Underwater photography combines creativity, technique, and a keen awareness of the environment. Whether you're shooting macro or wide-angle scenes, your composition plays a vital role in storytelling. Underwater settings offer unique challenges and opportunities, from lighting limitations to the fluid movement of marine life. This section focuses on foundational compositional techniques, with macro photography examples leading the way.
Diagonal Lines for Dynamic Impact
Diagonal lines in photography guide the viewer’s eyes through the image, creating energy and tension. This technique works especially well underwater due to the shapes and orientations of marine life.
Two-Dimensional Diagonal
A strong, flat composition is created when a long subject such as a shrimp or pipefish is positioned diagonally and kept entirely in focus. This approach offers a clean, sharp image that draws the eye naturally from corner to corner.
For example, the robust ghost pipefish found in Anilao, Philippines, illustrates this 2D style. The subject is parallel to the image plane, creating a calm yet engaging visual pathway.
Three-Dimensional Diagonal
In contrast to the 2D approach, the 3D diagonal introduces depth by using shallow depth of field. The subject's head might be close and sharply in focus, while the tail blurs into the background. This type of composition requires careful camera placement and patience.
An example includes the flutemouth from Bali. This image was captured at F13 with a 60mm lens and 1.4x teleconverter. The shot guides the viewer’s gaze along the body, creating a sense of motion and dimension. Rear placement in the upper corner, combined with a focused front, helps make this shot visually rich.
Another example is a sawblade shrimp in Anilao, shot at F25. The entire body lies diagonally across the frame, using aperture and perspective to build a compelling 3D effect. This works well for long, slim subjects like shrimp and pipefish.
Diagonal shots with black backgrounds, such as those captured on California oil rigs or off Catalina Island, add contrast and drama, particularly when combined with upward lighting or natural sun rays.
Fill the Frame for Intimacy and Drama
Filling the frame is a technique that places the subject front and center, minimizing distractions and enhancing the emotional impact. This works especially well for macro photography, where detail matters.
A flamboyant cuttlefish in Anilao becomes more dramatic when its features fill the entire frame. Similarly, a close-up of a seahorse from Lembeh Strait, shot with a 105mm lens at F4, demonstrates how tight framing brings viewers closer to the subject’s character.
Even a red octopus photographed in Redondo Beach, California, shows how filling the frame while keeping the background soft (F13 at 1/250s) produces both clarity and isolation. Using natural light or a focused dive light can further improve detail and ambiance in frame-filling compositions.
Harnessing Color and Color Combinations
Color plays a powerful role underwater due to the way light interacts with water at different depths. Red, orange, and yellow are ideal for drawing attention, while blue and green provide excellent contrast.
Using Bright Primary Colors
Featherdusters in El Segundo showcase how reds, oranges, and yellows light up a scene. Red is the strongest performer underwater, so getting very close to the subject ensures that this color pops vividly.
Orange and yellow also perform well, particularly when paired with blue backgrounds. Green hues, often seen in seaweed or soft corals, provide naturalistic backdrops that work harmoniously with warm colors.
Complementary Color Pairings
Successful compositions often pair complementary colors, such as yellow against blue or red against green. For example, a goby photographed near Catalina Island was carefully framed to include both reds and yellows in the foreground with blue in the back. This attention to color pairing enhances contrast and makes the subject stand out.
Photos from Ensenada and Baja, Mexico, demonstrate how ambient lighting and thoughtful color placement enhance underwater compositions.
Using Edge Framing to Enhance Visual Flow
Taking the subject to the edge of the frame adds tension and visual intrigue. Instead of centering everything, photographers can guide the viewer's eye by letting the subject stretch into or out of the frame.
A photo by Cal Mero shows how a subject that extends just to the frame's edge adds visual energy. Shooting at F8 and 1/2000s on an Oly SP350 camera, the subject creates a frame-busting moment that feels dynamic and alive.
This technique, when used subtly, adds professionalism and character to both macro and wide-angle photos.
Embracing Negative Space and Backgrounds
Negative space refers to the area around your subject and is crucial in underwater photography. A clean or interesting background helps isolate the subject and can evoke emotion or mood.
Choosing Backgrounds Wisely
Photographing fish in front of soft corals or sea fans adds texture and depth. For example, a fish photographed at F10 in Anilao appears beautifully framed against pink soft corals, enhancing both color and shape.
Blurring the background is another effective strategy. Using a wider aperture, such as F4 or F5.6, the background becomes creamy and non-distracting. In one shot, a goby in Anilao is surrounded by softly blurred hues, making its sharp facial features pop.
A black background, either by using strobes or shooting upwards against open water, isolates the subject and removes visual noise. This makes for strong, portfolio-worthy images with immediate visual impact.
Leading Lines to Direct Attention
Leading lines are natural or constructed lines within the composition that guide the viewer’s eye toward the main subject.
An image from Southern California’s oil rigs exemplifies this, where the structural lines lead upward toward reflections on the surface. Similarly, Keri Wilk's photo of a goby in Bali uses coral lines to bring the eye to the tiny fish, shot with a D300 at F16 and a wet diopter for added magnification.
At Catalina Island, kelp lines lead the eye from the frame's base to the stalk, creating a natural pathway that gives structure to the composition.
Using S-Curves for Elegance and Flow
S-curves are classic compositional tools that add fluidity and elegance to images. They suggest motion and guide the eye in a gentle, winding path.
A nudibranch near Los Angeles demonstrates an S-curve beautifully. The subject’s shape curves softly through the frame, and a shallow depth of field highlights its face while allowing the rest to gradually blur. This makes the image both dynamic and delicate.
Another example includes a kelpfish from Catalina, shot by Kevin Lee, which earned first place in an international contest. The S-curve here not only moves the eye but also balances color and negative space effectively.
The Golden Spiral in Composition
The golden spiral, based on the Fibonacci sequence, is a naturally pleasing curve that draws the viewer into the frame. It's more subtle and complex than the rule of thirds, but when executed well, the spiral creates harmony and balance.
A moon snail from Redondo Beach serves as a prime example. Its curved shell and placement within the frame guide the eye along a path that feels deliberate and satisfying.
While challenging to achieve, golden spiral compositions reward photographers with images.
Mastering Macro and Wide-Angle Techniques
The decision between shooting macro or wide-angle underwater photography isn’t arbitrary. It depends on various factors, including the subject, visibility, lighting, and your equipment setup. Macro photography emphasizes the small wonders of the underwater world: nudibranchs, shrimps, gobies, and seahorses. Wide-angle, on the other hand, is best suited for larger subjects such as reefscapes, wrecks, sharks, or schools of fish.
When planning a dive, assess the site beforehand. In murky conditions or low visibility, macro is often the better choice since you’re shooting close to the subject. Clear water with wide vistas makes wide-angle ideal, especially when natural light plays a role. It’s crucial to plan your lens setup before entering the water, as changing lenses underwater is rarely possible without specialized housings and ports.
Equipment Considerations for Macro Photography
Macro underwater photography demands precision tools. The most common lens choices include 60mm and 100mm (or 105mm) macro lenses. The 60mm lens is more forgiving in terms of focus distance and ideal for slightly larger macro subjects. It’s also easier to use in a surge or current. However, it offers less magnification.
The 100mm or 105mm macro lens provides greater working distance and allows for tighter shots of tiny subjects like pygmy seahorses or skeleton shrimp. Its narrow depth of field demands excellent buoyancy and strobe control. Wet diopters or macro converters like Subsee, Nauticam, or SMC lenses can be added for supermacro work. These magnify tiny details but reduce depth of field, requiring strong lighting and extremely stable positioning.
Strobes or constant lights are necessary to bring out the natural color of macro subjects. Water absorbs red, orange, and yellow, so close distance and strobe placement are crucial. Use one or two strobes aimed slightly outward to avoid overexposure and backscatter. Diffusers can soften harsh shadows and evenly illuminate subjects.
Techniques for Capturing Macro Subjects
Macro photography is a game of patience and precision. First, approach the subject slowly and calmly. Quick movements will scare away small creatures. Get low and shoot upwards when possible to create a more compelling composition and minimize cluttered backgrounds.
Manual focus can be a powerful tool, especially when paired with focus peaking features. Autofocus often struggles in low light or with tiny subjects that blend into their environment. Pre-focusing and then moving slightly forward or back is sometimes more effective than trying to get your camera to focus on a tiny eye.
Using small apertures such as F11 to F25 gives greater depth of field, essential for capturing full-body shots of small critters. However, keep in mind that too small an aperture may cause diffraction, which can reduce sharpness. Shutter speed should be balanced to avoid motion blur, typically around 1/200 to 1/250. ISO settings should remain as low as possible to avoid grain.
Common Macro Subjects and Approaches
Different subjects require different techniques. For example, nudibranchs are slow and relatively easy to shoot. They can be composed creatively using diagonal lines, negative space, or S-curves. Shrimp are often more skittish and hide inside anemones or coral. In these cases, lighting becomes critical. Snoots can help isolate the subject and avoid lighting the surroundings.
Frogfish and scorpionfish blend into their environment. The key is to identify the eyes and use shallow depth of field to bring them into focus. Seahorses are delicate and easily disturbed, so minimal movement and distance are vital.
Gobies, often perched on coral or soft sponge, benefit from a front-on approach. Frame them with blurred backgrounds, shoot at eye level, and use fast shutter speeds to freeze fin movement.
Advanced Macro: Supermacro and Creative Lighting
Supermacro goes beyond life-size reproduction, requiring external diopters and high-magnification setups. This level of photography reveals astonishing detail in tiny creatures such as amphipods, anemone shrimp, and skeleton shrimp. However, this also requires careful strobe placement due to shallow depth of field.
Creative lighting adds another layer of expression to macro photography. Backlighting, snooting, and colored gels can transform an ordinary subject into a dramatic one. Black backgrounds can be achieved by turning off ambient light with fast shutter speeds and tight aperture control. Focus lights with red LEDs are useful for not spooking marine life during night dives.
Wide-Angle Underwater Photography Principles
Wide-angle photography captures the grand scale of underwater landscapes, marine life interactions, and the interplay between subject and environment. It relies heavily on composition, natural light, and the ability to get extremely close to large subjects.
A common mistake beginners make is thinking wide-angle means staying far from the subject. In reality, getting very close is necessary to maintain color, sharpness, and minimize backscatter. Wide-angle lenses allow you to include large parts of the background while staying physically close to the subject. This helps fill the frame and create engaging compositions.
Equipment Setup for Wide-Angle Shots
A fisheye lens or a rectilinear wide-angle lens is standard for underwater wide-angle photography. Fisheye lenses allow close focusing and capture wide fields of view, often up to 180 degrees. Rectilinear lenses are preferred for wrecks or straight-edged compositions as they avoid curvature distortion.
Dome ports are essential for wide-angle shots. They help retain sharpness and reduce edge distortion. Large domes offer better image quality at the edges but may be cumbersome. Small domes are more travel-friendly but require careful strobe positioning to avoid shadows or flares.
Use dual strobes for balanced lighting. Position them slightly behind and to the sides of the dome port. Avoid pointing them directly forward as this increases the risk of backscatter. Ambient light plays a large role in wide-angle photography, so time of day and sun angle matter. Early morning and late afternoon offer the best contrast and soft lighting.
Wide-Angle Techniques: Getting Close and Shooting Upward
One of the most essential wide-angle techniques is shooting upward. This angle introduces a blue water background and captures sun rays, creating separation and contrast. Positioning the camera lower than the subject elevates its prominence and emphasizes its form against open water.
Frame the subject with surrounding elements: reef structures, coral, marine plants, or silhouettes of divers. Leading lines such as coral branches or the curves of a shipwreck help guide the viewer’s eyes toward the subject.
When shooting large subjects such as manta rays or sharks, anticipate movement. Maintain a respectful distance but aim to fill the frame. Avoid chasing. Instead, observe their patterns and position yourself strategically to let them come to you.
Dealing with Backscatter and Poor Visibility
Backscatter, the reflection of particles in water caused by your strobes, is a common challenge. To reduce it, aim your strobes slightly outward and not directly at the subject. Maintain a close distance to your subject, as light intensity decreases with distance and increases water disturbance.
In poor visibility, avoid wide sweeping compositions. Focus on subjects that are close and visible. Shoot with a wider aperture and faster shutter speed to isolate subjects. In post-processing, backscatter can be removed, but it’s always best to minimize it during capture.
Blending Ambient and Artificial Light
Successful wide-angle images often blend natural sunlight with strobe light. The sun provides the background exposure, while strobes illuminate the foreground. Use manual exposure settings to control this balance. For example, slow shutter speeds (1/60–1/100s) let in more ambient light, while faster speeds (1/200s–1/250s) emphasize strobe lighting and create darker backgrounds.
Positioning is key. Keep the sun behind or to the side of your subject for rim lighting. Use a white balance setting that neutralizes the blue cast without making the image look unnatural. Adding a red filter to blue water can enhance colors if not using strobes, especially in shallow dives.
Creative Storytelling and Artistic Expression Underwater
Great underwater photos don’t just document—they tell stories. Whether it’s a tiny crab defending its territory or a turtle gliding past coral towers, narrative compositions involve careful timing, angle, and framing.
Think like a filmmaker. Include foreground, midground, and background elements. This gives your image depth and invites the viewer into the scene. For example, frame a diver interacting with marine life in the midground, while coral fills the foreground and sunbeams filter in from above.
Human Elements and Environmental Interaction
Including divers in your frame adds a sense of scale and human connection. A diver hovering near a wreck or photographing a school of fish tells a story of exploration and coexistence. Make sure their fins are neat, bubbles are not distracting, and they don’t backscatter your shot.
Human elements also remind viewers of our role in marine ecosystems. Photos of divers cleaning reefs, observing without touching, or simply existing in harmony send strong conservation messages.
Abstracts and Minimalist Photography Underwater
Underwater scenes are full of texture, patterns, and colors that lend themselves to abstraction. Macro shots of coral polyps, close-ups of nudibranch skin, or blurred fish scales become nearly unrecognizable, inviting curiosity.
Minimalist compositions use space and silence. A single jellyfish in open water or a lone anemone against a black background can evoke solitude, wonder, or fragility. Simplifying the frame emphasizes form and mood over context.
Using Light as a Subject
Light behaves differently underwater. Sunbeams streaming through the surface create a mood. Refractions from the surface, reflections on sand, and silhouettes formed by ambient rays offer photographic opportunities.
Use backlighting to rim small subjects like shrimp or crinoids. Angle your strobes to catch translucent parts, like fins or wings. During shallow dives, shoot toward the surface to catch sun rays filtering through kelp or wrecks.
At night, experiment with bioluminescence and focus lights. Constant lights with colored gels can simulate sunset tones or otherworldly hues, transforming even ordinary subjects into works of art.
Emotion and Behavior in Marine Life
Capturing animal behavior adds emotion and uniqueness. Whether it’s a pair of mating nudibranchs, a goby cleaning its burrow, or a clownfish guarding its eggs, these moments offer insight into underwater life.
Observe without disturbing. Spend time with your subject to predict behavior. Use burst mode to capture fast actions like feeding or movement. Maintain proper distance and lighting so as not to interfere.
Emotion can also come from facial expressions. Octopuses show curiosity, eels display aggression, and turtles exhibit calmness. Capture these expressions by focusing on the eyes and waiting for the right posture.
Color Theory and Emotional Impact
Colors influence perception and emotion. Cool blues evoke calm, while reds and oranges suggest urgency or excitement. Use color intentionally to influence the viewer’s emotional response.
Contrasting warm subjects against cool backgrounds creates depth and visual tension. Use strobe placement and camera settings to bring out colors without oversaturation. Maintain realism while enhancing vibrancy.
Use negative space to give breathing room to bright colors. Let red nudibranchs swim in a sea of blue, or isolate yellow corals against green algae. This draws attention and keeps the composition clean.
Macro and wide-angle underwater photography aren’t just about capturing what you see—they are about showing how you see. From choosing the right gear and settings to using light, emotion, and composition, each element contributes to storytelling. The ocean is full of moments waiting to be seen through your lens, and it is in the mastery of both techniques and creativity that those moments become unforgettable photographs.
Post-Processing Essentials for Underwater Photography
Post-processing is not a crutch; it is an essential part of creating impactful underwater photographs. Even with perfect in-camera exposure, underwater images often need enhancement due to light absorption, color loss, and contrast challenges.
Start with white balance. Underwater scenes typically have a heavy blue or green cast, especially if natural light dominates. Use manual white balance or RAW editors like Lightroom to correct this, aiming for realistic but vibrant tones. Avoid overcompensation—skin tones should remain natural, and marine life should retain its authentic colors.
Next, address contrast and exposure. Underwater photos often look flat. Adding contrast, adjusting shadows, and fine-tuning highlights can bring depth and realism. Be cautious not to overexpose bright spots or clip blacks in shadowy areas. Use graduated filters or radial masks to enhance certain areas without affecting the entire image.
Sharpness and noise control are critical. Use sharpening tools to enhance subject textures—especially in macro shots—while masking out background areas to avoid halo effects. For high-ISO shots or deep dives, apply noise reduction carefully to retain detail while softening grainy patches.
Cloning tools help remove backscatter and distracting elements. However, use them ethically. Removing a stray particle is acceptable; altering the subject’s structure or changing natural behavior crosses the line.
Color Correction for Macro and Wide-Angle Shots
Macro images benefit from targeted color correction. Boost saturation selectively—enhance reds, oranges, and yellows without pushing blues into artificial hues. Use HSL (Hue, Saturation, Luminance) controls to isolate and refine specific color ranges.
Wide-angle shots, especially those with sunrays or blue water backgrounds, require a delicate balance. Too much editing can make water appear murky or unnatural. Adjust tone curves to balance ambient and strobe-lit sections, keeping gradients smooth and transitions clean.
In photos involving artificial lighting and ambient light, color temperature blending may be necessary. Use color grading tools to unify the scene. Keep shadows cool and highlights warm, or vice versa, depending on mood.
Storytelling Through Editing
Post-processing should amplify the story your image tells. Emphasize the emotion you felt when taking the shot. If the scene felt serene, soften highlights and use gentle curves. If it was thrilling, increase contrast and clarity to energize the frame.
Crop for composition if needed, but avoid over-cropping. Cropping can help align subjects with compositional guides like the rule of thirds, golden ratio, or diagonals. Still, it’s ideal to frame correctly in-camera, especially for contest or publication-quality work.
Use vignettes subtly to draw attention to the subject. Radial filters help darken corners or bring focus to bright eyes or vibrant coral polyps. Avoid obvious edits—great post-processing is invisible.
Conservation Storytelling and Ethical Photography
Underwater photographers have a unique opportunity—and responsibility—to showcase marine life respectfully. Ethical photography protects subjects, habitats, and ecosystems.
Never touch or disturb marine creatures. Don’t poke, chase, or reposition them for a better shot. It’s harmful, unethical, and often illegal. Practice perfect buoyancy and fin awareness to avoid damaging fragile coral or stirring up sediment.
Photos that show interaction without interference can be powerful conservation tools. For example, an image of a turtle resting undisturbed on a reef speaks louder than one chased into open water.
Images of marine pollution—plastic bags, nets, and anchor damage—can highlight environmental issues. But they should be composed thoughtfully. Frame these elements with storytelling intent, showing their impact and inviting the viewer to care.
Photography has the power to influence. Use captions to educate. Share the species’ name, its habitat, and any known threats. Inspire action through beauty, not fear alone. An image of a thriving reef can encourage protection just as much as a shot of destruction can demand change.
Developing a Personal Style
Your underwater photography journey will evolve. At first, you may imitate others, try different compositions, or follow trends. Eventually, your style will emerge.
Style is shaped by how you see the underwater world. It’s in your choice of subjects, your favorite lighting setups, your post-processing preferences, and the mood you consistently capture.
Ask yourself what draws your attention. Are you fascinated by symmetry, emotion, colors, or patterns? Do you prefer grand seascapes or intimate portraits? Recognizing what excites you will help refine your voice.
Shoot consistently, review your portfolio regularly, and look for patterns. Are your strongest shots low-key or bright? Do you favor blues or warm tones? Are your compositions minimal or busy? These insights help guide your creative direction.
Studying other photographers is helpful too. But instead of copying their work, analyze what you like about it. Is it the lighting? The subject placement? The sense of story? Borrow elements that resonate, and reinterpret them through your lens.
Entering Photo Contests and Sharing Your Work
Contests can provide valuable exposure, feedback, and motivation. Before entering, study past winners to understand what judges are looking for. Contest-winning images often have technical excellence, creative composition, and emotional impact.
Follow guidelines carefully. Submit the right resolution, avoid over-editing, and don’t crop too aggressively unless allowed. Include metadata and captions that provide context. A well-written description can increase the judges' appreciation.
If you don’t win, don’t be discouraged. Use feedback to grow. Sometimes incredible images are overlooked for reasons beyond your control—judging is subjective. Use contests as a learning tool, not a validation system.
Social media, websites, and exhibitions are excellent ways to share your work. Choose platforms aligned with your goals. Instagram works well for visual storytelling. Photography groups or forums provide constructive critique. Galleries or print collections let you connect in person with viewers and collectors.
Building an Underwater Photography Portfolio
A strong portfolio showcases your range and depth. Include a variety of subjects, environments, and techniques—macro, wide-angle, behavior, abstracts, black backgrounds, and environmental storytelling.
Sequence your portfolio with purpose. Start with striking images to grab attention, then move through a narrative arc: colorful reef scenes, close macro shots, animal behavior, conservation images, and finally a dramatic finale.
Keep it concise. A portfolio with 15–20 strong images is more powerful than one with 50 average ones. Quality matters more than quantity. Update it regularly to reflect your growth and evolving style.
For professionals, tailor your portfolio to clients. Editorial work should focus on stories and habitat diversity. Commercial portfolios might highlight product use underwater. Conservation-focused galleries should include context and emotional resonance.
Conclusion:
Underwater photography is both an artistic pursuit and an environmental responsibility. It challenges your technical skills, fuels your creativity, and immerses you in some of the most extraordinary moments nature has to offer.
Through macro, you learn patience and precision. Through a wide-angle lens, you embrace movement and light. Through composition, you shape narratives. Through editing, you refine your vision. And through conservation, you protect the subjects you love to photograph.
The more you practice, the more fluent your visual language becomes. You’ll begin to anticipate moments, pre-visualize compositions, and develop a quiet rhythm with the ocean.
Photography has the power to change how others see the world beneath the surface. Whether you're sharing your work in a classroom, online gallery, contest, or coffee table book, each image holds the potential to spark curiosity, admiration, and a call to protect.
As you continue your underwater journey, remember: the ocean doesn’t need perfect pictures. It needs passionate storytellers who respect its silence, honor its beauty, and help the world fall in love with its depths.