Guide to Composition in Underwater Photography

Composition will often make or break an image in any genre of photography, and it’s no different for underwater photography.

An impactful photograph should tell a story or immerse the viewer in the environment, making it come alive. This can be achieved through exciting behaviour, an otherworldly scene, or stunning colour patterns.

Fundamentals of composition

There are many widely accepted fundamentals of composition that apply equally underwater as on land. These are guidelines, not rules, and should not be restrictive, yet in many cases, they help an image achieve greater impact.

Among the most widely discussed is the rule of thirds, which essentially involves placing the focal subject away from the image centre (or very edges), rather than right in the middle of the frame.

This works particularly well with an animal looking ‘into’ or across the frame, rather than toward a close edge.

The same applies to movement. For example, having a shark swimming into the frame with ‘space’ to move is often more effective than empty space behind it.

Other valuable compositional guides include leading lines, where a feature or subject directs the viewer’s attention through the image; using frames within the photograph (for example, a fish seen through an avenue of coral); odd numbers; and including layers of interest.

Keeping those general guidelines in mind, there are additional compositional considerations underwater.

Contrasts and complementary colours

Most people essentially see the world in four colour types: red, green, yellow, and blue. The neural foundation of this is well studied, based on the presence of two colour channels in our visual system that encode contrasting pairs: red-green and blue-yellow.

To create photos with strong colour impact, we should place opposing colours close to one another; for example, a red fish sitting on a patch of green coral.

Fortunately, many underwater environments are rich in a variety of hues, including corals and seaweeds, giving ample opportunity to select subjects surrounded by complementary colours.

Similarly, we can open our aperture, increase ISO, or lengthen exposure to allow the blue water colour to come through and make a yellow subject stand out.

Read more: An Underwater Photographer’s Guide to Colour Photography

Get close, get low, look up

Any underwater photographer will likely have been told many times to get close to subjects, partly to minimise the amount of water between the camera and subject, which otherwise drains colours and contrast and dramatically reduces light.

There are also compositional reasons regarding image impact, with two common underwater types of images being ‘close-focus wide-angle,’ where the camera is very close to the subject but also capable of capturing the wider scene, and a more extreme version, ‘wide-angle macro.’

Both are often taken with very close-focusing fisheye lenses behind small dome ports, or with specialist lenses. The key is to be close enough that the subject fills part of the frame while showing the wider habitat and context.

Naturally, it’s a technique that requires subjects that don’t spook easily, such as a frogfish around a reef.

Getting low is also important, even for standard portraits. The aim is to capture the character of the subject at eye level, with key features (e.g., eyes) in focus and sharp.

Sometimes looking up at a subject can create an even more unique perspective.

When close to the surface, interest can be increased by utilising Snell’s window, perhaps including some sky above, overhanging trees, or other features.

This works well for pelagic animals, such as jellyfish floating just below the surface.

Naturally, these being guidelines, there are times when you’ll want to ignore the above and instead ‘go high and look down!’

Relatively flat animals, like a flatfish or creatures with interesting markings from above, can often be shown better by looking directly down, especially if this provides a different perspective of the environment.

Read more: How to Choose a Lens for Underwater Photography

Split shots

Split shots, or half-and-half images, can be among the most dramatic of any photos, showing the world above and below the water simultaneously. To work well, they must have interest above and below the surface.

The water line may run across the middle of the frame, or higher up or down, but the composition should be carefully considered in both parts of the frame.

For example, if there’s a jellyfish floating just below the surface in otherwise dark water, there’s no need to capture lots of empty space below it if the above-water scene has more appeal. Split shots also work well in areas such as tidal pools.

Split shots can be tricky to get right. They tend to require calm seas (or tidal pools), slow subjects, and are easier to take with a larger dome port.

Water droplets can be troublesome, and there’s a range of approaches to dealing with these, including wiping the dome port with spit or a cut potato, submerging the dome and bringing it up just before the shot, or, if all else fails, using Photoshop!

Exposure and focus are also key to good split shots. Generally, the best results occur with a closed aperture and focus point on the subject below the water.

Bright high sun from behind and clear water make balancing exposure above and below easier, but often there’s a risk of blowing the highlights in the top half or having the bottom too dark.

I often use one or two strobes under the surface to help balance the exposure, and this can work well if we simply want to light a subject close to the lens.

Read more: Underwater Split-Shots – Top Tips for Over-Under Photos

Abstract compositions

Sometimes photographic intent is more about shapes, textures, and colours, adding intrigue to a photo in a more abstract way. Here, the subject may not be obvious at first, or even at all.

The intention is to focus on unusual perspectives or the intrinsic beauty of a subject, or part of it, whether it’s the tentacles of an anemone or the colourful scales of a fish.

Often, it’s about fine detail. Depending on personal taste, very abstract images can be captured with vintage lenses, especially modified ones with elements reversed.

Read more: A Guide to Abstract Underwater Photography

Sense of scale

It can be difficult to convey a sense of scale underwater. The strong differences in light and the way that visibility is limited can create challenges in showing larger scenes.

Yet seascapes are among the most stunning of all environments.

Scale is not likely to be shown with a single animal in an otherwise empty frame unless there are additional components, perhaps looking down into deep water with sun rays spearing through from above.

As on land, capturing scale often depends on showing wide-angle scenery in layers, whether it’s a coral scape or kelp forest.

A sense of scale is produced by adding elements that the viewer can refer to: the water surface, sun beams, and, of course, a focal point such as an animal or other object.

This can be an excellent time to utilise underwater models and divers, as little conveys a sense of scene and scale as effectively to a viewer as another person in it.

Negative space and bokeh

Negative space is often extremely important in underwater photography, and rather than simply empty space, negative space is best used when it contributes something more to an image overall.

For example, having a small subject centered in the frame, surrounded by white or black, usually doesn’t add very much unless there is a specific reason to do so. Instead, the space should enhance the message or beauty of the photo.

Since underwater environments are often extremely colourful, a popular approach is to use diffused, pastel-like colours to add extra beauty while providing breathing space for the subject and complementing its own colours.

Negative space can also add to a sense of scale, for example, placing an animal relatively small in the frame to highlight a vast expanse of habitat beyond.

The areas around a focal subject can also add interest through bokeh, or the out-of-focus areas of light and reflection in an image.

This can vary from soap-bubble bokeh balls produced by some vintage and modern art lenses to more subtle effects. Bokeh really tends to reflect personal taste, though it’s often thought that some forms of bokeh are too ‘busy’ or distracting.

Depending on personal preference, the key is often to find substrates or light effects behind or around the subject that produce pleasing results without appearing crowded.

Underwater, there are many options, with colourful seaweeds, corals, or other substrates, light rays, and even bubbles able to produce remarkable results in certain contexts, albeit often with trial and error.

Small changes in subject-camera-background distance, angle, and lighting can dramatically influence bokeh.

For both diffused, colourful, and bokeh-rich backgrounds, the key is frequently to use a wide-open aperture. For more extreme looks, vintage or art lenses and filters can take things up a level.

Using the available light

Light varies in extremes underwater. Increasing depth incurs both a loss in the amount of light and a reduction in red colours. In addition, differences in brightness can be dramatic, from the dark waters below to a bright sun ball at the surface.

This can be a challenge for both photographer and camera, but on the flip side, effective use of variation in ambient light can transform an image and change the mood entirely.

Many of us aim to head out when the sun is shining and light is golden, but a dark, grey, moody day creates its own feel in images.

Naturally, staying shallow and working with the light nearest the surface gives the most scope to vary how photos feel as conditions and weather change. So, instead of planning a dive based on how deep you can go, stay near the surface.

Read more: 8 Tips for Creating Amazing Lighting in Underwater Photos

In conclusion

Underwater photography presents various additional challenges compared to photography on land, yet many of the compositional guidelines remain similar.

While changes in lighting or colour can be far more extreme underwater, there are additional opportunities too—being able to move around in a three-dimensional way opens a suite of new angles and perspectives.

The trick, as with all photography, is often to envision them in the mind’s eye first.