Beginners luck

Mark Mumford · Issue 1, Aug 2001 · pp. 32–36

Unfortunately, there are too many Marvins in the world. Marvin wanted to try his hand at underwater photography, so went out and bought a basic but competent underwater camera. He didn’t spend a lot of money, as he wasn’t sure how he would get on and, after his first holiday abroad with it, he now wants to sell it. Is Marvin the Frank Spencer of underwater photography? Does he have to have “Left” and “Right” written on his fins? I don’t think so. Marvin has just fallen foul of one of the classic traps of underwater photography. However, to understand this trap, we need to understand a little bit about photography, especially underwater, so pay attention - I’ll be asking questions later! Light and Water Unlike air, water is a very dense medium, and while your wineglass of Perrier water may look perfectly transparent (apart from the bubbles), water does absorb light quite quickly with dept…