Emmersion Underwater Photography

Do you ever get back from a dive trip and feel so underwhelmed by your images, that you forget about exporting them from Lightroom to share?

I do this alllll the time.

I think it’s because the experience is so fresh in your mind after a trip. No image could ever capture the feelings you had to the same extend as being there in person.

So, here’s a photo from in Papua New Guinea taken in Sep 2023.

I think it might be time to go through the rest of the collection, don’t you?

📸 Sony A7riii in housing with dual strobes.

Have you seen the sculptures under the Busselton Jetty yet? They make for a great dive! These pics were from November 2023, I’ll be diving there again next week and looking forward to seeing any difference in the marine life making home around them 🙌

It’s beginning to feel a lot like summer 💙

Loving how good the vis is getting at the Busselton Jetty!

🛥️
📸 Sony A7riii, dual strobes, housing

🚢 HMAS Swan Wreck 🚢

An iconic shipwreck in Western Australia and only 2.5 hours drive south of Perth.

The HMAS Swan, a decommissioned naval destroyer, now serves as an artificial reef and one of WA’s most popular wreck dives - and you can see why! There is so much to explore when diving this 140m long ship wreck and it’s home to so much life!

With multiple decks to explore, you'll want to do several dives to fully appreciate the wonders of this fascinating wreck.

The beauty is that divers of all experience levels can enjoy this dive - as the crowsnest sits in just 6m of water while the sand reaches a maximum depth of 32m.

The best time of year for water clarity is Oct - May each year and run tours on their lux custom fitted dive boat out of Busselton Marina 🤙

I’ll absolutely be down there a few weekends this summer - anyone keen to join?

🌊📸
Emma

I’ve loved speaking to so many freedivers lately for the Underwater Photography Exposed Podcast! 🎧

All this talk about freediving got me thinking about things I wish I knew earlier when learning to take photos while holding my breath.

Here are a few tips from me:

👌 Learn to freedive properly. Yes sure, you can wing it. But trust me - it’s a whole lot safer and easier when you learn great techniques. You need to feel comfortable and in control when in the water before you can capture great shots.

👌 Position your camera close and streamlined with your body, it’s much easier to swim with.

👌 Before descending, straighten your arm to hold your camera towards the bottom below you. Then when you duck dive to leave the surface, dive over the camera (similar to if it were a line you were going down). This helps keep the camera close and you in an efficient position for descending. If you haven’t done any line diving to depth, do that to practice without a camera first.

👌 I prefer to make my way to the bottom in the best diving position possible (head down, chin tucked and going straight down) then I position myself to shoot. Going down in a weird angle, trying to chase a subject at the same time just wears you out!

👌 If you need lights, try one video light mounted to the top of your camera first, it’s a lot easier to swim with than dual strobe lights.

👌 Change your settings on the surface, plan your shot, and then breathe up before descending.

❌ Never freedive alone. Ever.

❌ Never chase the shot or push your depth and breath-hold limits.

❌ Don’t rush your recovery between dives. Lugging a camera around can make each dive more taxing - take your time to recover and go for quality over quantity dives.

❌ Do not let the camera distract you from equalising or other essential safety aspects.

Have you got anything else to add?

Happy shooting!
📸🧜‍♀️
Em

Photo Credit:

Hey ocean loving friends 👋

Super exciting news! My new podcast - Underwater Photography Exposed IS LIVE!!! 🎉🎉🎉

The podcast is all about getting to know the people, stories and adventures behind the lens as I interview Underwater Photographers and Ocean Adventures all around the world.

There are some cool tips and tricks for Underwater Photography shared in the episodes too!

🎙️ Episodes drop every Sunday and the first few are up now if you want to have a listen. 🎙️

LISTEN ON SPOTIFY -> https://open.spotify.com/show/2rgcLTwiWthYJfnLfwzYdc

LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS ->
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/underwater-photography-exposed-with-emma-burdett/id1696436947

PS - If there's a guest you'd like to hear on an episode, let me know!

Happy listening
🎙️📸🧜‍♀️
Emma

Beqa Lagoon, Fiji 🦈🦈🦈

One of my favourite shark dives!! In fact, it’s one of the few dive spots around the world that I’ve been back to multiple times!

It’s really quite incredible sitting at 30m below the surface and watching these little guys as you look up 💙

The stunning soft corals, reef diving and land based adventures are also another massive draw card for Pacific Harbour & Beqa Lagoon. Stay tuned for the next post with these highlights.

Is Fiji on your diving bucket list?

📸 Sony A6500 in Housing with dual strobes.

Q: How do you get so much colour in your underwater photos?

A: Light, light, baby!

Artificial light is the key to capturing colour, especially at depth.

Options could be:
🔦Single strobe light
🔦Dual strobe lights
🔦 Video lights

Top tip 💡The bigger the shot (wide angle) the bigger you lights need to be, and the longer the arms they are on also need to be. Little shots (macro) require little light.

What lighting do you use for your underwater shots?

🌊📸

Hello! I'm Emma 👋

There are a few new faces around here, so I wanted to say hello and re-introduce myself to those I haven't met.

I'm a self-confessed underwater addict 😂 I'm a scuba instructor, certified tech and rebreather diver, underwater photography coach and freedive enthusiast 🧜‍♀️.

Growing up in New Zealand, I spent so much time on the water that my family gave me the nickname Fish very early on.

Perth has been home for the last 12 years, and I've been very fortunate meet so many epic people and also travel to many incredible dive destinations around the world in this time too 🙌.

I've been teaching Underwater Photography since 2015 (wow, how time flies!). I'm super passionate about making it easy for all ocean loving peeps to get started with the awesome hobby.

Reach out and say hi - I'd love to know where you're from!

PS - This photo of me was taken after diving with over 25 Grey Nurse Sharks at South West Rocks in NSW, Australia - hence the big grin! 🦈🦈🦈

Happy shooting!
Em

Guess which camera took these photos 🤔

Spolier alert ‼️

It was the all mighty Olympus TG-6!

If you are looking for an entry level underwater camera that can grow with you as an then I always suggest the TG 👏

Swipe to the end photo to see what a full system could look like over time, including:

👉 Dive Housing
👉 Tray and handles
👉 2 x Strobes Lights
👉 Video / Focus Light
👉 Wide Angle Wet Lens

You don’t have to start with all of these accessories, but sometimes it’s just good to know what’s possible!

Follow me for more underwater photography tips 👌

📸
Happy shooting!