Macro photography invites us to explore the tiniest wonders of the underwater world, revealing intricate details and vibrant patterns hidden from view. But to stand out in the REAL FOCUS Shootout 2026, it’s not just about capturing sharpness or perfect composition—it’s about pushing the boundaries of creativity to craft truly captivating and abstract imagery.
From lighting tricks to lens choices, here’s your guide to unleashing your creative potential and elevating your underwater macro photography.
1. Embrace Abstract: Find Art in Details
Abstract macro photography shifts the focus from literal representation to creating art through shapes, textures, and light. By isolating patterns, symmetry, or repetitive structures, you can transform familiar critters into stunning abstract compositions.
Tips:
- Look for subjects with strong textures, like the spines of a sea urchin, the tentacles of an anemone, or the translucent fins of a goby.
- Frame your shot to emphasise negative space, creating a balance that draws the viewer into the image.
- Use a shallow depth of field to isolate your subject while turning the background into a soft, dreamy blur.
2. Lighting Techniques: Paint with Light
Light is your most powerful tool for creating mood and drama. Creative lighting can make even the simplest subject look extraordinary.
Ideas to Try:
- Snooted Lighting: A snoot helps you direct light onto a specific part of your subject, leaving the surrounding areas in shadow. This technique adds depth and drama, perfect for highlighting a shrimp’s intricate detail or the curve of a nudibranch’s body.
- Coloured Gels: Attach gels to your strobes or torches to bathe your subject in vibrant hues. Experiment with warm (red, yellow) and cool (blue, green) tones to create colour contrast.
- Directional Lighting: Position strobes behind your subject for a backlit glow or to create striking rim lighting, particularly effective for translucent critters.
- Front and Rear Curtain Sync: For a dynamic twist, use slow shutter speeds with front or rear curtain sync. Front sync captures motion first, while rear sync captures it at the end, adding motion trails for artistic flair.
3. The Bokeh Effect: Add a Magical Blur
Bokeh is the artistic rendering of out-of-focus points of light, creating a dreamy, soft background that complements your sharp subject. Underwater bokeh requires understanding how light interacts with the environment.
How to Achieve Underwater Bokeh:
- Use a Wide Aperture: Open your lens to its widest aperture (e.g., f/2.8 or f/3.5) to achieve a shallow depth of field.
- Position Strobes for Background Highlights: Illuminate particles, bubbles, or reflective surfaces like sand or fish scales to create glowing orbs of light in the background.
- Coloured Light Play: Add gels to your strobes to introduce hues into the bokeh, transforming your background into a vivid canvas.
- Creative Backgrounds: Use bioluminescent organisms or reflective surfaces like coral to add texture to the bokeh.
4. Slow It Down: Master Long Exposures
A long exposure allows you to capture motion and light in ways that aren’t visible in real-time. Pair this with strobes to highlight your subject while adding motion blur or light trails to the background.
Techniques:
- Panning: Move your camera to follow a moving subject during a long exposure, creating streaks of light or blurred backgrounds while your subject stays sharp.
- Zoom Blur: Twist or slide your zoom lens during exposure to create a vortex-like blur around your subject.
- Tripod Stability: Use a tripod or brace your camera against a rock to stabilise your shot while introducing motion effects elsewhere in the frame.
5. Experiment with Lens Choices: Add Artistic Effects
The lens you choose for macro photography can make all the difference, not only in capturing sharp detail but also in creating unique visual effects. Here are some lens options and accessories specifically designed for underwater macro photography that allow you to unleash your creativity:
a. Standard Macro Lenses (50mm-100mm)
Examples: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro, Nikon AF-S 105mm f/2.8G Macro, Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS.
Effect: Classic macro with sharp detail and creamy bokeh.
These lenses are ideal for isolating small subjects and creating soft, blurred backgrounds that make critters like nudibranchs or shrimps pop. Pair them with wet diopters for even closer focus and more creative flexibility.
b. Macro Fisheye Lenses
Examples: Nauticam EWL-1 (Enhanced Wet Lens), Nauticam WWL-1B with macro lenses.
Effect: Extreme close focus combined with a wide-angle field of view.
These lenses allow you to capture macro subjects like nudibranchs or pygmy seahorses while including elements of the surrounding environment in a dramatic, curved composition. Perfect for storytelling with a creative edge.
c. Wet Diopters and Super Macro Converters
Examples: Nauticam SMC-1/2, Subsee +5/+10, Saga Trio Macro Lens.
Effect: Ultra-high magnification for intricate detail.
These attachments mount onto your macro lens to bring out the finest textures and patterns, such as the scales on a seahorse or the delicate claws of a squat lobster. Stacking diopters can enhance the effect further, allowing you to push the limits of your lens.
d. Wide-Angle Macro Lenses
Examples: Nauticam WWL-1B, AOI UWL-09 Pro.
Effect: Captures small subjects with a dramatic sense of their environment.
Wide-angle macro lenses are excellent for shooting critters like frogfish or cuttlefish, blending close-up detail with the surrounding reefscape. These lenses are perfect for images that need to balance subject intimacy with storytelling.
e. Vintage Lenses for Creative Effects
Examples: Helios 44-2 (swirl bokeh), Petzval lenses (manual focus with vintage effects).
Effect: Swirling backgrounds and vintage-style rendering.
While challenging to adapt for underwater use, vintage lenses like the Helios 44-2 produce unique swirl bokeh effects when paired with reflective or busy backgrounds. They can be a fun addition to practice dives in controlled conditions or shallow water.
f. Lensbaby Lenses
Examples: Lensbaby Velvet 85mm.
Effect: Dreamy, soft-focus glow around the subject.
While designed for topside photography, these lenses can create painterly images with a central focus surrounded by blurred, glowing edges. Underwater adaptations are experimental but can yield stunning results in calm, shallow waters.
g. Reverse Lens Macro
Effect: Extreme magnification with shallow depth of field.
Flipping a standard lens backward (using an adapter) creates incredible magnification for abstract and detailed close-ups. This technique requires a steady hand and patience but rewards you with unique perspectives on textures and patterns.
Pro Tip: Combine Accessories for Maximum Creativity
Stack Diopters: Pair a standard macro lens with multiple diopters for super-macro magnification.
Use Dome Ports: Add dome ports to wide-angle macro lenses to incorporate reflections and enhance perspective in your composition.
Experimenting with lenses is one of the best ways to elevate your creative macro photography. Each lens or accessory offers a unique perspective, whether you’re aiming for extreme detail, abstract art, or environmental storytelling. For the REAL FOCUS Shootout 2026, let your lens choices guide your imagination and bring your vision to life underwater.
6. Post-Processing: Enhance Your Vision
Creative photography doesn’t end in the water. Use post-processing tools to refine your vision while staying true to the natural beauty of the underwater world.
Tips:
- Adjust white balance to fine-tune hues and correct any colour shifts caused by water depth.
- Subtly enhance contrast and vibrancy to make patterns and textures pop.
- Use selective sharpening to draw attention to the subject while maintaining a soft, abstract background.
7. Seek Inspiration: Learn from Others
Expand your creative horizons by studying other photographers and experimenting with new techniques.
Resources:
- Books: For example “Underwater Macro Photography” by Tobias Friedrich and “Art and Science of Underwater Photography” by Alexander Mustard
- Communities: Engage with underwater photographers on forums like Wetpixel or social media platforms using hashtags like UnderwaterMacro and CreativeMacro.
- Workshops: Participate in hands-on photography workshops to learn advanced techniques in a collaborative environment.
8. Tell a Story
Ultimately, the most impactful images evoke emotion and tell a story. Observe your subject’s behaviour and interactions within its environment. Whether it’s a tiny shrimp defending its territory or the delicate sway of coral polyps in the current, your image should invite the viewer into a moment of underwater life.
Final Thoughts
Creative macro photography is your opportunity to go beyond the ordinary, transforming the underwater world into a canvas of artistic expression. By experimenting with light, motion, a