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In Winning Images with Any Underwater Camera, Paul Colley, who has been multiple award-winner at several photography competitions, shows you how to take the step from good to great underwater images – maybe even good enough to win awards…
The best underwater images don't just capture the subject well, they also capture mood, emotion and atmosphere. Unlike most other underwater photography books, Winning Images with Any Underwater Camera focuses on composition and techniques rather than the all-consuming camera technology that people tend to chase first. This makes it a supremely cost-effective tool for improving images, and there is no discrimination between users of different camera systems – this truly is a book for all.
International award winner and instructor Paul Colley reveals the shortcuts and shows the vital bits of artistic theory as it applies to underwater photography, grappling with composition in much greater depth than in other books. He also includes easy-to-remember reference models for underwater composition: pre-planned concepts for twelve typical underwater scenes, with the principal considerations boiled down to those essentials that will help you achieve great results, time and again.
Foreword by Dr Alexander Mustard
About the author and acknowledgements
How to use this book
Introduction
List of figures
SECTION 1: COMPOSITION
1. The Big Picture and Why Composition Matters: Aesthetics and Photographic Intent
2. Subject Selection: The Right Things in the Right Frame at the Right Time
3. Light
4. Viewpoint
5. Image Depth Perspective
6. Background and Space
7. Lines, Shapes and Vectors: Real and Perceived
8. Contrasts
9. Colour
10. Organising the Whole Picture
SECTION 2: EASY-TO-REMEMBER REFERENCE MODELS FOR UNDERWATER COMPOSITION
11. The Reference Models
SECTION 3: ADVANCED TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE YOUR COMPOSITION
12. Understanding Dynamic Range
13. Natural Light Photography
14. Remote Lighting Techniques
15. Split Level Images
SECTION 4: POST-PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES TO FINE TUNE YOUR COMPOSITION
16. Rescuing Composition Errors and Enhancing Good Composition
17. Image Manipulation
Glossary
Index
Paul Colley is a diving instructor, INON UK underwater photography instructor, lifetime Vice-President of the Royal Air Force Sub-Aqua Association, and has won international underwater photography competitions to gold medal standard. He writes regularly for diving magazines, websites and his own blog.
"Excellently written, highly informative and well-executed publication [...] I am confident that this book will stand out as the essential guide on this subject"
– Diver magazine
"This book could just be the key to unlocking a new level in your photography career [...] [and] there is something in this book for all U/W photographers who want to get ahead of the game in shooting images for competitions"
– UWP Magazine
"Winning Images does a thorough job of bringing together the current thinking in composition, approach and style. An ideal gift for any serious underwater photographer"
– SCUBA magazine
