Recently, I have been experimenting with shots beyond the underwater world. Land photography has never been my forte and since becoming a professional photographer, the ocean has been my main focus. I have, therefore, come to realise that in order to be more qualified and versatile I want to extend my photography skills by varying my subjects. To be a master of a trade, you must practice as many skills and in as varied conditions as possible. It’s all too easy to get too comfortable with what you are used to, or enjoy most, and just pretend that the hard stuff or things that don’t interest you as much just don’t exist. This will only lead to your photography becoming repetitive and tedious. For most, underwater photography is a part time hobby. Even as a professional, my time underwater is still limited to an hour or two a day. Shooting on land can only enhance those skills.
I have started my on land photography journey with flowers and insects. With vibrant colours, motion in the wind and skittishness of many insects, it creates a lot of similar conditions to those of my underwater subjects. The thought process of shooting fish is similar to that of shooting insects, coral as flowers. Underneath the waves, colour contrasts, patience and proximity to timid creatures are things to be considered. In addition, shooting on land does not have the restrictions that underwater photography has, such as air consumption and decompression limits. So, expand your horizons!
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