Underwater Photography Education

Overview

Underwater photography education evolved dramatically during the Wetpixel era (2001—2023), from informal dive-trip mentoring and printed books to structured workshops, online distance learning, instructional DVDs, certification courses, dedicated photography schools, and ultimately the weekly Wetpixel Live video series that produced over 302 episodes. Wetpixel itself was fundamentally an educational community — its forums, articles, reviews, and organized events collectively formed the largest knowledge base for underwater imaging in the world.

The arc of this evolution mirrors the broader digital transition: early education focused on helping film photographers understand strobes and digital sensors; the middle years saw an explosion of workshops, DVDs, and online tutorials; and the COVID-19 era forced a shift to video-based distance learning that ultimately proved more accessible than any previous format.

History

The earliest online education (2002—2003)

James Wiseman, writing for the Houston Underwater Photographic Society (HUPS), authored the first instructional series published on Wetpixel. His foundational October 2002 article “Strobe Use for Digital Cameras (for Beginners)” walked newcomers through the bewildering landscape of TTL slave sensors, preflash cameras, and manual power controllers at a time when most underwater photographers were still shooting film. The article explained how Ikelite had modified their TTL slave sensor for digital preflash systems and how Sea & Sea’s YS90DX offered a 12-step manual power controller — practical knowledge that was essentially unavailable elsewhere (^[1]). A forum thread confirmed these columns were eagerly anticipated, with Eric Cheng acknowledging that Wiseman had been supplying them regularly but Eric had fallen behind posting them online (^[2]).

Wiseman followed with companion pieces on traveling with digital gear and printing digital images (both March 2003), covering topics from the Digital Wallet portable storage device ($450) to Adobe Gamma calibration and the merits of Walmart’s Fuji Frontier prints — a snapshot of how primitive the digital workflow was at the time (^[3], ^[4]). These articles were reprinted from the HUPS newsletter, establishing a pattern of local photo society education being amplified through Wetpixel’s global reach.

In October 2003, theUnderwaterPhotographer.com launched as the first dedicated online underwater photography school, founded by Emmy-winning cinematographer Marty Snyderman, digital imaging specialist Bonnie Pelnar, and Guy Miller. It offered structured distance-learning courses including “Elements of Successful Underwater Photography,” “Introduction to Digital Underwater Photography,” and “Digital Workflow & Image Manipulation.” Snyderman noted “an amazing need for education of the techniques and skills to capture compelling underwater images especially with the onset of the digital camera revolution” (^[5]). The site was notable for being the first to address both film and digital users, as well as the first to offer underwater-specific Photoshop instruction online.

Scientific and certification courses (2004—2006)

Academic institutions recognized underwater photography as a legitimate scientific skill. The Bermuda Biological Station for Research (BBSR) offered its first Scientific Photography course in 2004, a two-week intensive covering macro photography, underwater photography, dark field illumination, and photography as a scientific data-recording tool. The course taught upper-level undergraduates and graduate students how to create images for different purposes — magazine covers versus peer-reviewed journals versus experimental data (^[6]). BBSR continued offering this course through at least 2006 (^[7], ^[8]).

PADI, the world’s largest diver training organization, launched its Digital Underwater Photographer specialty course in January 2006. Written up by Alex Mustard for Wetpixel, the course was notable for being “designed from new” rather than being “a standard underwater photography course with digital bolted on afterwards.” It was structured in two parts: the first focused on quick success to encourage beginners, while the second taught techniques in more detail, including digital-native techniques like filter photography from the outset (^[9]).

The book era: Martin Edge and the textbook standard

Martin Edge’s The Underwater Photographer became the definitive instructional text for the field. First published in the 1990s, it went through multiple editions that tracked the transition from film to digital:

• Third edition (2005): The last to include film coverage alongside digital. Widely owned by Wetpixel members.
• Fourth edition (2010): A complete rewrite — entirely digital, no more “switching back and forth between film and digital explanations.” Reviewer Steve Williams noted that “for about $26 you can own the accumulated knowledge of underwater digital photography.” The book was a collaboration with contributors including Alex Mustard, Mark Koekemoer, Shannon Conway, and Stuart Gibson. Stephen Frink wrote the foreword, calling Edge someone with “the rare ability to make you feel like you are learning from a dive buddy” (^[10]). The forum thread on the fourth edition generated 165 replies — one of the most-discussed books in Wetpixel history.
• Fifth edition (2020): Reviewed again on Wetpixel by Adam Hanlon (^[11]). A Wetpixel Live episode was dedicated to discussing the book (^[12]).

Edge also produced video tutorials and gave presentations, including a speaking event in Perth (October 2008) and a workshop in Ambon, Indonesia (March 2014), where he experimented with intentional bokeh backgrounds using a Nikon 105mm at f/5.6 and lower, and with combining a Retra Prime snoot with a soft fill light (^[13], ^[14]). A 2009 “Conversation with Martin Edge” article explored his teaching philosophy (^[15]). A 2010 video collaboration between Edge and Mustard covered underwater photography fundamentals (^[16]).

Alex Mustard’s Masterclass

Alex Mustard’s Underwater Photography Masterclass (2016) was the next landmark instructional text. Adam Hanlon’s extensive review described it as a “game changer” and “the first instructional book to actually show how to use [modern techniques] in a modern idiom” — covering off-camera lighting, snoots, inward and cross lighting, super macro with diopters, and current versions of Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Hanlon distinguished it from Edge’s book: “Alex’s book provides pretty detailed instructions for a series of techniques, whereas Martin’s tends to be more generic… Both should have a place in the underwater photographer’s library” (^[17]).

The book was released in the UK in February 2016 (^[18]), reached the US in July (^[19]), and an iBook version followed in December (^[20]). The forum thread generated 67 replies.

The workshop model

In-water workshops became a major educational format from the mid-2000s onward, with several distinct models emerging:

Early workshops (2004—2007)

The earliest Wetpixel-affiliated workshop was a planned 2004 Wakatobi trip co-organized by Eric Cheng and photographer Espen Rekdal, featuring daily webcasts and one-on-one consultations. Limited to 10 guests, it was ultimately cancelled (^[21]). Tony Wu offered a free informal workshop aboard the Archipelago Adventurer I liveaboard in Lembeh Strait in March 2007 — a characteristically generous approach from a community that valued knowledge sharing (^[22]).

In 2005, Mustard began running Red Sea workshops in collaboration with UwP Magazine and Tony Backhurst Scuba, combining technique instruction with knowledge of optimal photographic conditions at sites like Ras Mohammed. He explicitly described his approach: “The main aim of this trip is to help you get the images you want. It is not a strict course where you have to shoot what I tell you” (^[23]).

DivePhotoFest and ShootUnderwater

Wetpixel moderator Mike Veitch, along with photographers Tim Rock and Simon Buxton, launched DivePhotoFest.com in 2006, organizing workshops in the Philippines and Micronesia with sponsors including Aquatica, PADI, Magic Filters, Ikelite, and Think Tank Photo (^[24], ^[25]). In 2014, Veitch went further and established the Bali School of Underwater Photography (BSUP) with Luca Vaime, offering year-round one-on-one and small group classes with custom curricula, daily theory instruction, image reviews, and guided dives with the instructor underwater (^[26]).

James Wiseman also taught local workshops through HUPS, including a 2006 session covering camera and housing selection, strobe compatibility, and lens choices — free for members, with a small fee for non-members (^[27]).

Wetpixel/Mustard Lembeh Workshops

Wetpixel’s signature recurring workshop series was co-led by Alex Mustard at Lembeh Strait, beginning in 2012 and running annually through at least 2022. Held at Lembeh Resort with their Critters@Lembeh dive center, the workshops followed a structured daily format: morning presentations by Mustard on specific techniques, followed by two-tank dives with 2:1 guest-to-guide ratios, afternoon dives, optional night dives, and evening image review sessions with personalized feedback (^[28]).

The 2018 live report detailed the pedagogical progression: Day 1 covered gear selection and subject matching; subsequent days introduced cross-strobe lighting, inward lighting, backlighting, snoot techniques, and wide-angle macro with fisheye lenses in small dome ports. Mustard’s signature “one strobe challenge” encouraged participants to carry a single strobe for precise light control and shadow manipulation. By the end of the week, image review sessions showed “stunning” improvement — “Eating, drinking and (occasionally) sleeping underwater photography with a group of like-minded individuals really pays incredible dividends” (^[29]).

The 2013 edition generated 50 forum replies. A 2016 edition was covered with live reports (^[30]). By 2018, back-to-back workshops were being run. Bookings opened in 2012 (^[31]) and the series continued through 2022 (^[32]).

Wetpixel/Under the Jungle Cenote Workshops

Starting in 2019 (with the first workshop held in 2020, modified for COVID), Wetpixel partnered with Under the Jungle (UTJ) and photographer Tom St. George to run annual cenote photography workshops in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. These workshops focused on the unique challenge of capturing images in decorated caves and cenotes, where precision buoyancy control was critical both for preservation and for preventing silt from ruining images. The 2021 workshop ran with a reduced group due to COVID, with Wetpixel contributing via Zoom. By 2022, the format was fully established with UTJ owner and filmmaker Natalie Gibb providing site briefings, Tom St. George offering photographic guidance, and Adam Hanlon contributing technique presentations and image reviews (^[33], ^[34], ^[35]).

Other notable workshops

• David Doubilet workshop (2015): National Geographic’s most published living underwater photographer led a week-long Syracuse University workshop at Sunset House, Grand Cayman, with partner Jen Hayes and digital post-production specialist Hal Silverman. The format included daily lectures, diving/shooting, post-production, and evening critiques (^[36]).
• Wetpixel/RED/Gates Tiger Beach (2017): A filmmakers’ workshop combining RED Digital Cinema camera systems with Gates cinema housings at Tiger Beach, Bahamas, aimed at both aspiring and experienced underwater cameramen (^[37]).
• Gates STO Certification (2015): Gates Underwater Products and filmmaker Ron Lagerlof offered a two-day AbelCine workshop ($800/person) covering setup, testing, and operation of Gates professional housings, with graduates earning “Gates Ambassador” certification for professional productions (^[38]).
• Wetpixel Norway Workshop (2018): Adam Hanlon hosted a temperate water photography workshop at Gulen Diver Resort, Norway, focusing on techniques for challenging cold-water conditions (^[39]).
• Alex Mustard Zeeland Workshop (2010): One of Mustard’s European workshops, held in the Netherlands and documented on video (^[40]).
• DeeperBlue.com freediving + photography course (2009): Billed as “the world’s first underwater photography and freediving course,” held at the UK’s Submarine Escape Training Tank in Gosport, combining freediving instruction with underwater photography technique (^[41]).

The Wetpixel Live episode “UW Workshops and Courses” (January 2021) discussed the range of available options, with Mustard emphasizing “the difference between photographically productive dive travel and dedicated learning experiences” and introducing his new online learning option. By this point, over 130 Wetpixel Live episodes had been posted (^[42]).

The Digital Shootout as education

The Digital Shootout, created by Berkley White of Backscatter, was explicitly designed as an educational event with competition as motivation. Eric Cheng provided daily webcasts from the Fiji 2004 and Bonaire 2005—2007 events, while instructors including Jim Watt offered hands-on teaching in the water. Erin Quigley ran a “Go Ask Erin digital help desk” at the Shootout, providing one-on-one post-processing assistance (^[43]). The format — a week of guided diving with structured shooting assignments, evening critiques, and competitive judging — influenced many subsequent workshop-competitions.

Instructional DVDs and early video tutorials

Before streaming video became ubiquitous, instructional DVDs filled a niche:

• Underwater Photoworkshop DVD (2007): Doug and Lorenza Sloss released over seven hours of video instruction focused on Photoshop CS/CS2 techniques specifically for underwater photographers, covering RAW conversion, backscatter removal, selective sharpening, and web presentation. Wetpixel moderator Mike Veitch called it “an excellent collection of informative tutorials” and praised its use of underwater examples rather than generic topside photos. Comments showed demand from beginners to advanced users (^[44]).
• Jack and Sue Drafahl’s Photoshop DVDs: “The Digital Duo” released a 16-hour, 224-tutorial Photoshop CS5 DVD in 2010 aimed specifically at underwater photographers, covering Camera RAW, global and selective corrections, workflow, and plugins (^[45]). They later launched an online subscription tutorial service featuring instruction from notable photographers including Ernie Brooks, Stan Waterman, Carl Roessler, and Geri Murphy (^[46]).

Videography education

Steve Douglas authored a comprehensive videography tutorial for Wetpixel in 2010, covering buoyancy control for stable footage, the “cradle method” of holding a housing for tripod-like stability, the rule of thirds adapted for underwater use, shooting from below subjects for depth, and the importance of dual video lights. He emphasized that “the finest camcorder and housing in the hands of someone who does not know how to properly use it will produce far less quality than someone with a lesser quality camcorder in the hands of the shooter who knows what they’re doing” (^[47]).

In 2020, Guy and Anita Chaumette’s Liquid Motion launched their online Underwater Photo & Film Academy, offering live one-on-one courses during COVID lockdown. The academy was notable for its premium positioning — private, customized courses with “30 years world-leading industry mentors” — and endorsements from Gates Underwater Products CEO John Ellerbrook, who called it a “one-on-one Tailored Master Class” (^[48]).

Erin Quigley and post-processing education

Erin Quigley became the community’s foremost post-processing educator through her GoAskErin.com platform, DEMA presentations, and COVID-era webinars. Her earliest Wetpixel-featured tutorial (March 2013) demonstrated backscatter removal using Photoshop CS6 with selections, layers, Gaussian blur, and noise. She was described as “a digital imaging consultant specializing in customized workflows and editing strategies” and an “ACE Adobe expert certified” professional (^[49]).

By 2015, she had accumulated enough tutorials to publish a “Master List” page linking all her Lightroom and Photoshop videos, including “classics” like backscatter removal, puppet warp, and using Lightroom’s radial and graduated filter tools to “reposition” strobes (^[50]). In December 2021, she hosted free live “Water Replacement Wizardry” workshops, teaching participants to use Photoshop’s Sky Replacement panel with water backgrounds — a creative adaptation of a topside tool for underwater use (^[51]). She continued adding Lightroom and Photoshop tutorials through 2018 and 2019 (^[52], ^[53]).

Online tutorials and curated external content

Throughout the 2010s, Wetpixel curated external tutorials alongside its own content. Adam Hanlon authored an extensive Lightroom field workflow tutorial in April 2020, sharing his complete system for catalog management, file naming conventions, import workflows, and backup strategies. The tutorial included practical detail such as his “one catalog to rule them all” approach (borrowing Erin Quigley’s catchphrase) and his use of Velcro strips to attach Thunderbolt drives to a MacBook Pro lid for field use (^[54]).

Other notable curated tutorials included:

• Annie Crawley’s tutorial on photographing great white sharks, hammerheads, and mantas (2020) (^[55])
• JP Danko on editing underwater photos (2014) (^[56])
• Color grading using DaVinci Resolve (2016) (^[57])
• Steve Perry’s Nikon autofocus tutorial (2015) (^[58])
• Ron Lagerlof on 4K imaging underwater (2015) (^[59])
• Vincent Laforet on time-lapse photography (2013) (^[60])
• Scubazoo’s educational marine conservation videos (2013) (^[61])
• The Wirecutter and The Scuttlefish’s comprehensive beginner’s guide (2014) (^[62])
• Numerous Lightroom-specific tutorials covering the Visualize Spots feature, Adjustment Brush, auto-advance, sharpening via view mask, custom camera calibration profiles, chromatic aberration removal, and keywording (^[63], ^[64], ^[65])

Wetpixel Live: the COVID-era education revolution

When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down dive travel in 2020, Adam Hanlon and Alex Mustard launched Wetpixel Live on July 10, 2020. Hanlon described the series as aiming “to answer some of the questions that are frequently asked on the forum and make this amazing resource more accessible to image-makers.” The first episode covered “5 Ways to Improve your Underwater Photography when you Can’t Dive” — directly addressing the pandemic’s impact on the community (^[66], ^[67]).

The series grew at an extraordinary pace. By late November 2020, it had reached 100 episodes (^[68]). By February 2021, 150 episodes (^[69]). The complete archive contains 302 episodes (numbered to 264, plus extras) totaling ~89 hours with ~329,000 total views. See Wetpixel Live for full statistics. Topics included:

• Technique: Shooting split shots, fluorescence photography, blackwater (with Mike Bartick), fisheye lenses, underwater panorama, choosing subjects, muck photography, wide-angle composition, off-camera lighting, night photography, single-strobe technique, macro close-up lenses
• Gear: Dome port essentials, housing choices, strobe triggering, focus lights, memory cards, vacuum systems, strobe arms and clamps, housing flood management, the WACP, lens attachments, teleconverters, viewfinders, Nauticam optics
• Post-processing: Super resolution, Lightroom 10 overview, Adobe zoom features, new editing tools, color spaces, apps for photo editing
• Business/career: Shooting for assignments, competition success (including fotosub competitions), career building, copyright advice, getting published, websites for image makers
• Travel/planning: Liveaboard vs. land-based, dive planning, the Thistlegorm wreck guide, refresher advice, travel tips, travel updates
• Guest expertise: Erin Quigley on workflow, Matthias Lebo on underwater filmmaking, Retra UWT celebrating ten years, Natalie Gibb on Keldan lights, cenote photography, and many competition result reviews

The series transformed what had been forum-based education into accessible video content, reaching audiences beyond the registered Wetpixel membership. Episodes were hosted on YouTube, making them freely available without requiring a Wetpixel forum account.

The Wetpixel Forum as classroom

The Wetpixel Forum was itself the most important educational resource in the underwater photography community. The “Beginner Forum” (forum_id 29) and “Photography Gear and Technique” forum (forum_id 18) hosted thousands of threads where experienced photographers shared knowledge with newcomers. James Wiseman’s foundational 2002 beginner series helped thousands transition from film to digital. The “Ask the Pros” article series brought structured expert knowledge on specific topics like split shots and macro photography.

Trade shows also served as educational venues. The Our World Underwater show in Illinois hosted photojournalism workshops, seminars, and film festivals alongside its exhibit booths. At the 2011 show, photojournalist Jett Britnell ran a four-hour workshop on “Diving Photojournalism — How To Get Published in Scuba Magazines,” and Adam Hanlon presented on wide-angle photography (^[70]).

Key Figures

• Martin Edge — Author of the standard textbook The Underwater Photographer; five editions spanning film to mirrorless
• Alex Mustard — Masterclass author, Lembeh workshop leader, Wetpixel Live co-host (302 episodes), Red Sea and European workshop organizer
• Berkley White — Digital Shootout creator; combined competition with education
• Erin Quigley — Post-processing specialist; GoAskErin.com founder; ACE Adobe certified; DEMA presenter; Digital Shootout help desk; COVID-era live workshops
• Adam Hanlon — Wetpixel Live co-host; commissioned reviews and tutorials; authored Lightroom workflow tutorial; led cenote and Norway workshops
• James Wiseman — First Wetpixel instructional author; HUPS workshop leader; beginner column series (2002—2003)
• Peter Rowlands — UwP Magazine editor; mentored Mustard and Edge
• Eric Cheng — Organized educational expeditions; modeled knowledge sharing as a community value; produced Digital Shootout webcasts
• Mike Veitch — DivePhotoFest co-founder; Bali School of Underwater Photography founder; Wetpixel moderator
• Jack and Sue Drafahl — “The Digital Duo”; 16-hour Photoshop DVD series; online subscription tutorial service
• Marty Snyderman — Co-founder of theUnderwaterPhotographer.com, the first online UW photo school
• David Doubilet — Led Syracuse University underwater photography workshop at Grand Cayman
• Tom St. George — Cenote photography specialist; co-led Wetpixel/Under the Jungle workshops
• Natalie Gibb — Under the Jungle founder and cave/cenote diving expert; co-led cenote workshops

Education formats timeline

Impact

The Wetpixel era saw underwater photography education shift from a master-apprentice model (learning from a buddy on dive trips) to a structured, multi-format system: textbooks, workshops, forums, video tutorials, instructional DVDs, certification courses, dedicated schools, and live streaming. This democratization of knowledge, combined with increasingly accessible gear, expanded the community far beyond traditional professional circles.

Several trends defined the evolution:

1. From general to specialized: Early education covered basics (what camera to buy, how strobes work). By the 2010s, workshops focused on specific techniques (snoot lighting, cenote photography, cold-water shooting) and specific post-processing tools (Lightroom masking, water replacement).

2. From paid to free: The first online courses (theUnderwaterPhotographer.com) were subscription services. By 2020, Wetpixel Live offered hundreds of hours of expert instruction for free on YouTube, and Erin Quigley’s live workshops required only registration.

3. From location-dependent to global: Early education required physical presence at a dive site, photo society meeting, or trade show. Online tutorials, DVDs, and eventually streaming video made instruction accessible worldwide.

4. The COVID catalyst: The pandemic forced the shift to online education, with Wetpixel Live demonstrating that high-quality instruction could reach a global audience without requiring travel to a dive destination. The series produced more educational content in three years (302 episodes) than the previous two decades of workshops and articles combined.

References