It takes practice and few tricks on your sleeve to shoot half underwater photos. Here’s how I shoot my half underwater photos with a GoPro dome!
Watch my video for the full rundown!
Prefer to read? I got you! Here’s a detailed recap below. ▾
using a GoPro Dome Housing makes it easy!
It’s hard to achieve the half underwater look with just the GoPro alone (and almost impossible when the water conditions aren’t ideal). What I love about using a dome housing is that it creates distance between the GoPro lens and water, making it easier to shoot half underwater.
There are many different variations of dome housings for GoPro. This is the one I use for my GoPro Hero 5. It’s great because it adds extra waterproof protection for my GoPro. Don’t forget to make sure it’s compatible with you GoPro!
Telesin 6″ Dome Port Lens, $49.95, available at Amazon.
Tip #1 Shoot when the water is calm
If you want a clean line of water across the photo, it’s best to shoot when the water is calm. Because It’s hard to shoot when the water is wavy & rough or it’ll keep moving up the dome.
Tip #2 Shoot on a clear day
These types of photos look best when you shoot on a clear day not just to have the blue in the sky but because on rainy or windy days, the water tends to be turbulent, causing the sand to move, which’ll make the water look cloudy & murky. So whatever you shoot underwater won’t be as visible.
Tip #3 Edit or wipe out the water droplets or keep it on for effect
As you start taking photos in the water, you’re going to notice water droplets on the dome and it could get in the way of your shot. So Tip #3 is editing it out later, bringing a towel to wipe it up (although that would be very hard to do if you’re in the middle of the ocean) or keeping it on because it’s a good, natural look too.
Tip #4 Avoid scratching the dome or it’ll show on your photos
If you can see, there are scratches on my dome so Tip #4 is avoid scratching the dome or it’ll show. I thought I took care of the dome properly but apparently it wasn’t enough. But nothing a little editing can remove later.
Tip #5 Shoot in time-lapse mode
Depending on the conditions, the water can keep moving so it’s best to shoot in time-lapse mode so you can get a good shot as the water moves. And you don’t have to keep looking back and forth between photos. This is also great if you want to capture multiple photos of a friend swimming across the screen.
So those were my tips for shooting half underwater photos! And if you have any questions or more tips to share, comment them down below. And if you liked this video, give me a thumbs up, subscribe and all that good stuff so you don’t miss out on guides & tips about travel.
I love you & talk to you soon!
