How to Take Underwater Photography

Equipment is an important factor in taking great underwater photography. Of course you will need an underwater camera but there is more than just that.

You can take some amazing pictures using underwater photography. There are now even disposable use underwater cameras and you can take them on vacation with you and get that great underwater look. Even an amateur can do it. Disposable underwater cameras can typically be developed at your local Wal-Mart or other film developing center. You can also purchase underwater cameras for more of a price but they last whenever you need one. Some people find this more economical than disposables, especially if they want to take these pictures often.

Just like other venues of photography, you will probably start off with a cheaper and less advanced camera and work your way up if you continue underwater photography for a long time. There are two basics kinds of cameras; underwater or waterproof camera and encased camera which is inside a housing that protects it.

When taking pictures, you are going to need to be familiar with:

Your camera Your lens Your film Your flash There are different things in your environment that will affect quality of your underwater photography. Such as:

- Depth of water and transparency of water - Light - The angle of sunlight on top of water - The backscatter - Water has a magnifying effect

These are some things to help you get started in world of underwater photography. If you are lucky enough to be swimming in sea, you should get some proof to share with others.

Exercise Three:

Look at your answers for previous two exercises. Once you've done that prioritise categories shown below. For example, if you feel that technique is most important thing you need to work on to reach your vision then put a 1 next to it.

**Practice Area Priority Level (1-7)** [Note: 1 is highest priority].

Technique Repertoire (covers) Composition Improvisation Ear Training Theory Music Reading

Now here's important point. You should spend most time practising your number one priority. I know it's pretty obvious, but you'd be amazed at how many people don't do this! I know a few guitar players who would like to be able to play incredibly fast, yet they don't do a lot of technical practice. Talk about setting yourself up to fail!

Exercise Four:

Decide how much time every day you will spend on each category. Write it down below.

**Practice Area Time Invested Daily**

Technique Repertoire (covers) Composition Improvisation Ear Training Theory Music Reading

All done? Great!

So what’s next step?

The next step is to decide on a specific activity for each practice area.Make sure to write them down.

Here are a couple of examples of what someone might put down...

Technique: I will invest 10 minutes a day on alternate picking exercise one. I will start with metronome at 80 beats per minute (bpm) and increase it by 4 bpm daily(as long as I can play it perfectly).

Ear Training: I will invest 10 minutes daily a day on A minor pentatonic ear training exercise one.

Got idea? You would have one specific activity for every practice area. If you have a lot of time to practice you could set more than one activity per practice area.

Give this method a try. I'll think you'll be more than happy with results!