Getting Great Color in your Underwater Photographs

Help elevate your underwater photography to the next level

By Scott Gietler

 

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In this article I explore how to get the best possible colors in your underwater photos, whether shooting with or without a strobe.

Underwater photography with great colors

Most common mistakes people make

• Using auto-flash instead of forced flash. Set your compact camera to forced flash, your internal flash goes off every time for added color.
• Not getting close enough. Red color is quickly absorbed by water. If your photo subject is 3ft away, your strobe light is making a 6ft round-trip, the distance is more than enough to absorb a lot of the red color.
• Shooting in auto mode or priority mode, instead of manual mode
• Not using a strobe or internal flash. You can get decent color if you are very very shallow, but you really need a strobe or flash to get great colors underwater.

 

 

Tips for getting great colors with a strobe or flash in your underwater photos

• Don't shoot with your subject more than 1ft (.3 meters) away. For macro, try to be less that 6 inches away. This helps ensure that minimal reds and oranges are absorbed by the water.
• Make sure your subject is not already brightly lit with natural light. If it is, your camera settings must block out that natural light with a small aperture or fast shutter speed. Otherwise, the natural light will have many colors absorbed from it.
• This is related to the above item - use manual mode if possible. When shooting a shallow, sun-lit subject in clear, shooting at F8, 1/100th will let in too much ambient light. You'll need to shoot at a faster shutter speed so only your strobe is lighting the subject. Do a test - shoot with your hand covering the flash. If the photo is still exposed well, your settings are wrong.

• Expose properly - many colors are easily blown out, especially reds. Slightly underexpose them.
• Play with strobe position - front lighting will enhance color and saturation, but be sure to check your histograms with direct front lighting to watch out for blown out highlights.
• Use the proper white balance setting when using a flash or strobe, auto or sunny is usually correct. Using cloudy will usually make the photos look too yellow or orangish.

Getting good color in wide-angle or CFWA shots

• Shoot with the sun in front of you (sun behind the subject), so that the subject is dark and is mostly lit by your strobe. Use manual settings and underexpose the ambient light in the background.
• Use a very wide angle lens, like a fisheye lens, to get within 1ft of the subject.

My tokina fisheye lens let me get very close to the featherstars, allowing my strobes to give them a nice color. F13, 1/160th, ISO 200

How to get great colors using natural light

• Use manual white balance every 5-10ft, or shoot in RAW and white balance in your raw editor
• Shoot in calm, shallow, sunny water - preferable in less than 20ft / 6 meters.
• Shoot with the sun behind you
• Use filters to block out some of the blue spectrum, like a magic filter.

This photo was taken with no filters, just natural light, in 10-15ft of water in Bunaken on a sunny day.

 
 Nudibranch photo by Penelope Foo.  Fuiji F30 auto-mode internal flash.  Auto mode can work well in deeper darker water.

Dive Mabul

Situated only about 15 minutes by speedboat from Sipadan, and 30 minutes from mainland Semporna, Mabul is recognized as one of the world’s best “muck-diving” sites, has a shallow reef profile with sandy bottom and patches of sea grass and also one of the richest single destinations for exotic small marine life in the world.

The coral reefs at first glance do not look very picturesque and inviting, however it is the diversity of macro animals inhabiting the coral rubble and sea grass sites that put Mabul on the diving map. Flamboyant cuttlefish, blue-ringed octopus, mimic octopus, gobies and frogfishes are everywhere, as are moray, snake eels and practically the whole scorpion fish family. There’s no doubt about it, Mabul is a magical macro site! The beauty of Mabul will also appeal greatly to non – divers as well.

There are about 8 dive sites in Mabul area such as:

• Eel Garden (18 – 20 m)
• Ray Point (15 – 25 m)
• Panglima Reef (5 – 20 m)
• Lobster Wall (40 – 75 m)
• Nudibranch Centre
• Crocodile Avenue (2 – 15 m)
• Froggy Lair (5 – 20 m)
• Coral Reef Garden (5 – 15 m)

The underwater topography is vastly different than the sheer walls of nearby Sipadan. The waters surrounding Mabul are shallow and sandy bottoms are prevalent. Gently sloping fringing reef surrounds the Island. Located closer to the shore of Mainland Borneo and on the “Continental Shelf”, the waters are rich with nutrients and crowded with life.

Mabul is a wonderland of strange exotic marine creatures. You can see dozens of species of Nudibranchs, Shrimps, Crabs, Eels and Fishes. The bottom tends to be sandy, so it’s not quite so “Mucky” as other Macro Sites. Rare creatures such as Blue Ring Octopus, Flambouyant Cuttlefish and Mandarin Fish can be found in the area. Also present are several species of Sea Horses and Pipefish.

Our experienced dive guides will help you fill your wish list of unusual creatures. If you are an Underwater Photographer or Videographer, Mabul offers amazing opportunities for macrophotos and video. Fantastic photo and video opportunities are just a short boat ride away. If you’d like to hunt critters on your own, our house reef dive offers abundance array of macro marine life. In addition to the dive sites surrounding Mabul, you also have access to the prolific macro dive sites at Kapalai too.

Diverse Ecosystems

The many dive sites surrounding Mabul are shallow and afford the opportunity of extended bottom times. Generally the current is mild allowing you to enjoy easy drift dives. Several different ecozones exist at Mabul so you can explore for a variety of creatures that you’ve previously only seen in books and films. Mabul has sloping fringe reefs, sandy bottoms, rubble fields, grassbeds and even the pilings of the jettys are home to countless Macro Subjects. The prolific marine life coupled with the local knowledge of our professional dive guides will make Mabul one of your most productive Macro experiences.

Macro Paradise

Dive Sipadan

Sipadan Island widely recognizes as one of the top dive sites in the world. More than 3000 species of fish and hundreds of coral species have been classified in this ecosystem. Just 20 feet from the shore, the wall plunges a staggering 2,000 feet down, the wall is encrusted with different varieties of coral, turtles abound and a multitude of lionfish & smaller reef dwelling fish live on this wall.

Diving at Sipadan is not rated as the best in the world without good reason. The waters are calm and warm, visibility is generally good, and the quantity and variety of marine life is astounding. On an average day of diving at Sipadan, you would expect to see at least 50 Green Turtles, a dozen sharks, large schools of Barracudas, Jacks, Fusaliers and Batfish. No single dive site epitomizes the diversity of Sipadan quite like Barracuda Point. Named after the huge schools of Chevron Barracuda that are frequently found there, diversity is always the rule. In addition to the Barracudas, large schools of Jacks, Batfish and scores of huge Bumphead Parrotfish can also be seen there. Turtles abound as well as dozens of sharks.
This is only a brief glimpse of the island has to offer, a visit to this island is necessary to marvel at the awesome beauty Sipadan has to offer.

Diving on Sipadan was Pioneered by Borneo Divers. Above the water, it’s just a tiny 40 acre spot of jungle with a white sandy beach. But below the water, Sipadan’s vertical topography and abundant marine life make it one of the world’s most desired destinations.

Now Sipadan is entering a new age of conservation. As of January 1st 2005, all resorts will vacate the Island and it will become a fully protected conservation zone. Work is in progress to list Sipadan as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Borneo Divers is proud to support this conservation effort and is working with the Malaysian government to secure Sipadan’s future protection.

Diving at Sipadan is not rated as the best in the world without good reason. The waters are calm and warm, visibility is generally good, and the quantity and variety of marine life is astounding. On an average day of diving at Sipadan, you would expect to see at least 50 Green Turtles, a dozen sharks, large schools of Barracudas, Jacks, Fusaliers and Batfish. A mere 50 ft. (15M) from the beach, a vertical wall starting at a depth of 10 ft. (3M) and plunges straight down 2000 ft. (600M). No single dive site epitomizes the diversity of Sipadan quite like Barracuda Point. Named after the huge schools of Chevron Barracuda that are frequently found there, diversity is always the rule. In addition to the Barracudas, large schools of Jacks, Batfish and scores of huge Bumphead Parrotfish can also be seen there. Turtles abound as well as dozens of sharks. You never really know what you will see at Barracuda Point from one dive to the next, you just know that whatever it is, it will be good!

Turtle Cavern

The Turtle Cavern is located on the dropoff. Its massive opening on the wall leads to a huge room extending over 200 ft. (65M) back into the island. The first surprise is the sheer size of the cavern that is literally right under the resort. The second surprise is the skeletal remains of Turtles which have lost their way in the cavern at night and drowned while trying to find the way out for air. The cavern was exposed to air during the last ice age when the sea level was lower, so it has Stalactites and Stalagmites in the far reaches. Schools of Fusaliers gather at the mouth and to dart into the shadows to hide from marauding Trevally.

Sipadan Walls

Sipadan is famous for its wall diving. Walls surround 90% of the island, and most are sheer drops that extend out of sight into the blue depths. Many of the walls have ledges that the turtles use as resting places. Some of the walls are so steep that they are actually undercut and slope inward toward the island creating overhangs encrusted with soft corals.

Baraccuda Point

Saving Sipadan

In a landmark decision, the Malaysian government has pledged to give the Island of Sipadan the protected status it has long merited. The first phase of hte project will be the removal of all resorts from the island. By removing the human influence from the island, nature will have the opportunity to restore the pristine condition of the ecosystem. In addition to removing all human habitation infrastructure from the island, daily visits will be controlled by placing quotas on the number of divers that can visit each day.

Anyone who has visited Sipadan in the last decade will agree that this plan is a positive step in the conservation of one of the World’s truly great dive destinations. The convenience of stepping off the beach into the abyss will be missed, but the long range benefits are worth the extra effort.

Additionally, a biological survey in underway with the goal of having Sipadan listed as a “World Heritage Site” by UNESCO. sipadan.net applauds the efforts of the Malaysian Government to ensure the future of Sipadan and we are working in full cooperation on the project.

Park Rangers will continue to operate the turtle hatchery on Sipadan in their efforts to save the endangered Green Sea Turtle from further reductions in numbers.

Each year, many thousands of baby Turtles are successfully hatched and released by the rangers to begin their long journey at sea.