Underwater Photography Pictures

To see our full collection of
Underwater Photography:

Seventy percent of the earth is covered with water. Now that photography is one of the most rapidly growing and prolific art forms of contemporary times, it only makes sense that underwater photography has developed into the genre of choice for many photographers. Underwater photography was born in 1856 when photographer William Thompson put a camera on a pole and took the first underwater picture. Another milestone happened in 1923 when photographers W.H. Longley and Charles Martin used a magnesium powder flash to shoot the first color underwater photograph. Since then, underwater photography has been an increasingly popular genre in photography circles.

The difficulties and complexities of underwater photography are many, the most basic being manual. Nothing is stable in the nearly weightless atmosphere underneath the waves and as a result, photographers are faced with the prospect of capturing a moving subject while he or she is also moving. Movement issues aside, the technical choices comprise the bulk of challenges facing those aspiring to underwater photography. The primary choice is that of a film camera or a digital camera. Both have their list of pros and cons. Digital pictures inhabit less physical space; that is, many can be fit onto a single disk, and can be uploaded to our site. Also, film can be costly and difficult to develop and store. Photographers must also choose whether to use a watertight housing for a camera they already have or to purchase an underwater camera. The cost of an actual underwater camera is enormous, where the cost of a housing will, at worst, double the cost of a camera.

Underwater photography, like all photography, is an art of manipulating and exploiting light. As the depth of water increases, the density of the water molecules increases and less surface light is able to penetrate. As a result, lower frequency light waves, yellows and reds, are absorbed and high frequency light, blues and greens, predominates. To capture a full range of color in underwater photography, the artist has to use a flash. Water contains a large amount of various particles that can be picked up by a flash, making the photograph appear grainy or sandy. This is known as backscatter. Backscatter is a problem that can be reduced by moving the flash away from the camera lens by using spider-like arm assemblies. Many photographers also use underwater electronic flashguns, or strobes, to eradicate backscatter.

Always on the cutting edge, we have a large selection of underwater photography, provided by our featured artist, Mike Veitch. He has spent a great deal of time photographing the archipelagos and reefs in the Pacific Ocean, both above and below the ocean surface. His underwater photography includes various sea life, sea turtles, jellyfish, anemones, and coral.


James Webb©2005