100
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FALL 2012
I
f underwater photography is a
small niche in the wide world
of photography, cave-diving
photography is its obscure
foreign cousin. Challenges include
taking enough light into very dark
places, managing the risk of adding
tasks to an already task-loaded
technical dive and finding something
to photograph when there’s not a
single colorful critter in sight. On the
other hand, the crystal-clear water,
mysterious darkness and lure of the
unknown can be a fantastic canvas
for creating unusual and captivating
images. From my experiences,
here are some tips and tricks for
those thinking of taking a camera
underwater while underground.
LIGHT
Photography is the art of playing
with light. In the ocean, wide-angle
photographs catch the sunlight
that filters down through the waves
and weather. With the background
illuminated by natural light, strobe
lighting brings color and definition to
the foreground. There are abundant
creative options for mixing natural and
artificial light sources to capture the
underwater world — just look at the
beautiful images being made throughout
the world’s aquatic environments.
When diving takes you to darker
places, sunlight disappears from the
equation. Despite what Hollywood
would have you believe, the only
lights underground are the ones you
bring with you. Our eyes adapt easily
to the dim environment, but camera
technology is not yet quite as clever;
powerful lighting is key to successful
capture of cave-diving images. This
is especially true when trying to
photograph large and spectacular
underwater chambers.
Underwater photographers know
water filters out light, and divers see
IMAGING
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P H O T O T E C H N I Q U E S
Cave
Photography
T e x t a n d P h o t o s b y L i z R o g e r s