Seeking UW Photography Advice for Low-Viz Green Water Environments

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CharlieDontDive

Contributor
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Location
Philadelphia, PA
# of dives
100 - 199
I have no formal UW photography training and have been essentially learning it by trial and error over the past few years. I've gotten frustrated, however, so I'm looking for some wisdom from experienced UW photography folks.

I realize that I'm working with fairly amateur equipment (SeaLife DC2000 & SeaLife Sea Dragon external flash) in a low-viz environment (off the New Jersey coast). I 100% realize that, for these reasons, my photos will never be great…I just want them to be a little better. You can see my best underwater photos here. The most recent pics are from NC, so scan a little farther back for NJ & Dutch Springs ones. I started using Lightroom last year and maaann is that a great program.

How do I improve these? Everything I've read recommends using manual settings but my guesstimates for aperture & shutter speeds have consistently been way off, usually leaving the entire dive's photos unsalvageable. I've been using manual settings for macro shots using the external flash, and the "underwater scene" mode + mostly auto settings for my farther-away shots of wrecks.

My overall questions: to improve my photography, where should I start?

Specific questions:
  • For taking pics of wrecks in low-viz water, what's a good starting point for aperture & shutter speed?
  • How can I better estimate what the ideal ISO setting is? Every time I try something other than Auto, I end up way too washed out or way too dark.
  • Should I only be using the external flash for close-up/macro shots? From everything I've read, and experienced firsthand, using a flash in low viz water for anything other than a macro shot is a self-defeating effort due to backscatter- is this the case?
  • Should I keep using the flash diffuser?
  • Should I consider using EV Compensation? I've always set it to 0.
  • For external strobe thoughts, where should I be in terms of Flash White Balance? I usually set it to the default of 5500, but I'm not really sure what this means.
  • Any specific advice for dealing with low-viz, green water conditions?
Any advice y'all might share is hugely appreciated!
 
Great questions. Will wait for other to chip in but for now, you need to use some filters and do heavy post processing to the green water.

Many of us shoot manual: Set ISO to say 250, F@11 and Shutter around 1/200 sec. Then vary the light via flash output.
 
I'm new to underwater photography (specifically), but I have been a photographer (on land) for just over twenty years. From a purely theoretical standpoint on photography (in general) the unfortunate answer to most of your questions is: "It depends."

How much light is there? What is the scene you're trying to capture?

Rather than solely trying to learn the techniques of photography by practicing solely underwater, it might be a good idea to learn those techniques on land, also. You'll have more opportunities to get a handle on the specifics of light temperature (that's your strobe white balance) and how to properly utilize exposure value.

If you need a good starting point, I'd recommend the tutorials over at Cambridge in Colour. He does an amazing job of simplifying everything into easy-to-understand lessons (and it's free ... he also has a book that covers everything on the website but in more depth).

If you'd rather not and you just want answers to your specific questions:

  • For taking pics of wrecks in low-viz water, what's a good starting point for aperture & shutter speed?
    In low-viz, you likely have low light but, unless you're standing on the bottom, you're going to have quite a bit of movement from being buoyant in the water. To compensate for the movement, you'll want a faster shutter speed: 1/125", maybe. That's just a starting point. That means you're going to need a wider aperture: f/5.6, maybe. Of course, to increase your depth of field, I'd use a faster ISO so you can have a smaller aperture. But without knowing the exact information of the scene it's impossible to tell. That's kind of why the trial-and-error thing is necessary.

  • How can I better estimate what the ideal ISO setting is?
    What is "ideal?" When it's dark, you want a faster ISO: 800, maybe? When it's bright, you want a slower ISO: 200, maybe? The thing is, under-exposed or over-exposed images aren't solely thanks to ISO but also due to improper aperture and shutter speed. This is where your EV (exposure value) could help you. If you can manipulate this feature quickly (like with a scroll wheel or a quick button push) you could shoot three frames of the same scene with your EV set at 0, -1, and +1, that way you will (hopefully) get something usable until you figure out how better to manipulate your settings.

    That being said, most cameras have an in-camera light meter which should help you get close to the correct exposure for the scene you're trying to shoot. Perhaps returning to your manual will help with this.

  • Should I only be using the external flash for close-up/macro shots?
    I'm not going to be much help here, but my opinion is that the on-camera flash should never be used as a primary light. Perhaps as a fill light, but even then that's pushing it. I understand the undesirable effect of backscatter, but lighting position is the only thing that will eliminate it. Farther off to the side is likely better (though I could be wrong).

  • Should I keep using the flash diffuser?
    This depends on what your ultimate goals are. The diffuser is going to make the light "softer" so you'll end up with "feathered" edges around your shadows. (This is usually desirable in portraits of people.) The diffuser will also make the light less powerful. Your proximity to the subject determines whether this matters overly much (macro photography, probably not much; a diver on a wreck, more than you want).

  • Should I consider using EV Compensation? I've always set it to 0.
    This is, again, up to you. EV (Exposure Value) Compensation is a great tool to use if you understand it, but it can also cause troubles if you don't. That's why I suggest learning some basic skills on land, first.

  • For external strobe thoughts, where should I be in terms of Flash White Balance? I usually set it to the default of 5500, but I'm not really sure what this means.

    5500 is 5,500 K (Kelvin) which describes the color temperature of the light. This is essentially equivalent to "daylight" which is slightly blue. There are reasons to change it, but it should be deliberate and you should understand why you're doing it. For now, I'd say learn some of the other settings and skills first before messing with the color temperature of your lights.

  • Any specific advice for dealing with low-viz, green water conditions?
    Pink filters (typically used for shooting in fluorescent lights) are good for cutting down some of the green in green water conditions. Then, as @Compressor said, there's quite a bit of post-processing. That is, if you're not shooting with strobes. If you are, then this would be an area where you should be white balancing within the conditions under which you are shooting (in other words, try to white balance while you're in the green water conditions with the light from your strobes). Then your lights should work fine to correct the color cast (for the most part).
I hope that helps. I'm sure others will chime in to correct me where I am wrong and have more information to offer.
 
In general, avoid AUTO modes underwater; they are not designed for such use. Learn MANUAL, it's not hard.

  • For taking pics of wrecks in low-viz water, what's a good starting point for aperture & shutter speed?
  • How can I better estimate what the ideal ISO setting is?
These are related; aperture, shutter speed, and ISO work together to adjust your exposure. For wrecks, you re using ambient light. You need 1/125 or faster to minimize movement, and you should try and avoid super high ISOs (>2000 or so) because the pictures get really noisy. Then you use whatever aperture gives you a good exposure. For simplicity, many folks just use 1/125, ISO 500, and then worry only about aperture.

  • Should I only be using the external flash for close-up/macro shots?
  • Should I keep using the flash diffuser?
Yes, the flash causes problems in crappy water, partly becasue it is so close to the lens. Mostly, underwater, the diffuser just cuts the amount of light, which is rarely desirable.

Should I consider using EV Compensation?
Never. Only useful with AUTO, which you are never going to use.

Any specific advice for dealing with low-viz, green water conditions?
Get a wide-angle lens so you can get closer to the subject and minimize the amount of crappy water between you and the subject. Use post-processing for color balance, not filters.
 
Something that helped me was to shoot with no flash for a few dives. My strobe died half way through a trip. You have to work with ambient light and figure out how to capture what is there. ISO as high as it will go without getting noise. Aperture as wide open as possible for the depth of field you want. Then shutter speed to make it all work. I find I can use a slower shutter speed in water as there is less camera shake.

Once you figure all that out add strobes to light what you want to highlight in the picture. - understanding that the strobe can’t light anything more than three or so feet away - less in green water. For wrecks you really need to work with ambient light and maybe use the strobe to highlight a piece of it that is close. wide angle lenses allow you to get closer so you get a bit more with the strobe.
 
There's tons of uw photography tips online as well as some good uw photography books that are worth buying going in depth with lighting, composition, settings for different shots, etc etc. If you never have done photography before starting into uw photography it can be an overwhelming amount of info.

But there's a few simple things that from my experience are the keys to improving uw photo quality:

1) Get close... way closer than you think you need to. This most likely will mean (depending on your subjects) that you will want a wide angle lens. Looking through your IG photos, your single subject photos tend to have the subject fairly small in the frame which means you probably weren't very close. Your soap fish and eel photos as ex, both of those are good shots, clear, good color, sharp and both would've been improved if the subject were much larger in the frame.

Getting close cannot be over emphasized for several reasons... less water between the lens and subject is a big part, less water between your strobes and the subject and for composition reasons.

2) Clear water... few things will have as immediate an improvement on uw photos as dramatically improving the quality of the water. If for no other reason than clear high visibility water with low particulate is much more forgiving. It also opens up more possibilities for the background of your shots. This goes back to the first tip about getting close and minimizing how much water is between the lens and subject when you don't have super clear water.

3) Interesting subjects. At the end of the day you need interesting subjects, sometimes this means knowing how to spot marine life and background that work during the dive. But sometimes this just means that even a well composed and exposed shot of an uninteresting subject just won't have the impact of a mediocre shot of some exotic/rare/cool species.

As far as manual settings, here's some general advice there... the reality is the situation will dictate modifications but I thin these are a good starting point.

ISO: With a compact camera keeping the ISO low will help keep noise down which is unfortunate because you are shooting in low light situations. I shoot with an rx100 and don't like to move ISO above 200... but I don't shoot ambient and in low light, you could play with the ISO above there and see when it starts getting noisy.

Shutter: Fast subjects you will want a higher shutter speed, 1/200 or more. Problem based on your environment is the higher shutter for the faster subjects is going to make your back grounds pretty dark. A good starting point is probably 1/125 though.

Aperture: F/6.3 - F/8 is a good range to start with probably for a compact.
 
@tursiops, I don't want to hijack this thread or go on too much of a tangent, but could you elaborate on this point?

Get a wide-angle lens so you can get closer to the subject and minimize the amount of crappy water between you and the subject. Use post-processing for color balance, not filters.

There aren't many instances when I would use a filter now that we are no longer shooting film, but extreme color shifts might be one of them. From my experience (again, really only on land) even shooting RAW, post-processing extreme color shifts can lead to over-processing and artifacts in the final image.

I realize that a filter might cut anywhere from a third of a stop of light, but in some cases it might be worth it to not have that over-processing.

Could you elaborate more so I can better understand what I'm missing?

If it delves into too much detail or might otherwise hijack the OP's thread, you could certainly DM me.
 
answering some of your questions, all assuming you are shooting RAW. If you are not you should be.

For wrecks in ambient keep it simple - pick an aperture and stick with it, on your 1" sensor DC2000 I would start with f5.6, if you are at the wide end then that should give more than adequate depth of field. Then pick any shutter speed above about 1/60 - For ambient shooting the benefits of manual shooting are less and you could go aperture priority for that type of shot. So that would be :
  • Manual f5.6 set ISO at base and pick a shutter speed above 1/60 test - review exposure and repeat. If you are under exposed at 1/60 raise ISO.
  • or set aperture priority at f5.6, set ISO to base - check shutter speed is above 1/60. If below 1/60 increase ISO. Check your exposures, if it is under exposed dial in some +ve exposure compensation
  • If it's really dark you could try opening up to f4 to avoid going to high ISO
For flash on wide angle vs macro - consider that flash has a maximum range of 1m or so maybe 2m at a stretch, but probably not in low vis water. If you are further than an arm span away particularly with the sea dragon which is low power then turn off the flash and shoot ambient. To set flash manually it is similar - pick f5.6 and say 1/125 and adjust flash to half power on manual. Start with base ISO. Increase it only if you are badly underexposed. Then tweak manual exposure up and down to dial in the exposure. Once you have it dialled in flash power will vary only with distance to subject and to a lesser extent if you change the aim of your strobes.

Typically I use AutoWB when shooting strobes and it does a decent job. I would suggest custom white balance for ambient shots providing your camera makes that easy. Similarly for Auto WB - that assumes your camera does a decent job of AutoWB on strobe shots. I'm not sure how easy Sealife make it to do a custom WB.

If you have the option of custom modes you could setup one for ambient shots and another for macro.

The other option that will really improve things is to add a wide lens - you camera appears to have a 52mm dia filter thread you could sue to attach a wide lens. This allows you get a lot closer for the same framing - less water between you and the subject is always a good thing - it opens up possibilities like using strobes on shots of divers because you will be closer.
 

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