• Know when the camera is on. Learn how to tell if the camera is recording, and check it often.

• Make sure the sun is behind you, unless getting silhouette shots.

• Use a color filter (UR PRO Filter) between 20-80 feet with sunlight and no external lights turned on.
  
  Remember when using lights, no filter-otherwise everything is too red. Too close to surface will also make everything too pink.

• Use manual focus when shooting long or medium shots. With Close-up can use auto focus. If able to set manual focus with housing button underwater: aim at coral or another diver in focus (15-20 feet away) and set manual focus. Then aim at subject (example: shark, manta ray, whale).

  Setting manual focus before dive if can't set underwater: With camera on auto focus, aim at an object 20 feet away. Zoom in on object. Set manual focus and pull back to wide angle. Move up to object and should still be in focus.

• Focus on subject in distance with coral in foreground will add color to subject.

• Vignetting is due to physical limitations of the housing. You may notice shading of the corners or its like looking through a tube (vignetting) when viewing thru the electronic viewfinder. To eliminate vignetting, simply zoom out of full wide angle slightly.

• When using external lights on housing; these are good for up to about 3 feet during day.

Avoid the following:

Fire Hosing
This means aiming your camcorder in the general direction of your subject and then waving it vaguely around the area without decisively framing anything. Instead, frame a sharp composition, film for at least 10 seconds, then move to another good image. In other words hold camera steady on subject.

Snap Shooting
Don't treat the camcorder like a still camera, shooting endless little snippets too short to view properly. Count to 10 on every shot, unless something really great is happening, then keep rolling.

Headhunting
As a general rule, keep subject's eyes in the top third of your frame. (It is okay to cut off part of the top, but not the bottom of face).

Motor Zooming
Zooming looks cool on the viewfinder, but not in the finished show. To avoid the problem, use the zoom sparingly. When zooming to create a new image size, turn off record and start the new shot at new size, that way it will edit smoothly with the old one.

Vary Perspective
Most of the time, you shoot looking down on subject. Use varied perspectives for greater visual interest, go low to high along reef, reverse directions, shoot from below, and pan VERY, VERY, VERY slowly. Get Long Shots, Medium Shots, and Close-ups to tell the story.

Long shots introduce the viewer to area or subject. Medium shots show features.
Close-ups give details.

Jogging
Jogging means making shaky footage, either by swimming while shooting or by allowing the camera to move. To avoid this problem use the image stabilization which is on the camera; brace the camera when you can; avoid very long telephoto lens settings when hand holding (in fact turn off the Digital Zoom feature to the camera). You can still do telephoto, but it will be limited. This gives better quality. If you move, while filming, carry the camera smoothly. Best to swim to the subject and take video.

Learn how to take Great Underwater Video

Here are some techniques you MUST remember when taking video underwater. It is not the same as taking a photo and there are other considerations for underwater.

Filters are added because as you go deeper, red is the first color lost. The water acts as a filter and makes everything look blue.

If water has a green cast, the red filter will make everything look yellow. Here a magenta filter is used or white balance is adjusted. If you can’t adjust white balance, change to indoor setting in camera setup and use red filter. You will get same result as magenta.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE...will give you great underwater Video.

Got a question about underwater video or equipment? Send questions to Sheryl Brakey at SJB Productions.
We will try to answer them or give another opinion.