 thumb|a united states navy mass communication specialist conducting underwater photography training   underwater photography is the process of taking photographs while under water. it is usually done while scuba diving, but can be done while diving on surface supply, snorkeling, swimming, from a submersible or remotely operated underwater vehicle, or from automated cameras lowered from the surface. underwater photography can also be categorised as an art form and a method for recording data. successful underwater imaging is usually done with specialized equipment and techniques. however, it offers exciting and rare photographic opportunities. animals such as fish and marine mammals are common subjects, but photographers also pursue shipwrecks, submerged cave systems, underwater "landscapes", invertebrates, seaweeds, geological features, and portraits of fellow divers. ==lighting== thumb|left|graph of light absorption coefficient of pure water the primary obstacle faced by underwater photographers is the loss of color and contrast when submerged to any significant depth. the longer wavelengths of sunlight (such as red or orange) are absorbed quickly by the surrounding water, so even to the naked eye everything appears blue-green in color. the loss of color not only increases vertically through the water column, but also horizontally, so subjects further away from the camera will also appear colorless and indistinct. this effect is true even in apparently clear water, such as that found around tropical coral reefs.deep-six.com color underwater underwater photographers solve this problem by combining two techniques. the first is to get the camera as close to the photographic subject as possible, minimizing the horizontal loss of color. wide-angle lenses allow very close focus, or macro lenses, where the subject is often only inches away from the camera. many serious underwater photographers consider any more than about 3&nbsp;ft/1 m of water between camera and subject to be unacceptable. the second technique is the use of flash to restore any colour lost vertically through the water column. fill flash, used effectively, will "paint" in an
Nature_photography Photographs_by_topic Photography_by_genre Underwater_diving_procedures