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Foundations in Underwater Photography: An Introduction to Photography Below the Waves
Paperback
General PhotographyPhotography Instruction
Publisher: Chris McKenna Creative
Published: Jul 1 2026
Pages: 222
Weight: 1.36
Height: 0.58 Width: 8.00 Depth: 10.00
Language: English
Take your camera underwater with confidence - and bring home images you're proud of.
The ocean rewards the prepared diver. Whether you're hovering over a vibrant reef in Hawaii, drifting along a Pacific Northwest wall, or exploring a wreck for the first time, the difference between a forgettable snapshot and a stunning image comes down to fundamentals: light, composition, exposure, and the discipline to handle a camera while staying neutrally buoyant.
Foundations in Underwater Photography is a complete introduction written by a certified scuba instructor and award-winning visual storyteller who has spent decades teaching divers how to slow down, see better, and capture the underwater world responsibly.
Inside this book, you'll learn how to:
- Choose the right camera system, housing, and accessories for your budget and goals
- Master exposure underwater - ISO, shutter speed, and aperture in real diving conditions
- Use strobes and video lights to restore color the water steals from your images
- Eliminate backscatter and shoot through challenging visibility
- Apply composition principles - rule of thirds, leading lines, negative space - to a moving, three-dimensional environment
- Develop the buoyancy and body control that separates photographers from snapshooters
- Approach marine life ethically without disturbing reefs, wrecks, or wildlife
- Edit your images in Lightroom and Photoshop with a repeatable, disciplined workflow
- Organize and archive years of dive photos so nothing gets lost
- Troubleshoot common mistakes - fogged ports, missed focus, blown highlights
- Build a portfolio that reflects your growth and your voice as a photographer
Who this book is for:
- Newly certified divers ready to take a real camera underwater for the first time
- GoPro and compact camera users wanting to step up to housed mirrorless or DSLR systems
- Travel divers who want better images from their reef trips and liveaboards
- Cold-water and Pacific Northwest divers shooting in limited visibility
- Anyone who has surfaced from a dive wishing they could share what they saw
What makes this book different:
Most underwater photography books are written by professionals for aspiring professionals. This one is written by an instructor for new underwater photographers - the divers actually buying their first housing, mounting their first strobe, and trying to figure out why their reef shots look blue. The instruction is grounded in real diving, not studio theory. Every technique is paired with the buoyancy, approach, and conservation considerations that make the difference between a good photographer and a respected one.
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