The refractive index of water is different than air, which makes judging distances difficult. Objects viewed through your mask can appear 25% larger than they really are, due to the refractive index difference.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Water absorbs light. Light levels quickly drop as you get deeper in water. In addition, red is absorbed faster than blues. See loss of color underwater<\/a> section<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Water sucks contrast and sharpness in photos<\/a>. This is why you must always get as close as possible to your subject.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The light that creates your exposure will come from your strobes<\/a>, dive lights, focus lights, and the sun. People often talk about the “quality” of light<\/a>, which depends on these 4 factors listed below, no matter what the source is:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Amount of light. It is generally more difficult to shoot in low light, although low light can be helpful for some creative effects such as panning or showing motion.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Color of the light<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Direction of light<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Amount of diffusion or softness<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n All of these are discussed in more detail in the chapter subsections.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Be sure to check out our tutorial series on Underwater Strobe Positioning<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read our series of articles focusing on Ambient Light<\/a>, and blending ambient light with strobe lighting.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A mixture of ambient and strobe lighting brings life to this image shot in the Yucatan Cenotes<\/a>, Mexico. Sony a7R II<\/a> with Sony 28mm lens + fisheye converter. ISO 6400, f\/4.5, 1\/25.<\/p>\n Below is a list of our recommended underwater strobes for 2025:<\/p>\nQuality of Light<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Strobe Positioning<\/h2>\n
Ambient Light<\/h2>\n
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