MARIA MUNN'S COLUMN: Capturing the Magic of Natural Light

I’ve just finished spending a week with a fabulous group of divers helping them with their underwater photography in Egypt and two important things struck me. Firstly, it was really great being back in Egypt. I felt blessed by how lucky we are to have such a gorgeous dive destination so close to home. The second thought was that as divers, we can often forget that some of the most breathtaking photographic opportunities lay very close to the surface - within the first couple of metres of water.

The first thing which grabs visitors to the hotels house reefs is the gorgeous dappled light which stretches for eternity along serene beaches. Complete beginners are guaranteed photos to dazzle and amaze simply by shooting on Programme mode, choosing an ISO of 100 and keeping the flash switched off for larger subjects (such as divers) to avoid the dreaded ‘snowy photo’ effect. You don’t have to travel as far as Egypt to capture these gorgeous light effects, I remember seeing the same beautiful dancing light while diving with Scubadivewest in Ireland recently on their house reef. By simply choosing your camera’s exposure value tool and dropping it to a minus setting this can really help to dramatise the light effect, making the overall picture darker. If your subject is at the surface, such as this turtle (below) which I captured at Woodhouse Reef in Sharm, reflections are emphasised. If your subject is at a distance, then silhouettes can be achieved this way.

Woodhouse Reef turtle

Adding a little bit of camera flash can really help to add a little ‘zing’ to a shallow water subject. Christy Cloake used her Fuji Finepix’s built-in flash to help highlight a boxfish which was swimming in just a metre or so of water (main picture). The dappled light gives the subject a beautiful contrast and a combination of patience and keeping still allowed this subject to get incredibly close.

The underwater mode is a ‘marmite setting’. Camera users either love it or hate it. When used up to a depth of about 8m, it can really help to enhance colours which are lost quickly. With some of the more advanced cameras, the ISO can be changed to ensure that subjects are sharp. If you don’t have this control then just be careful when faced with a fast moving subject to avoid it being blurry! If you use it when you are too shallow you will suffer a very pink looking photograph, or when used with a flash. However, if you are taking pictures of pink and red subjects, this can help to enhance their colours even further, so it is always worth experimenting a little.

Brian Woolterton has been a frequent visitor to Egypt, but was trapped in “Manual White Balance” mode even though he had a wide angle lens and an Epoque 230-DS strobe to keep his faithful Canon Ixus company underwater. Showing Brian what could be achieved using the camera’s underwater mode helped him to achieve a rare lionfish shot full of colour - and on his first ever photography dive too.

Brian Woolterton's lionfish

Finding patient subjects is always half the battle to achieve those special shots. Sometimes it can be a case of practicing with the tamer ones so that when the unusual happens, you are ready. Best of luck and happy shooting!

For more information on compact camera techniques, don’t forget to grab a copy of Maria’s award-winning book “Underwater Photography for Compact Camera Users”, join her on one of her free demo days at London and Leeds, or treat your compact to a fabulous day of learning in a fun and relaxed style in tropical 32 degree indoor pools. Visit www.oceanvisions.co.uk for more information.

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