Taking underwater photos without harming marine life

The best underwater photos usually come from patience rather than pursuit. Animals that feel safe will often move closer or go about their business, and a photographer who stays still and lets the scene develop tends to get better pictures while causing less disturbance. Protecting wildlife comes down to a few habits: keep your distance, avoid touching the reef, never chase an animal for a shot and stop when the animal shows signs of stress. These habits also tend to produce more natural images.

Let the animal set the distance

Choose lenses and settings that suit the subject instead of moving in close. A macro lens or a close-focus setting lets you fill the frame with a small animal without touching the reef or getting so close that you disturb it. For larger animals, a wide-angle lens is the usual choice, because it works at short range. Telephoto lenses are rarely the answer underwater, since every extra meter of water between the lens and the subject adds haze and color loss. With a large animal, wait for it to approach, and accept that some shots will not happen.

Approach slowly and calmly, and never block an animal's path or corner it against the reef to get a better frame.

Turtles need extra room, so stay out of their path to the surface and do not chase them. An animal that is resting or hiding is not a subject to pursue, however good the light looks.

Before you approach any animal, look at the space behind it. Many animals hide in crevices, under ledges or among branching coral, and a photographer who pushes in for a frame can break the coral that shelters them.

Keep your body and camera off the reef

A camera rig is often the largest thing in the water, and it is easy to strike coral with a housing, arm or strobe. Hold the rig close to your body, keep your elbows tucked and check your position before you lean in. Use the same buoyancy habits you would on any dive: hover above the reef, use a frog kick or modified flutter kick near the bottom, and hold your position with your breathing and fin control. Never rest a housing, arm or strobe on the reef to steady yourself while you compose a shot. A good photo never requires touching the reef.

Do not move animals to get a better shot. Lifting a shell, turning a crab, pulling a fish out of a crevice or placing a nudibranch on a clean rock may look harmless, but it stresses the animal and can damage it. Compose the picture with the scene as it is. If the frame you want requires touching or moving something, let it go and look for another subject.

Lighting, flash and sensitive subjects

Strobes and video lights can be useful, but they affect some animals more than others. Nocturnal and light-sensitive species may react strongly to bright light, so many photographers switch off their flash when they are close to eels, resting fish or animals tucked into crevices. Watch how the subject responds to your light, and dim or turn it off as soon as the animal reacts. Some guides also ask photographers to avoid flash on particular animals, and some marine parks and operators restrict photography or filming altogether, so check the rules and the briefing before you enter the water.

Natural light is often the better choice. Working in shallower water, where sunlight is stronger, can reduce the need for artificial light. Never use bait or food to lure an animal into frame. That is a form of feeding, and it changes how the animal behaves long after your dive is over.

Knowing when to put the camera down

Watch the animal for signs of stress, and stop when you see them. Signs that an animal is being disturbed include turning away, hiding, flaring its fins, changing color, stopping feeding, or leaving a cleaning station. Camera work adds its own pressure, so limit flash bursts on a single subject. Fire a few well-timed frames, then pause and let the animal settle rather than firing a continuous string. Do not keep following it for one more shot.

Set a simple rule before the dive: when the animal moves away, you move away. Many photographers find their best images come after they have backed off and waited. Your buddy and the group also depend on you to keep track of time and air, and a photographer who falls behind creates risk for everyone. A picture is never worth a rushed ascent or a stressed animal.

Respect the other people on the trip too. A photographer who blocks the view, kicks sediment toward others or holds the best spot for a long time makes the dive worse for everyone. Do not hover directly over a subject to hold your frame, because that blocks the view of the people behind you. Take your turn, share the view and move on once the animal has settled.

Good underwater photography is a matter of respect for the animal and the reef. The picture records a moment you were lucky to share, and it does not give you a right to change that moment. Plan the shot around the animal's behavior, use the lens and light that let you keep your distance, and leave every subject as you found it.