Wading Into Underwater Photography

Wading Into Underwater Photography

Photo: © Steve De Neef

Seek out strange, new life forms! Boldly go where you've never gone before as a photographer!

You've climbed mountains to get the perfect shot. Trudged through forests and valleys. Traveled miles and braved the elements. Now get your feet wet and discover the wondrous world of underwater photography. Digital technology has put it within reach of everyone.

Experienced diver and award-winning underwater photographer Steve De Neef will amaze you with what you can do with a point-and-shoot camera, or the videos you can shoot with an SLR. He'll explain what you need to know about lighting, white balance, exposure, magnification, focal lengths, and photo ops underwater.

Registration mechanics

  • A certified diver is allowed to register for both seminar and location workshop in one go (as long as seats are available)
  • Non-divers may attend the seminar only, and be allowed to register for the workshop at a later date after earning a diver's certificate
  • The workshop/dives will be conducted in Anilao, at a resort staffed by a licensed divemaster
  • Participants in the workshop-dive have the option of bringing their own diving gear (recommended) or renting at the dive resort
  • Please advise PCCI if you do not have an underwater camera or housing; we can arrange for you to rent or borrow a unit for use during the workshop (limited units)

What will be covered in the seminar

  • Choosing and using an underwater housing for a point-and-shoot or SLR
  • Understanding camera settings and light underwater at different depths
  • Best focal lengths for underwater photography
  • Using flash underwater
  • Working with natural light underwater
  • Working with "uncooperative" subjects, having the right mindset
  • Composition and getting creative
  • Workflow and editing
  • Underwater video
  • Ideal dive sites for underwater photography
  • Safety underwater

What will be covered during the workshop-dive

  • Practice dives in shallow waters
  • At least two instructor-guided underwater photography sessions
  • Review and critiquing of the day's shots

Who should attend

  • Photographers who want to expand their repertoire of shots
  • Magazine and newspaper photographers, television and movie videographers
  • Researchers and students of sea life and underwater biosphere
  • Photographers who are also certified divers, to combine both interests and make more productive use of their time underwater

Prerequisites

For both seminar and workshop, participants are expected to have a working knowledge of basic photography principles, and/or attendance in the PCCI Basic Photography workshop or equivalent.

For the location (dive site) workshop, the participant must have a diver's certification, and indicate how many hours you have logged as a certified diver and the date of your last dive.

Instructor

Steve De Neef is a Belgian who has found a second home in the Philippines. He is as much familiar with diving as he is with the diving sites around the archipelago. He has won awards for his underwater photography, and has created underwater videos for nature shows in the U.S.

Note: This is a special class. Our regular discount options (e.g., for alumni and groups) do not apply. The course fee includes lunch and handout materials. The fee does not include the cost of diving, such as dive master fee; equipment rentals, transportion to and from dive site, etc.

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