underwater photography Archives - Photo Tips, Creative Photography + Travel Guides - The Wandering Lens

Setting the Scene: Underwater Photography

Lisa Michele Burns — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 00:00:22 +0000

Getting Started with Underwater Photography Taking your photography below the surface opens up so many creative opportunities. Water is my favourite element to work with and once you’ve got the gear and some technical skills, it’s a canvas that’s hard to ignore. Whether you’re in the ocean, a lake or pool, underwater photography is such a fun way to capture your surroundings both above and below the surface. You can shoot underwater portraits, split-level landscape shots or capture the beauty of the underwater world and marine life. For this month’s Setting the Scene I’m sharing a few quick tips on underwater photography; how to plan, prepare your gear and some settings to get started. Underwater Photography: Planning the time + location Depending on what you’re hoping to photograph, planning is a big part of capturing beautiful underwater images. Not only is location important but the tides, currents, weather conditions and your own ability to swim for an extended period of time need to be taken into account. If you’re shooting underwater, water clarity is one of the main issues you’ll face and researching when the best time for clarity is can help in your images being clearer and more colourful....

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The Great Barrier Reef – Photographing Above and Below

Lisa Michele Burns — Thu, 03 May 2018 09:54:16 +0000

Australia’s Natural Wonder Every shade of blue from teal to navy appeared beneath me as we flew over the Great Barrier Reef east of Cairns in Queensland, Australia. As one of the world’s natural wonders, the reef really lives up to its reputation of being a photogenic landscape with that vibrant myriad of blues appearing not only above, but below the water too. Running for over 2,300km along the Queensland coast, the Great Barrier Reef is made up of numerous reef systems, sand cays and tropical islands. Basically if you dream up paradise, this is a giant picture perfect version of it. It’s a huge watery canvas with photo opportunities at every single angle whether you’re visiting it near Bundaberg, Airlie Beach or Port Douglas. I had never visited the reef further north off Cairns so the lovely (and super talented!) Katie from @mycolourfulworld_ showed me around her favourite photography spots and experiences. You can read more about our adventures exploring Tropical North Queensland here. The water has always been a huge inspiration in my work so getting the opportunity to photograph the patterns, natural formations and contrasting tones of this beautiful landscape again was one that I jumped at....

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The World from The Water – Dubai

Lisa Michele Burns — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 00:13:14 +0000

Underwater Photography Project – Dubai With a skyline of towering man-made monsters, the coastline of Dubai is impressive from almost any angle. If you’ve been reading The Wandering Lens for a little while you’ll have noticed my obsession with one particular angle. The World from the Water. It’s a personal photography project I’ve been creating in locations around the world and since the project kicked off in 2014, Dubai has been on the hit list. Rarely captured from the water, the idea of blending the natural element of water with a world so sparkling and modern fascinated me. That this bustling city that’s grown so rapidly is resting on the shores of sandy beaches and calm seas. Photographing the skyline while bathing in the warm waters of the Persian Gulf felt like I had been given a private screening to Star Wars. I haven’t seen all of the films but the buildings reminded me of Galactic City, all shapes and sizes, so fancy and futuristic. I had long been wanting to capture the beautiful Burj al Arab from the sea, created to look like a sailing boat it’s the ideal subject to float above the waterline in an image. As...

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Diving at Europe’s First Underwater Museum

Lisa Michele Burns — Mon, 07 Aug 2017 20:00:27 +0000

Scuba Diving at Europe’s First Underwater Museum The water has an effect on me like no other environment. There’s an instant calm from the moment I jump in and take a dive beneath the surface. No noise, no crowds just a feeling of weightlessness in the waves. For the past six years I’ve been working as a professional underwater photographer however only to a depth where I could hold my breath unassisted. And I’m no free diver so we’re talking 3-4metres max! To finally do something about exploring more of the ocean, last month I flew to a little volcanic island off the coast of Morocco to get my Open Water Dive Certificate. Lanzarote is known to most as a British holiday haven, where all you can eat and drink restaurants lure groups looking to have a good time. My trip though had nothing to do with cocktails and deck chairs, it was all about what lies beneath the water. Europe’s First Underwater Museum Just off the coast of Lanzarote are an incredible series of over 300 individual statues lathered in coral and sea grass. Created by British artist Jason deCaires Taylor, these underwater worlds are where art blends with...

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Photographing The World from The Water in Europe

Lisa Michele Burns — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 13:43:55 +0000

Underwater Photography Project – The World from The Water I love to photograph the world from the water. I’ve said it before and I’ll no doubt continue to repeat myself for as long as my photography career lasts. The perspective of seeing above and below the water level in a single shot fascinates me. It’s like two worlds blending together; the element of water adding a soft and creative balance to the landscapes and coastlines above. For the past year I’ve been based in France while I travel to various destinations around Europe for my photography project ‘The World from The Water’. Starting out I had grand plans to visit every nook and hidden bay of the Mediterranean. In reality, the Mediterranean is pretty damn big! While I may have Google Earthed the entire coastline from my home in Australia, during my time in Europe I narrowed it down to photographing a few select and accessible locations that intrigued me to capture their view from the water. The destinations covered so far have been a result of weather conditions, the avoidance of summer crowds and sometimes surprising circumstances that led to photographing in unexpected places. The coast of Italy still...

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