For most people, the horror associated with dropping your phone in the sink or a swimming pool is a thing of the past.
The vast majority of all Android phones – as well as all recent iPhones – offer some form of water resistance. Many have an IP68 rating, meaning they can survive submersion in up to 1.5m of water for up to 30 minutes.
This begs the question: how far can you go? When it comes to your warranty, less is more – Apple doesn’t recommend getting your phone wet, and any water damage may void your warranty.
Taking photos and videos underwater isn’t out of the question, but don’t just take your iPhone there and expect to get great photos without damaging your phone.
Instead, by following these steps, you can get great photos without any harmful effects.
1. Get a waterproof case
Given the above, it’s no surprise that the best advice we can give you for 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.
Inexpensive waterproof bags like the £10.99/$12.99 Unbreakcable Waterproof Case will simply keep your iPhone dry, while more specialist cases like the £36.99/$48.99 Shellbox Waterproof Case are dedicated for underwater photography, providing access to physical buttons to activate the camera shutter and a high quality lens cover.
Shell box
Shell box
Shell box
Some even let you interact with your touchscreen underwater, which is especially handy for underwater photography.
2. Prepare your shooting settings
Before you get in the water, make sure to adjust your iPhone’s camera settings. For what? Simply put, you can’t interact with your iPhone’s touchscreen when it’s submerged. In fact, without a case, it will register water touching the screen as touch input. It could be chaotic underwater.
There are some cases that negate the typing issue, as highlighted above, but they are still difficult to use underwater.
Lewis Painter / Foundry
Lewis Painter / Foundry
Lewis Painter / Foundry
With this in mind, select the resolution of the images or videos, select the filters you want to apply, and any other adjustments you want to make before you immerse yourself and your iPhone.
This also goes for exposure and focus, as you won’t be able to adjust them underwater. For best results, apply a focus lock on the farthest thing you can see before entering the water.
3. Think about lighting
As with taking photos on land, lighting is extremely important when it comes to underwater photography. In fact, with light refraction and other underwater properties, it can be much more difficult to get a well-lit photo.
The best advice is to take photos on a sunny day, where the underwater environments will be well lit. You can also try shooting upwards, toward the surface, to get additional background lighting.
If it is not possible, not use your iPhone’s built-in flash to light the scene. Most cases cover the camera body, so the light from your flash will reflect off the outer cover and render the images useless.
Instead, consider investing in a dive light like the Wurkkos Dive Torch £69.99/$79.99 to provide better lighting underwater.
4. Stay steady
The best photos are taken with a steady hand, and this also applies to underwater photography.
This can be a little more difficult depending on the currents, so we recommend getting a cheap monopod (like the £16.99/$16.99 HSU Extendable Selfie Stick) which will hold your phone securely in place for as you take your 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 create 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 in the underwater shooting experience.
In addition to making you feel more comfortable underwater, it helps to have pockets to store your iPhone or any other accessories you might need.
6. Dry your iPhone completely
Once you’re back on dry land, it’s worth drying your iPhone completely to remove any residue from the water.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
It is also recommended not to charge your iPhone for a few hours as water might have entered the charging port and as we all know, water and electronic devices don’t mix well.
Do you also want to take great photos on land? Recent iPhone models are also a great choice, but there are plenty of other great camera phones out there.
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