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Going to School Underwater

© Phil Napoli

Self Evaluation A few of us who have been diving for a while have taken up underwater photography. Initially, the thrill of capturing the wonders of the sea on film was the primary motivator. We quickly realized, however, that taking good underwater photos in a medium that is 800 times more dense than air is not like taking topside photos with a point and shoot camera. If your underwater photography skills have reached a plateau of mediocrity and you are wondering how you could improve, ask yourself the following questions:

Have you found that every once in awhile you will shoot a good photo, but most of the time the majority of the slides go into the trash bin?
When you do get that good shot, does it feel like you hit a long straight drive off the 18th tee after a day of hooks and slices?
Does that once in awhile good photo keep you coming back for more?
Have you bought some books on the subject, but found that nothing seems to help?
Have you found that the more photos you take, the more frustrated you become?
Have you got a clue as to what you did to shoot that keeper hanging in your den?
And lastly, are you in awe of the photos you see in your favorite dive pubs and say to yourself, I wish I could do that? If you answered yes to most of these questions read on.

The Solution The proven way to increase your percentage of keepers is to learn the art of underwater photography from someone who has the credentials to teach the subject. Secondly, once you learn these skills, you need to practice them in the controlled environment, such as a photo course, where problems can be identified and the solutions practiced. To consistently shoot good underwater photos, there is a whole new set of rules to learn. Learning them will take a commitment of time and money, as well as a desire to improve.

The School Many of the photo pros that write articles in your favorite dive pub offer basic and advanced instructional courses. They also lead trips to far off dive destinations where they will provide technical assistance when asked. This type of trip is a learning dive vacation and provides you an opportunity to practice and refine your basic skills. It can be a very informative experience because of the interaction between you, the pro, and the other guest photographers. It is not, however, the setting for learning basic skills. This can only be accomplished effectively in a structured underwater photo course. Be sure you know the difference between the two venues before you sign up.