So many cool underwater photos! You often see them popping up on social media, dive websites and in all kinds of publications. But have you ever wondered how those underwater images are actually taken?
What camera is behind it? What about aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings?I tell you in this episode of ‘how it's made’.
The underwater photo:
About the picture in general:
This photo was taken in Saltstraumen in northern Norway in the summer of 2024. These are two sea wolves, making their nest together in a small burrow under a rock. Once the female has laid the eggs she leaves and the male stays to guard and protect the eggs.
It takes a long time for the eggs to hatch, depending on the water temperature, it can take months. All this time, the male does not leave his burrow.
I find that so interesting, so he only eats what passes in front of his nest and is easy to grab. What a father! <3
Which camera setup was used?
The picture of the Wolffish was taken with the Nikon Z8 and Nikon's 8-15mm wide-angle in a Nauticam water housing. For the 8-15 mm wide angle, I use the Nauticam 140mm optical glass fisheye dome.
What were the settings of the camera?
ISO 2000
Diafragma 11
1/100 sec shutter speed
Manual settings
Zoomed in at 14 mm
There was not much time to take this photo. the currents off Salstraumen are huge. You can dive there only on the tide and even then the currents are huge.
There is not much time to spend with camera settings.
These fish were deep and dark.
At a distance, I was able to hold onto a rock to avoid being pushed further by the current and quickly take a test shot on the rock in front of me.
I then tried to get into the best position and let myself drift past the fish.
What lighting techniques were used?
For lighting, I used the Backscatter Hybrid Flash HF-1 gebruikt.
I chose to bring only one light because in the high current I can control one flash better than two. This flash has enough light range in width to expose enough of the photo with one light when I focus close.
The light doesn't reach the corners of the photo optimally, but I don't find that a problem at all.
Why was this composition chosen?
There was not that much choice, I depended on how fast I could push off and aim my light into the den before I was already driven past in the current.
I wanted to get as close as possible, hoping the fish would stay put and I could shine the light under the rock.
I therefore chose the simplest composition, straightforward. There was no time for anything else.
What post-processing techniques were used?
The photo was further processed in Lightroom. The photo was slightly overexposed due to the flash, so I set the exposure back slightly.
Other than that, only brightness has been added and a bit of vibrancy.
In conclusion
I am totally happy with this picture! The catfish was high on my ‘to-shoot list’
I had seen a wolffish in Iceland before, but unfortunately did not have the opportunity to take a good photo then. I had several possibilities of this photo in mind and am very happy that I was able to take one of them.
Diving in the high currents of Salstraumen are not easy, you cannot just go diving there without understanding the tides and currents.
Fredric and Borghild of Nord & Ne guided us safely through the currents and also made sure we saw beautiful marine life.
When you read this: thanks again guys!
