iPhone Underwater Photography - Shallow Snorkeling

Snorkeling is a fun easy way to immerse yourself into the beauty of our oceans. With amazing marine life interactions, brightly colored coral reefs, and mysterious shallow wrecks, there is plenty to see and photograph. Let's jump in and see how you can make the most of your underwater photography while snorkeling.

A step deeper into the blue from rockpool underwater photography, snorkeling allows us to start photographing larger marine life and more underwater landscapes. Obviously, the big difference here is you are floating in the water when taking your photographs, so you want a light easy-to-hold camera set up. Phones, action cameras, and compact cameras are ideal. Put your phone in its ProShot underwater case, load up the app and you are ready to go.

Be sure to think about keeping yourself and your camera steady as being on top of the waves can lead to shaky photos. You also need to think about timing as the ever-changing water level might end up showing in the photo. You can of course use this to your creative advantage though! There are loads of different types of underwater photos that can be taken whilst snorkeling and we are going to have a look at a few different ones below.

Split Shot Photographs

Showcase the best of both worlds with split shots or over-under photos. These are photos when the bottom of the photo is underwater and the top is above the water. It is a great way to showcase the relationships between the land and sea. It is recommended to use a wide angle setting on the ProShot app to have a wider field of view and allow you to get more into the photo. If you have a wide-angle lens these are brilliant for split shots too. The best conditions for snorkeling split shots are clear shallow waters. Get the sunlight behind you so that it lights up the view in front of you clearly and focus your exposure on the top side of the photo.

There are loads of creative photograph ideas that can be taken using split shots using a wide range of subjects. Try photographing the reef below and the beach above, the fish swimming underwater and a paddleboarder on top of the water, or even divers underwater and the dive boat in the distance above.

Across The Colourful Reefs

As you are snorkeling, you will find you are looking down into the water a lot when photographing. This puts a lot of water between you and your deeper subjects. It can result in rather washed-out, blue-tinted photographs. When photographing a reef you want to position yourself close to the reef and shoot across the reef. This will create a more dynamic view with the shapes of the reef being clearer. Also by being closer to the reef, you have less water between the camera and the subject, which results in much clearer, accurate colors in your photo.

Whether it is a shallow coral reef, seagrass reef, or kelp reef you can take photos that transport you into another micro world. Getting down in line with the reef puts you in line with any of the marine life there. Like a fish eyes view. Look for seaweeds or anemones to frame around the side of the photo and show off the movement in the water. Just be sure to expose to the water above rather than the darker sections below so that you don't end up with a white background rather than the seawater.

A Coastal Perspective

Snorkeling not only gives you a great way to view the ocean depths but also a different perspective of the land. When you are floating in the sea take a moment to look at the beach or cliffs that face you. Not many people explore the land from this angle. The cliffs can be home to a variety of sea birds which can make fantastic photos. Some species such as the Guillemots do dive into the water from the cliffs to fish, a fantastic sight to see when snorkeling.

When taking your photos, you will want the sunlight ideally behind you lighting up the details in the cliffs or the people of the beach. Unless it is a sunset/sunrise that's coming over the land then face and set your exposure settings to the sun, so you can capture all the beautiful orange tones. You may need to edit the darker sections later with this style of photo. Use a wide-angle setting to capture as much of the landscape as you can, and use the water you are snorkeling in to add depth to the bottom half of the photo, leading into the land in front. You can even combine the coastal perspective with the split shot technique we looked at earlier too!

Being an easy way to explore the sea, snorkeling can bring you so many exciting photography subjects. Even if you are not wanting to capture photos of marine life, you can use snorkellers, swimmers, paddleboarders, and even surfers as your exciting subjects. As you are on top of the water you have as much time as you like to spend getting your camera settings correct and trying new techniques out. It is a great way to photograph the stories of all water users.

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About the Writer: Guest Writer Jo's Ocean Media Jo is a certified PADI divemaster with a love for the ocean and photography. She decided to combine both passions and started her scuba diving journey in 2018. With years of knowledge working with cameras, photography, and videography, Jo created her blog, Jo’s Ocean Media, to inspire others to discover our oceans and to share the best advice for taking memorable photos and videos. Read More from Jo.

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