How to do Half-Underwater Photos with a Camera & Fishtank

Photography Tips  •  Underwater Photography

Underwater photography is definitely cool. The only thing that’s stopping most of us from trying it is the level of protection needed for our gear. But, if you’re careful, you don’t need an expensive camera housing to try out this style of photography. In this video, photographer Patrick Hall with Fstoppers shows you how you can take some amazing underwater photographs using a fish tank:

In some cases, using a fish tank works better than using a camera dome. For instance, it lets you include the water line in your frame along with the scene above and underwater. As a result, it gives the feeling the camera is actually immersed in water. The curved surface of the dome does not allow you to do this.

Hall also shares how you can make use of sandbags and weights to keep the aquarium floating naturally. This will save you a lot of energy as you don’t want to be pushing it down constantly while handling your gear. And since you’ll be working in an unorthodox manner, you’re bound to come across certain hurdles. Thankfully, Hall walks you through any such obstacles that you may face and also suggests solutions for the same.

Once done with the shoot, Hall also shares his editing workflow for getting the final image. This will surely interest you if you’re keen on learning how professionals edit and retouch their work.

If you really want to try out underwater photography but don’t want to go all out with the expensive tools, give this hack a try.