Ready....aim....click.....oh crap

[KeithG]

Question for you photo buffs. How do u get pics? After many years of diving I caught the photo bug but on my last trip to Cozumel I got no good pics. You have any tips or tricks you care to share? I really don't want to use a hook (not fair to other divers imho). Or should I leave my system behind and just go with the flow? I see many incredible pics from there but I am not a professional and won't be getting a private tour

2 things:
- technique
- law of large numbers

In order to get good pictures you need to learn enough technical stuff. As already indicated, you can also include post processing as part of your technique (but be aware that this can consume a large amount of time).

You also need to understand that the "perfect picture" is very rarely captured on the first attempt. It may take several shots to get your technical stuff in order (focus, lighting, shutter speed...) and then multiple more to get the artistic stuff correct (sight line, angle, distance, framing...) in order to get a great shot.

Be your own worst critic. Take a shot that you do not like and decide what is wrong. Then learn what you need to change to correct that flaw. Repeat.

This means you need to take lots of pictures and then be very methodical in reviewing them (on a daily or even dive by dive basis) during your dive trip and adjusting your technique and art. Be prepared to delete the majority of your shots and be happy with a handful of awesome shots from each dive trip.

 

[mattia_v]

What others have said. I'm a fairly proficient 'topside' photographer, although I'm all about natural light there, so getting used to working with strobes presented a whole new challenge. Well worth it, however. Learning to use your camera and adjust relevant settings quickly and without having to over-think is important. Every time I dive again after a longer break, it takes a few dives before I'm really happy with and confident about getting the right results. I'm still a rank amateur where underwater photography is concerned (maybe 60 dives with a camera, and 'only' 40 of them with a strobe), so there's a lot of learning to be done.

As a side note, in terms of compositional 'rules' - take them as suggestions. Sometimes they're meant to be broken. Just envision the picture you want to create. This shot from Bonaire (about 25 ft depth) 'breaks' several rules (purposely left the strobe off, shot down, and slight fish-butt-ness), but accomplishes the look and feel I wanted and works well (in my opinion). There was enough light at moderate depth that I knew I'd be able to get enough color out of the RAW file.

Untitled by Mattia Valente, on Flickr