Scuba Diving -Tips for Getting Started in Underwater Videography

When scuba diving, people would want to share the underwater experience that they see with their friends and family. First, they begin by regaling coworkers and family members with story after story of their underwater adventures. Then, they start to take a snapshot or two. But still, the frozen images that they bring back from the depths are lacking. It is impossible to convey the agility and grace of a great white intent on prey or the delicate, jerky movements of a sea horse. And so they graduate to underwater videography. It is through this medium that they hopes to bring the sea to life for your land-dwelling support group.

If this sounds familiar and you want to get started in underwater videography, there are some things that you need to know before you get started. While shooting film underwater is similar to shooting video on dry land, the sea holds special challenges that you need to be aware of. To improve your odds of shooting an enjoyable video, follow these tips for underwater videography:

Stay Steady. Holding the camera steady while underwater is quite a challenge but one you must master nonetheless unless you want to make your audience sea sick. The only way you can master this one is to practice, practice, practice.

Forget zooming. Zooming in underwater videography should be avoided at all costs. This is because suspended matter in the water can become magnified and result in a fuzzy image. Instead of zooming, slowly creep up on the object that you are filming instead.

Leave auto focus behind. When filming in an underwater setting, there are many things that can float into your field of vision and mess with your auto focus. You might be filming your buddy playing with a stingray in the distance when an eel snakes across your field of vision, auto focus picks up the eel, and the whole effect that you were going for is ruined.

Watch your angle. Strive to shoot your subject from a front and slightly underneath view. Since you cannot direct fish and marine life in the direction that you would like them to go, this requires a lot of sitting and waiting for your subject to come to you. Avoid chasing fish, this only leads to spooked marine creatures and unsteady shots.

Use light. Proper lighting is an integral part of underwater videography. Be sure to use plenty of light to sharpen your images and reflect brilliant colors.

Go for action. If you really want to wow your family with your underwater videography skills, strive to shoot action shots rather than marine life idly passing by.

The main component of becoming successful in underwater videography is practice. If you shoot a lot of film, study what you’ve shot, and try to learn from your mistakes, you will find that your skills improve with each dive.

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