Technology
Taking underwater photos with iPhone: best tips and tricks
For most people, the horror of dropping your phone into the sink or a swimming pool is a thing of the past.
The vast majority of all Android phones – plus all recent iPhones – offer some form of water resistance. Many are IP68 rated, meaning they can survive immersion in water up to 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes.
It raises the question: how far can you go? When it comes to your warranty, less is better. Apple doesn’t recommend getting your phone wet, and any water damage could void your warranty.
Taking photos and videos underwater isn’t out of the question, but don’t just take your iPhone down there and expect to take great photos without any damage to your phone.
Instead, by following these steps you can take great photos without the harmful effects.
1. Buy a waterproof case
With the above in mind, it should come as no surprise that the biggest piece of advice we can give about taking underwater photos with your iPhone is to invest in a waterproof case. These come in all shapes and sizes, depending on what you need.
Cheap waterproof bags like the £10.99/$12.99 Unbreakcable Waterproof Case will simply keep your iPhone dry, while more specialized cases like the £36.99/$48.99 Shellbox Waterproof Case are intended for underwater photography, providing access to physical buttons to activate the camera shutter and a high-quality lens cap.
Shellbox
Shellbox
Shellbox
Some even allow you to interact with your touchscreen underwater – something that is especially useful for underwater photography.
2. Prepare your recording settings
Make sure to set your iPhone’s camera settings before entering the water. Why? Simply put, you can’t interact with your iPhone’s touchscreen when it’s underwater. In fact, without a case, it records the water hitting the screen as tap input. Underwater it can be chaotic.
There are some cases that negate the input problem, as highlighted above, but they are still difficult to use underwater.
Lewis painter/foundry
Lewis painter/foundry
Lewis painter/foundry
With that in mind, select the resolution of images or videos, select any filters you might want to apply, and any other adjustments you want to make before immersing yourself and your iPhone.
This also applies to exposure and focus, which cannot be adjusted underwater. For best results, apply a focus lock to the farthest point in the distance that you can see before entering the water.
3. Think about lighting
Just like when taking photos on land, lighting is extremely important when it comes to underwater photography. In fact, the refraction of light and other properties underwater can make it much more difficult to take a well-lit photo.
The best advice is to take photos on sunny days, where the underwater environment is well lit. You can also try shooting up towards the surface for extra background light.
If that is not possible, Do not use your iPhone’s built-in flash to illuminate the scene. Most cases cover the camera body, allowing light from your flash to reflect off the outer cover and render images unusable.
Instead, consider investing in a diving light such as the £69.99/$79.99 Wurkkos Diving Torch to provide better lighting underwater.
4. Stay steady
The best photos are taken with a steady hand, and this also applies to underwater photography.
It can be a little more difficult depending on the current, so we recommend buying a cheap monopod (like the £16.99 / $16.99 HSU Extendable Selfie Stick) that will hold your phone securely in place while you creates stunning underwater images.
Using a three-second timer to take photos on your iPhone is another option, as using the physical volume buttons to capture images can cause a slight wobble.
5. Dress appropriately
While this isn’t directly related to taking photos underwater, it’s also worth pointing out that clothing can make a big difference to the underwater shooting experience.
In addition to making you feel more comfortable underwater, it is also useful to have pockets where you can store your iPhone or other accessories you need.
6. Dry your iPhone completely
Once you’re back on dry land, it’s worth letting your iPhone dry completely to remove any residue from the water.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
It is also recommended that you do not charge your iPhone for a few hours as water may have entered the charging port, and as we all know, water and electronics do not mix.
Do you also want to take great photos on land? Recent iPhone models are also a good choice there, but there are plenty of other great camera phones out there.
