the Editor says: Back when the Editor was still green, I always envied the masters who seemed to churn out stunning shots every single day. Besides complaining about having no time off or no money to travel abroad, I'd grumble that my camera was too bad to take decent photos. Music Lin — one of the rare dive instructors in Taiwan with true macro dive-guiding expertise — uses his own story to share his journey of growth with us. Taking beautiful underwater photos really isn't as hard as it seems; what matters most is getting your mindset right from the very beginning! This article is reproduced in full from the Music Lin 林音樂 我是潛水教練 Facebook page.
Photo by 林音樂
【Don't Let Those Excuses Snuff Out Your Passion.】Music Lin
[I want to take photos as beautiful as those masters too!]
[I want to capture a photo I truly love too!]
[I want to see those incredible creatures too!]
I want to... I want to... I want to......
Who hasn't been a total beginner? We've all been there~ Nobody is born talented, and nobody is born lucky! Everything is earned through hard work.
＂It's only because they have such amazing cameras that they can shoot like that!＂
＂They just got lucky — that's how they got great shots!＂
＂Besides, I don't have the money to play around like that.＂
＂Besides, no matter how I shoot it always comes out the same. Ah, I'm just not that talented!＂
This webcomic is hilarious — go follow it now!!! (screenshot) True Beauty
Let Me Tell You Everything!!!
If you never ask questions, never practice, and never take a class, what exactly are you expecting to get great shots on?
Maybe you don't like this master or can't stand that one — but please don't ignore their great work, okay?
Looking at other people's photos often is a great way to sharpen your eye for aesthetics!
Or seek out any opportunity you can find to learn!!!
Group dive trips for underwater photography are easy to find online
Remember this key rule!!!
Whenever a 【photographer whose great work I see regularly】 organizes a trip, I will join if I possibly can!
Remember — I only join trips organized by a 【photographer whose great work I see regularly】!
In the past I've run into situations where I showed up only to find the vibe was completely different. Recreational dive travel and photography-focused diving are two very different things.
Only by going with a photography-focused group do you actually get enough time to shoot properly.
So if I want to practice shooting seriously, I follow the trips run by the great underwater photographers.
The great thing about following the masters is that you can grab them at any moment and bombard them with questions about how to take photos!!!
Even if you're too shy to ask, someone else always will, and I get to soak up all that experience!!!
My mindset is: as long as I can tag along, I'll always pick up something. So I put in real effort to make sure I can keep learning.
When the masters say:
Camera settings ＠＃︿（％＄～
I'd just zone out when I couldn't understand~
But things like how to position a Flash Light, TG camera settings, underwater stability, how a dive guide spots marine life, how to observe animal behavior — there's a whole web of related topics...
(Getting taught on the spot and being able to ask questions right away is the easiest way to learn things, and actually getting in the water to practice is what shows you where your problems really are.)
The photos below were taken by fellow trip members 灰灰 and Simon:
Photo by kenny chen chen
Photo by kenny chen chen
Photo by kenny chen chen
Photo by Simon Wu
Photo by Simon Wu
Photo by Simon Wu
灰灰 and Simon are people I think are fantastic — genuinely eager to ask questions~
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Simply wanting to know how to take better photos?
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Strobe angle? Camera settings? How do you shoot when there's a current?
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Does each strobe perform differently? Subject angle? Animal behavior?
Honestly, there are questions I wouldn't even have thought to ask myself, but someone always remembers to bring them up — and I get to quietly learn from the answers~
Because of trips organized around underwater photography, I can clearly see where my weaknesses are.
Having someone I can ask directly, and being able to practice in the water, makes me feel so much more confident.
When everyone is working toward the same goal, each dive becomes not just hugely rewarding but genuinely fun!
The moment we surface and catch each other's eyes — the first thing out of anyone's mouth is always: Oh my god, that was SO cute!!!! Then we go absolutely wild talking about that perfect shot we got, or the funny thing that happened while we were shooting! That is always my favorite moment. (heart hands)
Image source: internet
Stop Making So Many Excuses for Yourself
Shortchanging the ambitious person inside you only proves the self-doubt you keep talking about.
Deep down I genuinely want to take great photos — I want to capture shots as stunning as the masters, and I even want to surpass them!!
So the first step is to take action! Even just a little. Schedule a class, find time to practice, swallow your pride and ask questions, post your photos for feedback — any of it will make you a little better than you were yesterday!
Stop saying you have no money — I was even broker than you~
Stop saying you have no time to practice — if you really want it, you will always find the time.
Scared that posting your photos and asking for feedback will get you laughed at because they're too ugly?
I used to post shots like this and got laughed at for a long, long time~
But I kept hitting my small goals, one by one!
Look more, ask more, share more, practice more — that is the one and only formula.
Otherwise, you're more than welcome to keep saying: "Oh, I'm just not that talented."
If you're too shy to practice, I'll be right there with you! Too shy to ask questions, I'll help you find every opportunity to ask! We can look at photos together too!!!
Photo by 歐大
Photo by 歐大
Photo by 歐大
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