If you had to give 3 tips to a rookie...

[Average]

...what would they be

Here I am, going to dive in Lembongan for a week, and then for one week in Mabul/Sipadan (with even a third week left, that I will decide over there, how to use).
I borrowed a Canon PowerShot S90 from a friend, with Case. And I'have a MudStick with me, that I can use to mount the cam on.

I'm an Adv OW Diver, haven't been in the Water for 3 years and back then, had the opportunity to snap some pics for a week.

Now my questions: Being FAR from even semi-decent in underwater Photography, knowing little about technique, basically just being a point and shoot tourists, are there still any tips you can give, that will enhance my photo shooting?
Kind of like you cannot teach somebody to hit .300 in Baseball in a day, but you can tell him to look at the ball, keep the hands up and swing from the hips, if he never held a bat before.

Would love some pointers if some of you have time!

Greetings

 

[daz88]

Don't use the "AUTO" setting. (you'll get much better pix if even just using some of the "creative zone") learn how to set the WB, once at depth set your WB. Get a big memroy card & shoot in RAW. You can adjust post-dive on your computer. If using the flash, get close....then move closer. If shooting wide shots, turn off the flash. practice with the camera on land as much as you can (in the housing if possible) and learn how to move through the menus. And if you haven't been diving for 3 years........I wouldn't even bother with the camera for ATLEAST the first dive. (maybe more, depending and how well you do) You'll be on task overload and your pix will look like crap anyway if you can't get yourself & your dive gear tuned in. Once you feel good in the water, then dive with the camera and shoot alot. and don't get caught up taking pix and forget to check your air. have fun

 

[mblazer]

I have a sense that he's looking for a little more basic advice. Here's what I'd say:

1. At first, go automatic until you feel more comfortable with the difference in conditions under water and above water. Particularly since you have not been diving that much, it's important not to overload yourself with additional things to think about.
2. If vis is good, and you're not too deep, don't depend too much on flash. Instead, shoot up toward your subject to take advantage of sunlight.
3. If using flash, do not aim it directly at the subject, as that will increase backscatter. Aim your flash(es) so that they provide light at the periphery of your subject and don't cause bounce back directly to the lens.

I'll add a fourth, which I had some difficulty with at first after years of on land photography. Don't hold your breath before you shoot. I know that's a maxim of diving, but it's natural on land to hold a breath to keep the camera steady. That is very dangerous under water. So, to keep bubbles out of your image, just shoot immediately before or after you take a breath.

Now that I think about it, I'll also add a fifth. I've been on dive trips with photographers who completely lose sight of the fact that there are other people, creatures or coral around. I've been bumped out of the way, only to watch somebody focus so much on the perfect shot that they are killing coral with their fins. So, be very mindful of where you are and what's around you. Don't get too focused on the perfect shot.

That's my 2 cents worth.

 

[danvolker]

Be as close to the bottom as you can, without destroying coral...if you can swim flat horizontal, and frog kick, do this.....The closer to the bottom, the more colors the reef will show...if you are 6 feet up off the bottom, it will lose a huge amount of the color you would see in pics shot one foot off the bottom.

Watch this for body position and how to swim with camera. gue-reversekick1 - YouTube

 

[Larry C]

Don't chase the subject!!!!! Watch the behavior, sit still and let them come to you. Sometimes, you can kind of ease over. If you use the camera to hide your eyes, they don't run away as much.
Get close!!! Typically, you need to be within 18" of the subject to get a decent shot. Often, my port is almost on top of a macro subject.
If you have a macro setting use it. You'll need to focus as close to the camera as possible.
I think the Canon will allow you to get good focus on small objects using a slight zoom. This saves you from having to block the light with your port, but still you need to be as close as possible to the subject.

 

[DMDavid]

While I don't really shoot too many still pictures, my video advice will apply to still photography as well.

1) Check your camera topside.
2) Make sure you have fresh batteries.
3) Double check your camera topside.
4) Make sure you have enough film.
5) Triple check your camera topside.
6) Make sure camera is properly sealed.

Did I mention that you should check your camera topside?
Nothing like jumping in only to discover that you forgot the battery or you forgot to put in a fresh roll of film (or digital media).
Once underwater it will be too late for many easy topside adjustments.

And last but not least, post your images on Scubaboard for our vicarious enjoyment.


FB-Florida Scuba Diver

 

[TSandM]

As a fairly new photographer, here's my take:

1. Develop the best basic diving skills you possibly can. It's very difficult to take good pictures if you can't stop and hold position while you compose your shot.

2. A piece of advice from renowned photographer, JP Bresser: Don't go down and shoot 300 pictures and hope one comes out. Spend some time to consider what you actually want in the picture -- what story you are trying to tell -- and think about how to position yourself and the background to tell that story. Then take a few GOOD pictures.

3. And from me: Spend the time to go through the manual on your camera, and know what it can do and what it can't do, and how to do all of it. Learn the buttons on your housing on land, because it's awfully hard to read the legend on them underwater. Take the time to read a basic book on digital underwater photography -- it will shorten the learning curve a ton.

And ask questions! I've had generous people point me to some awesome websites with articles that helped me understand what I was doing with a camera better. Of course, the eventual result is that you end up wanting better camera equipment, but . . . isn't that the way with diving?

 

[vladimir]

1. Get close
2. Shoot up
3. Bracket (or shoot RAW)

 

[highdesert]

Read this ...

Canon S90/S95 G11/G12 Settings | Underwater Photography Guide

... then peruse the site for more info you can use.

 

[herman]

First off, learn to shoot manual, the auto modes just don't cut it for UW use. Manual is not as hard as you might imagine. Here is a thread I posted to a while back that may help. http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/underwater-photography/214500-help-manual-camera-settings.html

Get close, a LOT closer than you think. A good high power strobe is only good to maybe 6 ft (2m), internal flashes are good ONLY for shots at less than 2 or 3 feet. Also due to the poor lighting angle, internal flashes often make the shot worse, not better so force them off for any shot more than a foot or 2. By close I mean less than 3 or 4 ft (1m) from your subjects. Shots of fish more than 2 or 3 ft will look like small dots on a field of blue.

IMO, RAW is a waste of time and effort for a beginning phototog, esp if you do not have a photo processing program that will hand RAW format. It may be better than JPGs but not if you don't have the software or time to use it. You will want to shoot in as high a resolution as possible. Buy more cards, don't try to get by by lowering the megapixles of your photos.

Do not open your camera any place but in your room. Floods are 999 times out of 1000 the fault of the diver, not the equipment. Any small grain of sand or hair will ruin your day and your camera. If the camera is opened and closed in an A/Ced room the odds of it fogging is greatly reduced and there is less chance of trash getting on the sealing surfaces.

And my best tip, take extra beer money. Seriously, UW photography is not something you are going to get good at quickly, you need a lot of shutter time. Finding a non-pro that is diving with your group who has a reasonably good looking setup will most likely have had the UW time. A request for some of their shots after a few beers and some polite questions about his camera will likely get you a CD of much better shots than you will end up with. I have sent CDs all over the world.