While diving, most of us have looked up at some point to see a beautiful sunburst or sun ball shining through the water; and most of us have also thought about how a sunburst or sun ball can add a stunning effect to any photo. While you might think it would be simple to capture these beautiful beams of intense sunlight with your camera, the truth is, getting the photos to turn out perfectly can be challenging. Here are some tips for making photographing sunbursts and sun balls easier.
Best Camera Settings For Photographing Sunbursts Underwater
When taking underwater photos with the sun as a prominent part of the composition, there are some things you can do to make those pictures turn out just a bit better.
-
Fast shutter speed - shoot with the fastest possible shutter speed. If you are using strobes to light up a foreground subject, ensure your shutter speed does not exceed your camera's strobe sync. This is where more expensive underwater cameras with fast sync speeds provide an advantage.
-
Shoot at Base ISO for the best dynamic range possible.
-
You'll get the best sunburst photos in water that has some particulate matter in it, so the sunbeams are easier to see.
-
Check your stops and stop down your aperture if you're getting rings around the sunburst. The rings are caused by overexposure, and doing this can eliminate them.
-
For a properly exposed sunburst or sun ball, you'll need to shoot with a small aperture. On compact cameras, F8 normally works best. On cameras with more features, aperture settings between F11 and F22 work best.
Getting Good Foreground Color vs. Capturing Silhouettes
Both silhouettes backed by a sunburst and detailed, colorful photos with a sunburst or sun ball in the background are very beautiful. To get a silhouette, you'll want to have no flash and make the most of the blue palette around you. Later, with your photo editor, you can transform crisp silhouetted images into sepia tones or black and white for a stunning effect, or you can play with the blues to enhance the images more.
To get great foreground color while capturing a sunburst or sun ball in the background, remember that you're going to need lots of extra light to make up for the small aperture and fast shutter speed. Use the strongest strobes possible, or get extra close to your subject to get the most color and prevent your photos from looking washed out. If you can, remove your strobe diffusers for even stronger light.
Unlike a lot of the subjects you'll encounter underwater, a sunburst or sun ball is something that will hold still for you. Take lots of photos of it to work on your exposure and get it just right as you wait for a foreground subject like a fish or another diver to come into range. While sunbursts are impressive and beautiful on their own, they look best when there is another subject in the foreground. Take advantage of the natural features of sites you visit and soon you'll be shooting sunbursts like a pro.