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When shooting wide-angle reef scenes, creating a compelling composition can be a challenge
 

One of the biggest challenges when shooting wide angle is deciding what to include in your frame. It’s much easier when you’re shooting a large subject like a manta, whale shark or fish school, but when faced with an expansive reef, it can be hard to find your shot. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when composing reef scenes:
 

1. Look for Interesting Topography

Something with a distinctive shape or profile really adds impact to an image. It is also much easier to get low and shoot upwards on a beautiful pillar coral or a colorful sponge on a wall than a subject on a flat stretch of reef.
 

The more unusual the topography, the greater the opportunity to create drama and depth in your image

2. Aim for Elements with Strong Colors

A pink sponge or red whip coral contrasts beautifully with blue water and can easily become the focus of your image.
 

3. Keep It Simple

Avoid cluttering your frame with too many elements, which can be confusing for the viewer. One beautifully framed subject can have much more impact that a mishmash of corals. Try moving around the intended subject to find a composition that doesn’t include too many other distractions in your frame.
 

Bold colors and an uncluttered composition make for a pleasing image   

4. Keep It Clean

Don’t amputate your subject or place it too close to the edge of the frame. This either leads the viewer’s eye out of the frame or creates tension in the image. Look for clean clusters of coral or well-organized bommies to photograph.
 

5. Frame Your Scene in Blue Water

By ensuring you have a firm border or “frame” of water around your scene, you will really make your subject pop while creating context and contrast in your image. Getting low and shooting upwards will help you achieve this.
 

The warm colors of the reef stand out all the more against a rich blue backdrop

6. Focus Your Lighting on the Main Subject

Avoid lighting your scene corner-to-corner. Light fall off on the edges will draw more attention to your subject while mitigating any distracting backgrounds.
 

Make your main subject pop by carefully adjusting the positioning and output of your strobes

7. Find the Right Balance

Bear in mind the Rule of Thirds. Placing your main subject directly in the middle of the frame can lead to a flat image. But composing your subject a bit off-center—towards one of the intersections of the “tic-tac-toe” board—can really lead the eye though the frame and add more impact to your image.
 

8. Try Adding Additional Elements

Shooting one solitary fan against an expansive blue background will be boring and flat. To add depth and impact to your image, always be on the lookout for extra elements such as the sun, a diver, a boat, or some fish.
 

The silhouette of a traditional bangka adds depth, balance, and story
 

Francesca Diaco is the founder and lead trainer of Roatán Underwater Photography and the owner/operator of Fisheye Expeditions & Photographic Services, which offers expeditions to many of the world’s most exciting dive destinations and online underwater photography training. You can see her more of her work at www.francescadiaco.com. Francesca has also been featured as Photographer of the Week.