Most underwater photography books I have come across
tend to cover the basics very well but then seem to
leave you to discover the rest by yourself. Of course
there is nothing wrong with this but it can prove
expensive, time consuming and some people become
disillusioned and give up. Not so in this book, which
for me fills that gap between beginner and starting to
take reasonable quality pictures.
Three of the ten chapters are dedicated to the basics
and equipment so it is an ideal book even if you
are a beginner.
The book begins with a chapter on film verses digital,
by the end of which you are well informed enough to make
your own decision. The basics are then covered in
chapter two followed by a chapter on equipment. The rest
of the book is dedicated to various aspect of underwater
photography: lighting, composition, macro photography,
photographing behaviour and so on.
Each chapter covers its subject fully and includes some
very useful same scene photographs shot with different
settings to illustrate the point being made. (Why do
most of my photographs fall into the poorly taken
category?) Each chapter then ends with some exercises,
these look great and are split into underwater and on
topside, the topside exercises you can do at home and
I am particularly looking forward to as I am sure they
will also improve my general photography.
The book has ten chapters and runs to 175 pages and
is as you would expect very well illustrated, it has a
splash proof cover but I certainly would not leave it
on deck.
To sum up I think this is a great book for a beginner
as it should see you through to taking some decent
photos. I think it is also a must for anyone who knows
the basics and can take acceptable underwater images,
but they just don't seem to have that..."Pizzazz" factor
as this book describes it.
About the Authors
Denise and Larry Tackett are professional photographers
specialising in underwater and terrestial natural history
and travel subjects. Their images have appeared in
major magazines like BBC Wildlife and National Geographic.
