A comprehensive, five-class course, Introduction to Digital Underwater Photography is specifically designed for beginning underwater photographers who are using digital cameras. Categorizing a digital camera as a "point-and-shoot" can be misleading. Many beginning digital shooters own very sophisticated digital cameras, but when starting out tend to shoot in a "point-and-shoot" or automatic mode. This course is the one for you if you are new to underwater photography with digital cameras, and you want to start out by letting your camera do the technical "thinking" so you can compose, shoot, and have fun.

Introduction to Digital Underwater Photography begins with a class in which you will meet Marty Snyderman, your instructor, learn about the types of pictures you can take with digital cameras that are set up to shoot in the automatic, or point-and-shoot, mode. You will also learn how to get the most out of this course.

The second class is entitled Guidelines to Powerful Composition. After all, the goal is to create compelling photographs, and you will learn about techniques that will make most people like most of your images most of the time. As the title suggests, these are guidelines, not absolute rules.

Next, we will take a look at How Your Camera System Works (and the component parts). Class number four is all about Preparing and Maintaining Your Camera System. No question about it, you need to know how to travel with, set up, dive with and care for your cameras, strobe and accessories. Taking care of your equipment is not hard, but you need to do it the right way, and that is what you will learn in this class.

The class entitled Problems and Problem Solving in Underwater Photography is where you put what you have mastered in the first four classes together as you learn about problems that are specific to taking pictures underwater and techniques to combat those problems. You’ll also learn how to approach and photograph marine creatures big and small as well as learning how to photograph your friends without turning them into your enemies!

Both courses logically lead in to The Digital Workflow & Image Manipulation for Underwater Photography, which picks up where the shooting courses end, buy giving you the basic steps necessary to transfer images to your computer, make minor adjustments to them, store them and share them with your friends.

Introduction to Digital Underwater Photography

I) Introduction

• meet your instructor, Marty Snyderman
• a little business that must be attended to
• types of pictures you can take with your camera system
• the importance of being a good diver first
• defining point-and-shoot cameras in the digital world
• some digital basics
• how to get the most out of this course

II) Guidelines to Powerful Composition

• guidelines, not absolute rules
• powerful images make a statement
• fill your frame
• isolate your subject
• your frame is a rectangle, not a square
• faces and eyes must be in sharp focus
• accessory close-up and wide-angle conversion lenses provide more opportunites
• shoot subjects face first
• negative space should make a positive impression
• audiences like bright colors and bright lights
• give moving subjects some head room
• contrast is a key to composition
• put the sun on the edge of your frame or at your back
• avoiding backscatter
• photographing divers
• helping your model have some fun too!
• framing divers
• take more than one picture of a subject
• trust your instincts
• be a good diver and a safe diver first
• show a little respect for the marine environment
• quiz

III) How Your Camera System Works

• how digital cameras work
• sensors, ISO and sensor sensitivity to light
• shutter speed
• exposure basics
• all about media cards; types, capacity and write speeds
• mathematics of the digital world
• what happens to colors as light rays descend
• strobes, how they work, what they do and the importance of strobe-to-subject distance
• consistently getting good exposures
• what lenses "see"
• burping accessory lenses
• close-up conversion lenses
• wide-angle conversion lenses
• zoom lenses; how to use them well and what to avoid
• depth-of-field
• quiz

IV) Preparing and Maintaining Your Camera System

• a general philosophy
• the importance of reading your owner’s manuals and becoming familiar with your camera
• about white balance
• preparing and using your media card
• coordinating your camera and strobe
• bigger hammers don’t fix cameras
• don’t let yourself get in a hurry
• develop and practice good habits
• getting your camera ready to go
• amphibious cameras and housed cameras
• o-rings; their job and what they need from you
• testing a camera housing
• setting up and testing your strobe
• getting your camera system into and out of the water
• post-dive care, maintenance and packing
• quiz

V) Problems and Problem Solving in Underwater Photography

• what you are up against when you make pictures underwater
• the blues
• the importance of getting close to your subject
• accessory conversion lenses
• putting colors, colors and more colors in your photographs
• dealing with suspended particles in the water column
• pay close attention to camera-to-subject distance
• look for and create contrast between subjects and backgrounds
• keep the sun out of your frame
• shooting at downward angles can work
• avoiding and overcoming backscatter
• strobe placement
• making adjustments to get the proper exposure
• shutter delay and how to deal with it
• pay very close attention to your camera-to-subject distance
• giving yourself choices
• approaching and working with marine life
• photographing reef creatures
• photographing Mr. Big
• photographing your friends and keeping them as friends
• editing, filing and learning from your work
• be respectful of the environment
• go at your pace, and be your own best friend
• quiz

$49.95 for a 6 month subscription