Although Toronto remains unusually balmy for December, the inevitability of the deep freeze that’s coming is almost palpable. For many travellers, the impending frost bite can only be cured by a trip to the travel agent and the immediate booking of a charter flight to pretty much any destination in which a bathing suncreen and a bathing suit would be top of the packing list. As regular readers of this blog know, there is no such thing as a Crime Travellervacation without photography and one of my favourite new playthings is the cheaply available underwater point-and-shoot.

My personal favourite is any of the rugged yet simple Olympus cameras such as the 850SW that I’ve been using for over a year now. The easy way to get enjoyment out of a waterproof point-and-shoot is to simply use it as a land-based camera but take it places you would never dare to shlep your bulky and expensive SLR. For example, here are some shots that, while not taken underwater, were taken on board a kayak or a raft making it impractical and downright foolhardy to be carrying my coveted Canon SLR.

  

What is a tad trickier, even for a former lifeguard and certified PADI scuba diver like myself, is getting a truly great underwater photo. Here are just a few pointers I have picked up from plenty of trial and error:
– Lighting is everything. If you don’t have a clear sunny day with excellent water quality, your underwater visibility will be very limited leaving with you few, if any, good shots. Be patient. When the weather and water conditions coincide, get out there and shoot like crazy.
– Stay still. Let your subject come to you. It’s hard enough to line up an underwater shot with waves, current and natural buoyancy all working against you. Don’t make your life even harder by trying to keep up with your subject as you swim and fumble with the camera at the same time.
– Use goggles.This seems like a no brainer but trying to view your camera screen under water is damn near impossible.
– Don’t forget video. Most under water point-and-shoots include a video mode. This is a great alternative to a snap shot and always has that eerie sound quality one gets from shooting beneath the waves.
– Shoot from below your subject. This is really an extension of my lighting suggestion above. The photographer should be positioned at least slightly deeper than the subject and shooting up in order to take advantage of the rays of light penetrating the water. Shooting from above your subject often leads to a dark image with poor colour clarity.
– Use a weight belt. While not recommended for the weaker swimmer, using a weight belt (or even just tossing some sandbags or other ‘sinking toys’ into your bathing suit pocket) add to your stability and make it much easier to remain in the perfect shooting position under your subject. When the photographer is struggling to stay submerged, it’s virtually impossible to remain still and line up a good shot.

Here are some examples from a gorgeous day in a friend’s pool.