Diving with a photographer. A friend, an expert instructor, once told me, “Always dive as if a photographer were in the water with you.”
Indeed, his advice was aimed at improving the elegance and management of my setup, but his observation raised a doubt in me: how should we behave when we dive with a photographer as a buddy?
Some divers prefer not to dive with photographers because they are often slow, focused solely on their own activity, and tend to sit at the end of the group, far from the divemaster or guide. This situation, especially for inexperienced divers, can be stressful and insecure.
I, on the other hand, love diving with photographers. This type of dive can be challenging but also rewarding: they know exactly where to look and how to find the most interesting subjects, and following them helps me enrich my knowledge of marine biology. Plus, when I emerge from the water, I'm always rewarded with a couple of shots of myself.
Diving with a photographer
In any case, if we decide to dive with a photographer as a buddy, my advice is to follow a few simple rules to make the experience pleasant and safe for both of us:
- First of all, when assigning buddy teams, it's essential to create a mixed photographer/non-photographer pair. A team of two photographers won't work, because photography is an individual activity that requires constant concentration. As an additional pre-dive activity, buddies should always discuss their roles in the water and their positioning in relation to the rest of the group.
- Photographers tend to position themselves at the back of the group to have more time to shoot: their companion must therefore act as a link between them and the rest of the group. This point is very important, especially in low-visibility situations;
- The buddy without a camera must pay particular attention to the dive parameters and, if necessary, draw the photographer's attention if the latter is too focused on his subject. In any case, the photographer must not rely on his buddy and must always have clear control of his personal parameters;
- While waiting for his buddy, the "non-photographer" diver can look for other interesting subjects in the surrounding area and point them out to his buddy. On the other hand, after taking the shot, the photographer must allow his buddy, if he so wishes, to take a look at the subject of his attention;
- Last but not least, it's essential that both buddies maintain neutral trim to avoid raising any suspension that could impair visibility or scare marine life.
