Photo & Video

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SeaLife Introduces New 6" Wide Angle Dome Lens for SportDiver Smartphone Housing

SeaLife, the leading maker of underwater imaging gear, has introduced a new Wide Angle Dome Lens for their popular SportDiver underwater smartphone housing that increases the phone’s camera lens field-of view by 40% and allows photographers to get closer to the subject while fitting everything into the image frame.

The 0.71x dome lens requires no skill, training, or adjustment; simply mount it and shoot. Split shots that split the topside view with the undersea view are especially easy. There’s a safety lanyard included to keep the lens with the housing should it get bumped off.

Pure Light: Shooting with Ambient Light in UW Photography

Striped dolphins, southern Egypt
Striped dolphins, southern Egypt

Photographing in ambient light can be a choice or a necessity. It is therefore important to develop an adequate sensitivity to ambient light in order to be able to judge whether it is the best option for shooting a particular scene. Claudio Ziraldo offers some insights and tips on how to improve your underwater images.

Photo of a diver on the wreck of the Stolt Dagali off the New Jersey coast in the United States, which has been modified by Generative Fill AI in Photoshop. The original image is inside the dashed-line border.

New Video on AI in Underwater Photography

Have look at this video of an excellent, informative and entertaining presentation on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in underwater photography, namely Generative Fill in Photoshop, by regular contributor and avid underwater photographer and technical diver Michael Rothschild.

Tones & Tonality: Contributors' Picks

Photo by Scott Bennett: Bigeye jacks, Sipadan, Malaysia—cool tones. Gear: Nikon D200 camera, Sigma 10-20mm lens at 10mm, Hugyfot housing, two Ikelite D125 strobes. Exposure: ISO 100, f/6.3, 1/80s.

We asked our contributors to share their favorite underwater photos that showcase tones and tonality, and they returned with a range of wide-angle and macro shots featuring a variety of marine life, reefs and topography.

Buddy Dive Resort Presents: "Buddy Dive Thru the Lens"

This year, Buddy Dive Thru the Lens will be hosted again at Buddy Dive Resort, this time from August 24th - 31st. Buddy Dive Thru the Lens is an underwater photography week with many options for (new) underwater photographers to develop their skills! 

Dive enthusiasts and photography aficionados are invited to immerse themselves in the mesmerizing beauty of Bonaire's underwater world at the much anticipated "Buddy Dive Thru the Lens" photography event, hosted by Buddy Dive Resort. 

Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 Winners

Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024: Whale Bones, by Alex Dawson, Sweden

A poignant image capturing a freediver surveying the aftermath of whaling has earned Alex Dawson from Sweden the prestigious title of Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024. Dawson’s captivating photograph, entitled Whale Bones, emerged victorious from a pool of 6,500 submissions by underwater photographers hailing from diverse corners of the globe.

Positioning Subjects in UW Macro Photography

This photo of a nudibranch walking on the head of a scorpionfish—a strange and almost comical situation—was taken as a whole, but it remains a shot that lacks personality. Photo by Cristian Umili.

Macro underwater photography comes with some challenges, particularly when positioning a subject in the frame. Cristian Umili offers some advice and tips to improve your macro images.

Fluoroscent Photography Underwater

On a night dive in the Philippines several years ago, I had an opportunity to do a "fluoro" night dive. Atlantis Dive Resort rented blue underwater flashlights and yellow filter shields that went over divers' masks. Geared up, I set off into the night. The blue light was very dim and the dive was much darker than a normal night dive.