The Underwater Photographer by Martin Edge

Blogged by Simon on February 08, 2010 8:52pm | Last updated by Simon on February 10, 2010 5:22pm |

Martin Edge - The Underwater PhotographerThis is the first book on the subject I ever owned and I consider it a must read if you’re serious about underwater photography. Martin Edge is a seasoned photographer, and while the first release of his book is from the 35mm film era, the third revision which dates to 2006 includes lots of information on digital photography and should be considered a full reference, not just a revision (I have not yet seen the 4th edition published in early 2010).

“The Underwater Photographer” is centered around Digital SLR cameras, however it doesn’t rely on you owning a particular type of camera. You will definitely find this useful if you own a compact camera as well. The book starts off covering some photography basics and then moves straight into various specialty subjects such as macro, wide angle, or flash photography. It also contains an entire section on gear, which is a little Nikon centric, as this happens to be what the author uses, however this does not diminish the work at all.

Overall, You should consider this a handbook for taking your photography under water, not a beginner’s guide to SLR photography, however I would still recommend it as basic reading it for anyone.

I found the tips throughout very helpful and I still use the book as a reference even after finishing it. What I particularly liked is the way the author describes himself as he is taking a shot, there are some obvious but useful reminders here (“look up”, “get close”, flash position, etc.) and the whole section on creating your own “workflow” really helped me improve my own shooting. I found Martin Edge’s writing very accessible, using only the minimum jargon required, and easy to understand while still technical enough to use it as reference material.

When I reopen the book occasionally, I look at recommended settings and tips for particular underwater photography subjects, such as the creative wide angles section in the back. No matter where you are at with your underwater photography, read this one if you haven’t already!

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