an issue that was taking up my mental bandwidth.
Even on my OW course, I brought a camera. Of course, before whipping it out I asked both the instructor and the other students if they were OK with me taking pictures. The instructor told me that there was no way I was allowed to bring the camera underwater on the four OW instruction dives, but I could bring it with me on the last dive (the sixth OW dive, where we don't receive instruction, but perform an independent dive under the supervision of an instructor or a DM). During that dive, I could afford enough mental bandwidth to take two or three quick snaps which are probably among the crappiest UW pictures I've taken, but I was happy with them since I had that memory recorded.
Ever since, the camera rig - first a compact in a cheap acrylic housing, later a more "serious" rig with strobe arms and the works - has been living on my BCD. I've probably goofed up once or twice by not keeping sufficient focus on my diving, but no more than other task loadings have on other occasions. I don't start "photographing" - as opposed to "taking snapshots" - unless I'm feeling secure with my buddy and I know that my buddy's buddy awareness is at the level I demand from myself and expect from my diving buddies, and if there ever is something more serious demanding my attention, I just let go of the rig and leave it dangling from the tether to my BCD.
From my experience, I'd like to modify
Bob DBF's advice:
Be aware that taking pictures, especially video, takes your focus off of diving, and if you are taking pictures underwater,
don't ever forget what your primary concern should be! And be honest with yourself in that respect, because if you forget your priorities, this can be turn out dangerous for you and at least annoying to your buddy.
If you're truly able to do that, I'm not as concerned as some of the other posters about bringing a camera even early in your diving career.
Thanks!
