Underwater Photography Tips for Diving in the Maldives: How to Capture the Perfect Moment

The Maldives, with its abundance of coral reefs, marine life, caverns, overhangs, and wrecks, is THE destination for your photo shoot- underwater that is! Diving in Maldives is a very popular tourist attraction and here, we take a look at tips and tricks to enable you to capture the best photos from your swim in the Maldivian Sea.

• Be proficient in diving

Underwater photography is no easy feat, and you need to be able to be in control whilst underwater. Diving classes are offered at most resorts in the Maldives, so make sure you enrol in this class and practice your sea legs! Practising buoyancy is essential so that you do not disturb marine life or damage coral as well.

• Consider taking an underwater photography course! 

You would want the absolute best photos out of your vacation to show your family, and friends and maybe even to frame them. Speak to your resort manager and they will be able to assist you in joining an underwater photography course which could sharpen your photography skills.

• Get the right gear 

For first-time photographers, something small and easy to carry would be ideal. Make sure your gear has manual settings as well, so you can use features like white balance, exposure, and focus.

• Master your camera settings

For artistic effects like motion blur, use a slower shutter speed and a faster shutter speed to capture subjects that are moving quickly. Recognise your camera's manual settings and learn how to regulate exposure and capture motion by adjusting the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.To guarantee that your photos accurately capture colour, make sure that your white balance is set. You can practice all these settings on land!

• Use appropriate lenses 

When photographing small objects such as sea horses, nudibranchs, and other small animals, macro lenses are the best choice. For capturing the vast grandeur of coral reefs, schools of fish, and larger marine life, however, wide-angle lenses work well.

• Use natural light 

Make the most of the natural light that the Maldives has to offer. When the sun isn't directly overhead, dive in the early morning or late afternoon for beautiful, soft lighting. Create stunning silhouettes and bring out the colours in your images by using the sun as a backlight. You can also start taking your photos in shallow water, as that is where you get the clearest pictures. As you go deeper underwater, you tend to lose colour. Tip – Always shoot your subject at an upward angle – the light and composition are best this way!

• Get close! 

Rather than using a zoom lens to capture your interest, inching closer to the subject in order to photograph it would be your best bet. Also, since you are underwater, the water can cause some distortion, so getting closer to your subject would be best. However, please take caution not to harm or touch your subject at any cost.

Patience is key during these underwater photography sessions, and you need to hoard it! You can make attempts to figure out the movements of marine life and position your camera to catch the exact movement you require on your lens. Always remember that you need to wait to get the perfect shot! Resorts in Maldives such as Kuramathi Maldives offer you comprehensive diving packages which include early morning dives at Shark Point, night dives and even diving safaris to North Ari. There are expert guides to ensure you have the time of your life and get the perfect shot while you are at it!