B A S I C S O F B E T T E R U N D E R W AT E R P H O T O G R A P H Y

MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY
MACRO
GO SMALL AND GET CLOSE
Underwater, the closer we look, the more we
see. Slow down, go small and look into the
plants and growth. You’ll find surprisingly
beautiful and fascinating subjects.

Macro photography allows photographers to

get in close, reducing the amount of water
between the camera and subject; bringing out
color, sharpness and details in photos.
 W H AT S I Z E
IS MACRO?
REPRODUCING LIFE

Macro photos require a magnifying macro lens

or other optics that can focus closely to achieve
a high reproduction ratio.

This is the ratio of the subject size on the sensor

plane to the actual subject size. Classically, a
lens capable of reproduction ratios greater than
1:1, or “lifesize” is required for it to be a true
macro lens.

Images shot at less than 1:1 are actually

considered “close-up”, with photos shot
greater than 1:1 referred to as “super macro”.

However, commonly, any lens capable of high

magnification can be considered and used as a
macro lens.

Super macro
CLOSE VS CLOSER
S TA N D A R D L E N S V S M A C R O L E N S - B O T H W I T H A D I O P T E R

A macro lens is going to allow you greater than

life-size images with a diopter. An advantage is
that you can either increase the magnified size,
or back off to allow for better lighting options.
 U N D E R W AT E R M A C R O
CONSIDERATIONS
‣ Refraction helps: Objects underwater are
magnified by 1/3rd, so your subjects are
already larger!

‣ Use a flat port: Dome ports are for wide

angle to undo the effect of refraction. Using
them for macro will reduce magnification.
Make sure your lens fits closely to the front of
the flat port for best magnification.

‣ A diopter doesn’t magnify: Don’t confuse

closer focusing with magnification. A diopter
allows you to focus closer and thus get a
larger image.

‣ Keep your rig compact: Smaller is better,

and allows you to get into tighter spaces.

SEE OUR GUIDE ARTICLE: Good buoyancy control is very important when
“ R E C O M M E N D E D L E N S E S F O R U N D E R W AT E R shooting macro photos.
PHOTOGRAPHY” TO LEARN MORE.
BALANCE THE
EXPOSURE
CONTROL LIGHTING AND
DEPTH OF FIELD
A few things to remember:

‣ Start with shutter or aperture priority: Don’t

use all-auto. Learn the relationship between
having more light and less depth of field.
‣ Learn to shoot manual: You’ll have much more
control if your camera allows it.
‣ Use low ISO: You’ll get better detail, sharpness
and color saturation.
‣ Control your background with shutter speed:
Faster shutter speeds will give darker backgrounds
and have less camera shake for better sharpness
as well.
‣ Use smaller apertures: You will need to have
greater depth of field. Mid or higher apertures
allow more of your subject to be in focus.
S TA R T I N G S E T T I N G S
F O R C O M PA C T A N D S L R / D S L R C A M E R A S

Compact Cameras:
Macro setting
+5 air diopter, or Compact Macro Converter
Mode: Manual or auto aperture
Focus: Single point auto focus
Zoom: Set to telephoto for max enlargement
Shutter: 1/250+ for dark backgrounds
Aperture: Auto or set to a mid-point like f/5.6
ISO: 100

SLR/DSLR Cameras:
60mm or 105mm macro lens
+5 ,+10 air diopter, or Super Macro Converter
Mode: Manual or auto aperture
Focus: Single point auto focus
Shutter: 1/180 or higher for dark backgrounds,
but not higher than strobe can sync.
Aperture: Auto or set to a mid-point like f/16
On full frame cameras use around f/18+
ISO: 100-200
APERTURE The higher the magnification, the less depth of
field you’ll have. But stopping down further
than half to 3/4s on most lenses leads to less
DEPTH OF FIELD VS. SHARPNESS sharp images. This is due to “diffraction” - the
light being bent by the small openings. Try
different shots to see what the “sweet spot” is.
 SHUTTER SPEED
DARK VS. LIGHT BACKGROUNDS
Many photographers use dark backgrounds for
macro shots by shooting with high shutter speeds.
This is one area that compact cameras have an
advantage with electronic shutters that can sync
with strobes at any speed.

SEE OUR HANDBOOK: Take your time, find a colorful background

“ P H O T O G R A P H I N G U N D E R W AT E R then get set up and then wait for the
ANIMALS” TO LEARN MORE. subject to get in position in front of it.
TECHNIQUES
FOCUSING
A few things to try:

‣ Use half press on the shutter to lock focus.

Make sure you are in single point AF, position
the dot where you want it, lock focus (usually
on the animal’s eye) by pressing halfway
down, then recompose and take the picture.

‣ Try “Back Button” or the “AF Lock”

button: This is sometimes easier to catch
focus with and you can scroll the AF dot
where you want it first.

‣ Rock Focus: After locking focus, move the

camera slightly in and out to move the focus
area. Remember that depth of field will help.
Try taking several shots to bracket the area in
focus, using different aperture settings.

‣ Manual Focus: For those cameras that have

it, or by adding manual gearing, you can have
more control over focusing.
SHOOT LOTS Shooting underwater is much more challenging than
shooting on land, especially at first. Be sure not to over
AND LOTS OF PHOTOS! tax the animal, and let others access to also take photos.

Taking a large volume of

images also allows you to
experiment with your lighting,
composition and camera
settings.
 KNOW THE RULE OF THIRDS

COMPOSITION COUNTS
Imaginary lines are drawn dividing the image into thirds both horizontally and vertically. You place
important elements of your composition where these lines intersect.

SEE OUR HANDBOOK:

“ U N D E R W AT E R P H O T O G R A P H Y
COMPOSITION” TO LEARN MORE.
 MACRO: One strobe macro set-up
with focus light. TTL or
USING ONE STROBE manual control.

Single Strobe Macro:

‣ The closer the subject is to the lens – the closer the strobe should be positioned to the housing port.
‣ A good starting point is with the strobe centered directly over the port as in image #1. (This is just a
starting point. It will work okay in clear water, but will cause backscatter in murky conditions.)

Strobe directly above (IN): Strobe directly above (OUT): Strobe extended out:
‣ Subject is very close ‣ Subject is very close ‣ Subject is farther away
‣ Lots of light is needed ‣ Aim strobe away from ‣ Less light is needed
‣ The water is very clear subject for indirect light and ‣ Aim strobe away from subject for
less chance of backscatter indirect light and less chance of
backscatter
MACRO PHOTO
USING ONE STROBE
A good starting point:
‣ The strobe centered directly over the port
‣ The closer the subject is to the lens, the closer
the strobe is positioned to the housing & port.
‣ TTL or manual strobe control will work fine.

‣ Only aim the strobe

directly at the subject
in very clear water -
when the subject is
very close.
MACRO
PHOTOGRAPHY
STROBE POSITION OPTIONS

Pivoting strobes for different lighting

effects on close subjects:

‣ Strobes can be pivoted in (towards the

port) to increase light on subject, being
careful of creating backscatter. Image 1: “In” position
‣ Strobes can be pivoted out (away from
the port) to decrease light on subject.

‣ Shadows can give more dramatic

effects. Strobes can be moved vertically
and horizontally to create shadows.

Image 2: 45º position

MACRO PHOTO
STROBES IN CLOSE

Focus Light

Aiming your strobes:

‣ Bring strobes in
(towards the port)
when the subject is
closer.
‣ Pivot strobe face
out (away from the
port) to avoid
backscatter.
 MACRO EQUIPMENT
CAMERAS, HOUSINGS & LENSES

Macro photography is a great place for a

beginner to start as basic equipment is minimal.

‣ Compact Cameras: When shopping for a

compact camera, make sure it can focus
closely, and has a macro mode.

‣ Mirrorless & DSLR Cameras: Make sure

that macro lenses are available. For cropped
sensor cameras starting with a 60mm lens is
easier. For full-frame the 100/105mm lenses
are the lens of choice. A bright and large
viewfinder helps.

‣ Housings: Make sure the port can take an

external macro lens (usually threaded to
67mm) and that it can mount a focus light.

SEE OUR HANDBOOK:

“CHOOSING A CAMERA & HOUSING”
TO LEARN MORE.
DIOPTER AND CONVERTER LENSES
Diopter lenses are added to your existing lens to
allow for closer focusing.

‣ External or Internal: Diopters can be added

internally to the front of the lens inside the port.
But most are mounted externally to the front of
ports as “wet mount” lenses. They can be added
and subtracted underwater for greater flexibility.

‣ Wet or Dry Optics: More powerful macro

diopters are sealed inside of glass with an
airspace, using refraction to their advantage.
Super Macro Converter
‣ Macro Converters: Take the idea of air sealed
lenses further by also adding in an extension and
more sophisticated optics. May only work with

‣ Chroma Aberration: Many lenses in

combination with sensors create a purple or
green fringe of a pixel or two that can affect +5 “Wet” Diopter
sharpness. This is easily removed in editing.

‣ Achromatic Lenses: Is a lens that is designed to

limit the effects of color separation and reduce Air-sealed +10 Diopter

chromatic and spherical aberration.

LIGHTING & STROBES
Lighting is always important underwater. With the
reduced working distances and small subject
matter a strobes and focusing lights are important.

‣ Focusing Lights: Cameras need contrast

and detail to catch autofocus, a
continuous light greatly helps to speed up
the image capture. It also helps you to see
to frame the shot.

A focus light has a broad beam and works

differently than a narrow-beamed dive
light by giving even lighting without
hotspots. Red lighting options can work to
be less obtrusive to some animals.

By shooting faster than 1/100th of a sec or

so, you’ll never see the focus light.

‣ Strobes: By using an external strobe you can

reduce backscatter and give more natural lighting.
The extremely fast, high-intensity light that a strobe
delivers freezes motion, gives sharp details and
intense color saturation.
OTHER USEFUL ACCESSORIES

‣ Diopter holders: A lens holder or flip diopter

adapter makes life easier by allowing you to
quickly add and subtract additional lenses.

‣ Viewfinders: Being able to see to critically focus

greatly reduced depth of field shots can be hard.
A bright, magnifying viewfinder makes it much
easier. Models with a 45° bend allow you to stay
off the bottom. Flip diopter holder

‣ Light Directing Accessories: Snoots narrow the

light and direct it. Ring lights transfer the strobe Ring flash
light directly and evenly to the the subject to give
lighting with intense color saturation.

‣ Muck Stick: Inexpensive and very useful, a metal

stick that allows you to hold position without
hurting the reef. It can also be used as a
monopole to steady your housing. Muck Sticks
 Part of the “Basics of UW Photography” Series

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