Whether it’s a large warship, a small fishing boat, or an aeroplane, wrecks of all kinds are havens for an array of marine life seeking shelter — from schools of large predatory fish to tiny nudibranchs and shrimps. The hull and superstructure of a wreck may also be encrusted with a kaleidoscope of colourful corals and sea fans.

Shooting wide-angle is the most common choice, as a wreck can allow for a wide range of compositions, angles, and lighting. The stark contrast of the man-made hull and other structures against the blue background, together with mesmerizing, dappled rays of sunlight that can trickle down into the wreck often create images with an atmospheric feel to them.

Here are tips to help you when shooting a wreck:

1. Some wrecks can be very big (and/or deep), and may require a couple of dives to explore the entire site. Have a good dive guide who knows the wreck well and can give you advice on the best spots to take photos, and guide you to prominent features you might want to photograph (for example, bow, wheelhouse, propeller, mast, engine, holds, guns, etc.).

2. Study a map of the wreck prior to diving, noting the location of your ascent/descent line on the wreck, the direction of the bow and stern, and also any hazards.

3. While wrecks offer many places for fish to shelter, exposed areas at the bow, stern and top of a wreck can often have strong currents.

4. Entering a wreck may be tempting, but it requires special training, equipment, and experience, so make sure you dive safely within your limitations.

5. Have a decent dive torch (or a focus light attached to your camera), so you can explore parts of wreck which are very dark, while also allowing you to focus more easily.

6. Getting a diver model to pose for you while shooting on a wreck is often a good idea, as it gives the viewer a sense of the scale of the wreck. It also adds a human element to the image — of a vessel that once cruised the seas, and now rests on the seabed where it continues to sustain life. This can be a nice touch for famous ships with a significant story behind their sinking, and adds to the “adventure and exploration” people associate with wreck diving.

7. Try and isolate your model with a blue background to make him or her stand out. Having your model use a torch pointed towards you will also help to draw the viewer’s attention.

8. Shoot prominent structures and shapes of a wreck with harsh lines, which are covered with natural growth (for example, coral, sea fans, etc). The interesting contrast between the artificial and natural subjects demonstrates how marine life can thrive on sunken shipwrecks.

9. When shooting a large part of the wreck, use a powerful setting on your strobes and position them just behind the camera’s port, far away and pointing very slightly outward. If the light is not balanced in the centre of the frame, point the strobes slightly inward but be aware of increased backscatter (a common problem in and around wrecks).

10. Many parts of a wreck will be very dark and gloomy, so to brighten up the surrounding water you should use a slower shutter speed, while keeping an f-stop of f/8.

11. If you have an extra strobe, position it “off-camera” to back-light a subject (for example, a propeller). This is a creative lighting technique that really makes a subject stand out. This can require a bit of trial and error, as the light from the strobes on your camera must trigger the off-camera strobe, but at the same time, you don’t want the off-camera strobe/flash to be in the line of sight of your camera.

By using remote trigger cables (for example, the Triggerfish remote slave trigger), you can overcome this problem easily. The small cable is fitted to your off-camera strobe with the sensor pointing in your direction, allowing for much more reliable and consistent triggering of your slave strobe.

12. Make use of the natural sunlight on very shallow wrecks and shoot without strobes. Set the camera’s white balance manually and shoot with the sunlight behind you, and you'll get a more natural look to the photo. Using a filter (for example, Magic Filter) will further enrich the wreck’s natural colours.

Photographing wrecks can be exciting and challenging, and it’s a great way to practice your composition and lighting skills when shooting wide-angle. Remember to dive safely with a buddy, and always keep an eye on your depth and air.

Christian Loader (29, UK) is a professional photographer for Scubazoo Images. He has worked extensively throughout Southeast Asia as an underwater videographer and photographer, and is currently based in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

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