76
Smile
May2016
G E T C L O S E R
A N D F I L L
Y O U R F R AME
A LWA Y S B E
O B S E R VA N T
Oneof themostbasicrulesofcomposition (ie,
what’s inyourpicture) is tofill your frame. So
manyotherwisegreat shots lose thatmuch-
neededpowerbecause thephotographer failed
togetcloseenough to thesubject tocapture the
viewer’s interest.
Thezoomonyourcamera isnotgoing tobe
muchhelpunderwater; stretchingyour lens
isonlygoing toamplify theblurryeffectsof
suspendedparticlesorbubbles in thewater.
Onceyou’renearenough, besure tousebasic
tenetsofphotocompositionsuchas the “rule
of thirds”—placing importantelementsalong
imaginaryhorizontal andvertical lines in the
frame foroptimal visual effect— tomakeyour
shotsreallypop.
Gettingclose toseacreaturescanbea
challenge, buthere’sa trick thathasoften
worked forme.
Imagine thatyou’reasea turtle, fishor
tinyshrimponacoral reef.Yoursurvival
dependsonyourability toblend inwith the
natural environmentandnotdrawattention to
yourself.
Toanunderwaterphotographer, thismeans
thatmanyof thebest subjectsareoftenhiding
inplainsight. Sooneofyour jobs is toknow
where theseanimals liveandhow theybehave,
soyoucananticipatewhere theymightappear
andhaveabetterchanceofcapturing them in
yourviewfinder.
Thismeansswimmingquietlyandnot
makinganysuddenmovements thatmight
scare theanimals.Takecare, too, not tostepon
anycoralsor touchanything.
Ready for
aclose-up?
Practice tight
shotsonyour
buddies
Look
and learn
It’s their turf,
not yours, so
takeyour cues
from them
Got skills?
