Taken with a Go Pro Hero 3 I'll never forget my first encounter with an underwater light, the day that it arrived in the box and I was absolutely petrified by the size and weight of it (an Ikelite DS-125 strobe) which felt about a million times larger than the size of my tiny Olympus… Continue reading Underwater Strobe or Video Light?
Author: underwatercompactcameracoach
Completely passionate about all small cameras underwater, Maria pioneered the first ever underwater photography courses designed for beginners and her book is the best-selling book of it's kind devoted to compact cameras.
She loves sharing her knowledge and experiences with beginners in underwater photography, helping them shoot with both colour and confidence with whatever kind of system they have. Both her photographic and written work has won awards but more importantly to her, her guests have consistently won prizes during the whole of this time.
Olympus Tough TG6 -v- Canon Powershot G7 Mark III – Which One’s Best for You?
Olympus Tough TG6 Canon Powershot G7 Mark III Two Popular Compact Cameras of 2021 Choosing a compact camera can be hugely overwhelming and even moreso with the giant strides in technology over recent years. So today I thought I would have a look at two of the most popular cameras for those starting out on… Continue reading Olympus Tough TG6 -v- Canon Powershot G7 Mark III – Which One’s Best for You?
Which Wide Angle Lens is the One for You?
How wide do you want to go? Lenses, lenses and more lenses - wide ones, wider still ones, different sizes, weights, prices and different names! How on holy macaronis do you choose which one to get to suit your needs? Today I thought I'd share some knowledge with you to hopefully help a beginner shed… Continue reading Which Wide Angle Lens is the One for You?
Balancing the Light in Temperate Waters
Basket Star in Alaska Learning how to master lighting in underwater photography can be tricky, but throw in the darker, cooler temperate waters and all the extra things that we need to remember as divers, and it can become an even steeper learning curve. But actually is it that hard? When I was helping John… Continue reading Balancing the Light in Temperate Waters
Do I Use Flash – Mastering Light Underwater
So last week's trip back out in the ocean really filled me with hope and lots of renewed passion to help you with your underwater photography. Last week was a huge dilemna, what equipment do I pack, my new Olympus TG6 and Seafrogs Housing arrived by a seal's whisker before leaving at 2 am that… Continue reading Do I Use Flash – Mastering Light Underwater
Lighting Your Subject Underwater in a Temperate Paradise
Sea Lemon So I've fallen in love all over again with green, cooler, wavier waters as some of you may already have guessed from my Facebook stories. But how do you go about bringing out the best of your greener subjects underwater? Do you choose video lights, torches or strobes and is there really an… Continue reading Lighting Your Subject Underwater in a Temperate Paradise
Making the Most of Manual White Balance
Garibaldi in a Giant Californian Kelp Forest If there's one thing I've loved the most about getting started with underwater imagery is the ability to take beautiful, vibrant, colourful images without the need of external strobes. So today I thought I'd share some tips with you (thanks Darren for the nudge) to help you hopefully… Continue reading Making the Most of Manual White Balance
Shooting in the Shallows
Turtle Reflection taken in Egypt using the camera's Underwater Mode So today I thought I'd share 5 Top Tips with you to help you capture beautiful images near the surface using just your camera and sometimes a wide-angle or fisheye lens. Do you remember that we lose colour very quickly as we descend, and even… Continue reading Shooting in the Shallows
White Balance Wonders for Beginners
Bumphead Parrotfish at Sipidan Island, Malaysia It's so easy when you're starting out in underwater photography to think that every underwater bell, whistle and accessory is going to help you achieve amazing photos super quickly, but there's nothing quite as exciting as starting from the beginning, taking it all one fin-stride at a time and… Continue reading White Balance Wonders for Beginners
There’s Never a Blue Monday when You’re Underwater
Schooling Sweepers in Nuweiba, Egypt There's never a blue moment when you're underwater, unless of course you're using the wrong settings in your camera. So I thought I'd spend my week at home recovering from Covid to run a series of online workshops to help you as much as possible. But let's start at the… Continue reading There’s Never a Blue Monday when You’re Underwater
Underwater Photography for Compact Camera Users 