iPhone Underwater Photography Made Easy Taking photos underwater has never been easier. Gone is the time you need large cameras and bulky waterproof casings. Now all you need is your iPhone.
Yes, pair your iPhone with a ProShotCase and you are ready to capture all the underwater action from your day in the water. Whether you are going for a swim, paddleboard or dive then your phone is protected and it is super easy to photograph the adventure.
But Why Use An iPhone Underwater? Cheaper. Lightweight. Always on hand.
Dedicated underwater camera sets are brilliant if you are looking for professional award-winning content, however, many phones have all the functions and brilliant camera ability to compete with these larger setups. All while being more accessible and easier to travel, swim and dive with.
The camera quality in phones has come on in leaps and bounds allowing everyone to capture high-quality photographs and shoot 4K videos. Many more settings including underwater modes have been added to phone cameras giving us the function of a full camera to take creative underwater photos as creative as our minds are. Combine this with dedicated underwater phone attachments such as handles and lights, you can take top-notch photos and videos with a lightweight, easy to use, compact system. Once taken, the ease of editing then sharing our favorite snaps with family and friends makes phones the ideal underwater companions.
Getting Started
Once your iPhone is secure in its housing, you have the ProShotCase Camera App opened and ready to go, all that's left is to jump into the water and start capturing. First off let's look at your app's settings. Using your iPhone you have limited access to camera settings so making sure you have your camera set to photograph and film in the highest specification can help you get the best quality images underwater. Head to the app's settings section, starting with adding the underwater modes. Key photography modes are wide-angle, zoom and even selfie mode. For the advanced photographers, switch the RAW photo setting on (found in the advanced settings) to give you full editing capabilities. If you are taking lots of videos enable the 4K setting and film in 60fps which will give you high-quality video ready to piece together in your edit.
Underwater Photography Tips & Tricks
As mentioned there are limited settings which means you need to be creative with your photography. Without access to shutter speeds or aperture settings, your photo composition will be most important to taking the most exciting photos. Think about zooming out and capturing the reef with a wide-angle view. Use a fellow diver or swimmer in the background which will give a new perspective on the size of the wreck you are looking at. Getting quite low and eye level with the marine life you want to photograph will give you a much more exciting photo, drawing the eye to focus on your subject. If you want to photograph the tiny life in the water, then get close up and fill the camera screen with the colour and details of the macro underwater world.
If you want to capture everything underwater then the ProShotCase makes it simple to switch between taking photos and videos. This is great for times when you want to live in the ocean moment but still capture the action. For those silky smooth shots hold onto the handle rather than the phone itself. Limiting the video shake in this way makes the video much more enjoyable to watch after. Also, steadier footage allows you to take crisp screenshot photos from the video if you want that still moment of underwater action.
Photos Taken And Ready To Share
Well, almost ready to share. Once you’ve taken your photos you’ll see that they will not look the same as what your eye sees underwater. This is due to light and colour being absorbed by the water and disappearing, particularly if you have taken photos at deeper depths. The next step is to edit your photos to bring back the colour. Use a free editing app such as Lightroom or even apps such as Dive+, which is a dedicated underwater photo editing app. The ProShotCase Camera App also has an Underwater Color Correction feature built-in so you can edit your footage within the same app!
How to Edit your Underwater Footage
Start by adjusting the white balance or tint functions which will even out the colours and make them more accurate to what you saw. When adjusting colours look at adding some more red back into the photo as that’s the first colour to disappear underwater. Follow this by playing with the darkening of the shadows and brightening the highlights to make your subject stand out. Finish up with a hint of contrast for that colour pop, and some noise reduction to smooth out any unwanted grain in the photo.
Everyone has a slightly different style of photo they like, so play with the editing to find your underwater photography style. Finally, get those photos shared out there and share the excitement of your underwater adventures online and with friends!
Taking photos with your iPhone underwater is super easy and so much fun. It makes sharing underwater experiences accessible to everyone as well as a chance to show off the beauty of our oceans, lakes and rivers. So tell us, where are you heading to do your first iPhone underwater photography?
About the Writer:
Guest Writer
Jo's Ocean Media is a certified PADI divemaster with a love for the Ocean and photography. Jo decided to combine both and started her scuba diving journey in 2018. With years of knowledge working with cameras, photography, and videography. Jo has started her blog to inspire others to discover our oceans and share the best advice to taking memorable photos and videos.
