Underwater Photography & Gallery
Due to the nature of underwater photography it should only be considered once you” are a competent diver, and have very good if not exceptional buoyancy control. Novices thrashing about with their hands and fins whilst only conscious of the image in their viewfinder can do untold damage. As for general diving, there is a code of practice for photography, which is adhered to more by some than by others.
- Underwater photographers should possess superior precision buoyancy control skills to avoid damaging the fragile marine environment and its creatures. Even experienced divers should ensure that careless or excessively vigorous fin strokes and arm movements do not damage coral or smother it in clouds of sand. A finger placed carefully on a bare patch of rock can do much to replace other, more damaging movement.
- Photographers should carefully explore the area in which they are diving and find subjects that are accessible without damage to them or other organisms.
- Care should be taken to avoid stressing a subject. Some fish are clearly unhappy when a camera invades their ‘personal space’ or when pictures are taken using a flash. Others are unconcerned - they make the best subjects.
- Divers and photographers should never kill marine life to attract other types or to create a photographic opportunity, such as feeding urchins to wrasse. Creatures should never be handled or irritated to create a reaction, or sedentary ones should never be placed on an alien background, which may result in them being killed.
- Territorial animals are perfect subjects, but some become highly stressed when a diver moves in to take a photo. If a subject exhibits abnormal behaviour move on to find another.
- The image in the viewfinder can be very compelling. Photographers should remain conscious of their position and of the marine life around them at all times.
- Queuing to photograph a rare subject, such as a sea horse, should be avoided because of the harm repeated bursts of bright light can do to their eyesight. For the same reason, the number of shots of an individual subject should be kept to a minimum, around two or three maximum.
- Night diving requires exceptional care because it is much more difficult to be aware of your surroundings. Strong torch beams can dazzle fish and cause them to harm themselves by blundering into surrounding coral or rocks. Others are confused or disturbed if torch beams are pointed directly at them. Be prepared to keep bright lights off subjects that exhibit stressed behaviour, using only the dullest part of the beam to minimise disturbance. (Also relevant to most ‘day’ diving in Scotland!)