So you want to be an underwater photographer?

It’s a pretty cool sounding job, sexy even, but I’ll tell you right now – it’s not for everyone.

I had a very romantic idea of what being a professional underwater photographer would be like when I decided it was what I wanted to do.

It was my last year in high school. I had just completed my open water scuba diving training and was about to move to Miami, Florida to study photojournalism and marine biology.

I pictured myself diving in the Florida Keys, getting my images published in the Miami Herald. But actually making those amazing photos of turtles and reef sharks that were in my head, like the ones I saw in magazines, turned out to be a lot harder than I thought.

I did eventually work for The Herald in my senior year, but not as an underwater photographer. Only a handful of people in the world are employed as full-time underwater photographers (and I don’t mean the ones who snap photos of tourists on the Great Barrier Reef). It’s a niche field full of some very talented people.

But for those who spend part or most of their time shooting topside, it’s a handy skill to have and can give you an advantage on the job and really diversify your portfolio.

I’ve found that having another job/source of income is the best way for me to be able to pursue a certain number of stories each year (never as many as I’d like) while still being able to pay my bills and afford new gear.

Here’s the Top 5 challenges of underwater photography:

1.  Gear – Underwater photography is expensive, not only do you have to buy a camera, lenses and all the accessories, you also need an underwater housing, which usually costs more than the camera itself, dome ports and strobes. Then you’ve got to factor in scuba diving training and gear and, well, you get the idea – it’s not cheap!

2.  Water skills - You could be the most talented photographer in the world and know your camera inside and out, but that won’t help you if you are not comfortable in the water. Swimming skills are a must, and ideally you will be an experienced scuba diver. Good bouyancy is a must when taking images on scuba, especially macro shots where you are framing and focusing very tiny subjects. Freediving skills will also come in handy – sometimes you won’t have scuba gear or it will be too bulky to carry around. And some animals, such as dolphins and dugongs, will often let you get closer when you aren’t exhaling noisy bubbles.

3.  Demand - Now, with digital photography and more affordable housings, there are more amateur and semi-professional photographers than ever before. Getting your work published and getting assignments in such a niche field can be difficult, and when editors have so many good photos to choose from, how do you know they’ll pick yours?

4.  Getting paid - Being an underwater photographer means freelancing and rates vary greatly between publications. Sometimes you spend just as much time chasing up payments as you do pitching stories, and getting the costs of a trip covered or reimbursed after the fact can be difficult. Many of the best diving locations and story opportunities are difficult and expensive to get to because they are remote and/or overseas.

5.  Environment - All photographers know factors such as the weather and other surrounding conditions can make things difficult. With underwater photography there are even more variables to consider and some of them are downright dangerous. The biggest one is visibility, but swell, water temperature, current, depth and dangerous/venemous plants and animals all must be taken into consideration. A talent for multi-tasking is a definite advantage. While you are focused on photographing that manta ray you must also remain aware of your depth, air supply, no-decompression time and other divers or animals that might be around.

Christmas Island Diving with GoPro Hero from Seanna Cronin on Vimeo.

BUT don’t let that discourage you! I called them the Top 5 challenges because they can be overcome, you’ve just got to approach them with patience, passion and a lot of practice.

And there are a lot of exciting developments in technology that are making the field more accessible than ever. Four thirds cameras, for instance, are quickly becoming a practical alternative to dSLR cameras. They capture similar quality images and give you the flexibility of using different lenses, but are so compact they require a much smaller (and cheaper) housing. You will also save money on excess baggage fees, the bane of underwater photographers everywhere, when you fly.

So you want to be an underwater photographer?

Seanna is teaching a creative short course in underwater photography through the Queensland College of Art and Griffith University next month (Feb 11-13) to give everyone from casual divers to professional photojournalists an introduction to the special needs, gear and techniques of making images underwater.

Students will spend the first day in the classroom and the pool and then the next two days on the Big Cat Reality liveaboard out in Moreton Bay.

Organisers were a bit worried the muddy run-off and debris from the recent floods would threaten the course, but it now looks to be the perfect opportunity to document the damage (or lack of it) and recovery of the bay. And top sites such as Flinders Reef and the Tangalooma Wrecks have, thankfully, been largely unaffected by the floods.

The course is designed to be an introduction, but experienced students who may have their own gear, can focus on whatever techniques they’d like to hone. Underwater video for those interested in multi-media may also be delivered.

To enroll, or for more information, click here