Diving in the wreck is an adventure within adventure. There’s something alluring on exploring a remnant of human technology abandoned in the deep sea, reclaimed by mother nature. The eerie feeling you’ll feel where you’re swimming across the hallways, passing hollow windows where its passengers used to stare outside back when the ship proudly sailed the sea. One of the place in the world to experience a magnificent wreck diving is Bali. Not only that it has the monumental USAT Liberty—an American warship wreck that conveniently sit in shallow water—but it also have several fascinating wrecks around the island that’s worth to explore. Photographing the wreck is quite challenging—given the location to be potentially dangerous to divers. Follow our little guide on how to take impressive wreck photography and leave with unforgettable experience.
Capture the Awesomeness of Wreck Diving Bali in Wide Angle Shoot
Wreck usually tends to be the biggest object that divers encountered while diving in Bali. Even the smallest wreck in this island, the Japanese shipwreck, is bigger than any fishes around it. The best way to capture its whole grandiose is by using the wide angle shoot. Go for the big atmospheric shoot that gives viewers an idea of how big the wreck really is. An 8m fisheye is the best for this type of shoot and once you can master it, the results cannot be beaten.
Middle Light to Illuminate the Wreck
Ring light and strobe is essential on wreck diving photography. Without the right light, the wrecks would just be buried in shadow and darkness. Our favourite light is a video light mounted in the middle of the camera rig. However, you should always prepare an alternative such as strobes or flashlight that you can pull for a supporting light.
Take A Down Shoot
Underwater photography usually shoot up to get the a vibrant and animated marine life. However, the mantra would not really work on wreck. Try to apply shooting down technique. On your way down the wreck, stop in the middle and take out your camera. Pick a position where you can capture the whole body of the wreck and, better, if you can display a bit of the surrounding to display a real scale of the wreck diving Bali you’re on.
Points Out Marine Life in Wreck Diving Bali
One of things that makes wrecks in Bali so spectacular is the teeming marine life that called the wreck home! The USAT Liberty and Japanese wreck is two of the best wrecks in Bali with vibrant marine life. Show your audience how life under the sea happens at a sunken man-made objects. Shoot those blooming corals on the mast, a turtle passing the ship, or those fishes who dart around the empty windows.
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Bring Your ISO Up
You might have learned that going at the lowest ISO possible is recommended to bring up colours and reduce noise. However, you can bend the rule a little when diving the wreck in Bali. Most newer cameras even have excellent noise reduction feature so going higher in ISO should not be a problem. Remember that there’s not much light that can penetrate a wreck. You can go as high as 800 – 1000 ISO to get excellent colour in the wreck with still acceptable noise.