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My husband Steve and I have been working together to create underwater photos for more than 15 years. I'm the diver you see most often in his pictures. Probably our greatest strength is our ability to communicate under water intuitively. But over the years we've also worked out a very clear set of do's and dont's in order to get the shots we want.
- Do approach marine life cautiously. These are some of the most prized shots, but to make them happen I've learned to approach from a few feet behind and a few feet above the subject to start with, gently easing my way closer as my presence is accepted.
- Don't look into the camera lens unless the photographer tells you to. Normally, direct your eyes at the primary subject. For example, if we're shooting a clownfish and anemone, I'd look at the clownfish flitting in and out of the tentacles.
- Do know where your hair is going. Avoid at all costs the "frightened family" look (so named for the Saturday Night Live skit), when your hair flows up in a wave of bubbles. Solution: I drop my head down slightly and then up just before the shot.
- Do face into the current. It's much easier to hold your position; the photographer can position himself accordingly.
- Don't dawdle in an overhead environment. Exhaust bubbles can dislodge particles from the ceilings of wrecks or caves. So we work quickly, often entering a wreck from a different side, holding our breath to take the shot, and then ducking out to breathe.
- Do know the capabilities and limitations of each lens the photographer uses - what it sees, where it focuses, if and when distortion occurs. If we're shooting a 15 mm on a Nikonos, I know it will be a fairly tight composition, whereas a 13 mm lens on a Nikonos RS will provide far more underwater environment in the frame.
- Don't have the "hands that ate Chicago." Fisheye lenses in particular can exaggerate the foreground size. If your hands or other body parts are too near the lens, they will seem unnaturally large relative to the rest of your body.
- Do edit the film together. I prefer the first edit. This is when you really learn what to do and not to do, as well as understand better what your photographer believes makes a good underwater photo - and how you make them even better.
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