Susan Tyrrell asks Gary Bell to share his award-winning secrets

Gary Bell is one of the world’s most distinguished underwater photographers and his passion for photography has resulted in a string of international awards. He is the only person to have ever won the Australasia Underwater Photographer of the Year in three consecutive years (1990, 1991 and 1992) and is a regular contributor to Travelling in Australia Magazine.

When Gary first started taking underwater images beneath the Portsea Pier on the Mornington Peninsula in 1975 there were few underwater photographers in Australia. Since then he has travelled the world working on National Geographic assignments and his efforts have seen him amass one of the largest collections of Great Barrier Reef photos in the world.

At Travelling in Australia Magazine, we receive a great deal of feedback from readers who are stunned by the quality of Gary’s work. We’re often asked how he managed to secure such incredible shots, and as such, asked Gary to share a few tips about how to get the best possible underwater shots when next they’re indulging their liquid desires.

A pair of blue linckia sea stars living in a bed of coral and a cloud-filled sky makes a picture-perfect scene for my half under-over portrait. I am wading in the shallows of the Heron Island lagoon where I spot and compose my picture -- it’s a perfect spring day. I like the simplicity of this shot as it shows two natural elements on the Great Barrier Reef merged into one. 

Nikon F4 camera with Nikkor 16mm f2.8 full frame fish-eye lens in Aqua-vision Aquatica housing, natural light.

Tips for half under-over shots:

First off you will need an SLR camera and wide-angle lens, preferably 20mm or wider, and a specially built underwater camera housing with a large dome port. Because objects appear 33 per cent larger underwater, you will need to correct for the differing above and below water focus points by using a split diopter mounted to the front of your lens. This isn’t required when using a full-frame fish-eye lens, providing you use an f16 or f22 aperture.

Finding this commensal shrimp nestled safely among its home tentacles, for me, was like finding gold, but getting a portrait shot proved quite a challenge in the shifting surge. Fortunately I had plenty of air in my tank and my persistence paid off. This species of shrimp living in sea anemones receives shelter and protection from predators, but the anemone does not benefit from the shrimp’s presence.

Nikon F4 camera with Micro Nikkor 105mm f2.8 lens in Aqua-vision Aquatica housing, twin strobes.

Tips for macro shots:

Underwater macro photography can add immense enjoyment to your diving, and with the equipment available today getting good results is relatively easy, providing you have some knowledge of marine life. Look for design in nature when you’re underwater, the sea is alive with colour and texture. When searching for the tiniest of creatures, try taking down a magnifying glass as it can come in handy.

Underneath a crashing wave. Coral Sea, Queensland.

On the crest of an isolated bommie – a submerged coral reef – 400 kilometres off the Queensland coast. A rolling wave sets a dreamlike scene as it crashes on the surface above my wife, Meri, leaving behind a cotton-wool cloud. Waves are a life force on the reef, turning coral into sand, sand into islands and islands into habitat for birds, vegetation and many other life forms.

Nikon F4 camera with Nikkor 16mm f2.8 full frame fish-eye lens in Aqua-vision Aquatica housing, natural light.

Tips for working with models:

Trying to communicate underwater with your model can be very difficult and extremely frustrating, so my greatest piece of advice is to keep your cool! Fortunately I have a very forgiving wife who has come to understand my style of photography. A simple but precise set of hand signals is essential. If you are using a camera that has a large dome port, ask your model to glance at their reflection in the dome as this can help them with their positioning.

Australian fur seal pups, Arctocephalus pusillus. Bass Strait, Victoria.

Intrigued by their reflection in my camera dome, a pair of Australian fur seal pups stare into my lens for a brief moment, allowing me to capture their saucer-eyed expression. The rocky shores of the winter sea at Wilson’s Promontory are home to hundreds of Australian fur seals and their pups. Similar in appearance to the New Zealand fur seal, the Australian fur seal is a champion swimmer, reaching depths in excess of 130 metres while searching for food.

Nikon F4 camera with Nikkor 16mm f2.8 full-frame fish-eye lens in Aqua-vision Aquatica housing, twin strobes balanced with natural light.

Tips for working with animals:

Photographing marine animals can be a wonderful experience, providing you are a skilled diver, have lots of patience and know something about the animal’s behaviour. If you are intending to photograph whales or dolphins, you will need to be on snorkel. These mammals are generally very inquisitive – let them approach you – chase after them and you will only get pictures of them swimming away! Seals and sea lions are even more inquisitive and downright pugnacious in behaviour – you will need a sense of humour!

Wedge-tailed shearwaters, Puffinus pacificus, feeding on schooling anchovies. Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia.

In a bottomless ocean – two kilometres off the Ningaloo Reef – I witness an underwater feeding frenzy. Forced to the surface by predating tuna, a huge mass of schooling anchovies are in a hopeless situation as hungry wedge-tailed shearwaters plunge through the surface to feast. As I snorkel under the bait ball, I soon realise there is more to this feeding frenzy than meets the eye when I notice a dozen whaler sharks circling in tight formation.

Nikon Nikonos V camera with U/W Nikkor 15mm f2.8 lens, natural light.

Tips for distance shots:

When shooting distant pictures of fish behaviour, I generally use a medium focal length lens such as the Micro Nikkor 105mm lens, but only in the clearest of water. I like the 105 lens as it allows me to shoot in close if this is also required on the same dive. For distant shots of marine mammals, such as whales, dolphins and seals, I like to use a zoom wide-angle lens or full-frame fish-eye lens. Wide-angle lenses can make murky water look clear.

Southern blue-ringed octopus, Hapalochlaena maculosa. Mornington Peninsula, Victoria.

This flashing iridescent blue display put on by a southern blue-ringed octopus is not for aesthetic purposes. A bite from this diminutive (12cm) creature can kill an adult in less than 15 minutes. This specimen was uncovered on a night dive when I overturned a small rock to see what was sheltering beneath. Obligingly, it gave a display of its graceful swimming action, allowing me to snap this shot. But when it attached itself to my regulator hose I began to wonder just how badly I really needed this action shot!

Nikon F4 camera with Micro Nikkor 60mm f2.8 lens in Aqua-vision Aquatica housing, twin strobes.

Tips for minimising scatter:

Back scatter is when tiny particles suspended in sea water are reflected back into the lens of the camera by strobe light, creating unsightly bright spots in a picture. Unfortunately, this is something all underwater photographers have to live with, but there are ways of minimising scatter. Rather than point your strobes directly at your subject, try tilting your strobes slightly outwards so that, in effect, you are lighting your subject by the outer edge of your flash beam. By doing this, you are not lighting up the particles in the water directly in front of the lens.