Inspiration Wide angle

Big action close to the camera

This is Patches, a great hammerhead shark at Tiger Beach, swimming by underwater photographer Tammy Gibbs from Australia. Image from a Tiger Beach Expedition.
Photographer - © Magnus Lundgren / magnuslundgren.com

How?

Shooting wide angle action the lens Magnus choose is dictated by how close the subject come to his camera. Here Magnus use a Fisheye zoom lens that is 8 - 15 mm, with a Kenko teleconverter x1.4. This set-up allowed him to zoom between 15 and 21mm on a full frame sensor and closest focus is still possible all the way up to the dome port.

Useful equipment

Usually there are several dome port combinations for a sharp wide lens (such a fisheye or a rectilinear lens), and we can help you pick the one that is best for you in terms if size, price and optical qualities. Other items is a zoom gear if you have a zoom lens and a pair of uw-strobes to freeze the action. Possible extras - A teleconverter x1.4 for your fisheye zoom, or an internal correction lens to sharpen your image corners for your rectilinear zoom lens.

 

Wide angle options

The World's fastest fish, the sailfish, photographed in Mexico. This image won the prestigious competition "European Wildlife Photographer of the Year" in the underwater category.
Photographer - © Magnus Lundgren / magnuslundgren.com

How?

Magnus shot this images while snorkelling on the surface shooting with the sun as his light source (no strobes). Both photographer and subject are moving so the frame needs a fast shutter speed. Magnus used 1/1250 sec. Shooting in continuous shooting mode in high frame rate enabling your camera to fire like a machine gun.

Useful equipment

Photographing dolphins, whales, big fishes and turtles close to the surface require a good wide angle set-up. There are many options for both mirrorless and compacts such as a dome port or a wide wet lenses. Great set-up for video as well., Then is is all about getting into the right place and set the camera up in the best possible way. 

Shooting "split shots"

A green frog on the look-out from a waterlily leaf in Danube Delta, Romania. One of Europe's wild deltas in the process of being rewilded again.
Photographer - © Magnus Lundgren / magnuslundgren.com

How?

For this type of image you need a wide lens, most often a fisheye, and a large dome port. It is important to be patient and to shoot at a small aperture to create as high depth-of-field as possible.

Useful equipment

Wide lens, underwater strobes for illumination below the surface, good housing buoyancy (plenty of arm floats), internal correction lens, polish kit (for acrylic domes only).

Fast strobes & fast subjects

A fast Caribbean reef shark on the move over the sand at Tiger Beach in Bahamas. Image from one of our Tiger Beach Expeditions. Imaged at a slow shutter speed combined with fast strobe light.
Photographer - © Magnus Lundgren / magnuslundgren.com

How?

To enable your camera to fire multiple strobes in a short burst on a passing subject you need a "trigger" or an "optical TTL converter" in your housing. It is easy to install and the it is more you tweeking your strobe output making it possible for your UW-strobes to fire rapidly. If your output is too high the strobes will take too long time to recharge. New underwater strobes have a much faster recycle time making it easier to shoot action images.

Useful equipment

Standard underwater camera rig but remember: a trigger or a TTL converter, modern optical cables, new high performance underwater strobes.