I recently did a 2 day work shop on the basics of underwater photogrpahy. I covered metering, flash, and composition but buoyancy skills were stressed the most. As divers, we are working in an alien world and we need to respect it. As photographers we are good will ambassadors to the sea and need to do everything possible to avoid contact with the reef, stir up sediment on the bottom, break coral, touch or move marine life, etc. As divers we need to use our underwater knowledge to make better photographs.
For example, if working in a current, its wise to set up your exposure, adjust your flash and prepare to take the image a bit up current so your all set when you float by and are able to get the shot. Stopping in the current means you will have to swim hard and or grab coral. This will in most cases damage the reef, and disturb water clarity making you unpopular among the other divers.
For me the best part of the class was demonstrating how I would take a picture in current, on sand, in the reef, and in the water column. After showing each diver how I would do it, each one had the opportunity to practice. On one of the dives there was a bit of current and each diver could feel it and had to struggle to get set up in order to be in position at the right time. After the dives the students remarks indicated they understood how important it is to manage the current and ones buoyancy to take the photograph without damaging the environment.
The clinic was a lot of fun, and prepared Georgia and Jim for a two week dive holiday. I just got a letter from them telling me about the trip and how they were able to manage their buoyancy and concentrate on composition. Best of all they had a blast and cant wait till the next dive trip.
