Underwater Photography with Natural Light
Learn how to work with available sunlight to photograph wildlife underwater.
We’ll explore how light direction, depth, water clarity, and your position affect color, contrast, and exposure.
Together, we can work on camera settings for moving animals, photographing silhouettes and sun rays, and recognizing when to adjust your angle for better light.
In Photoshop, we’ll work through white balance, color casts, and contrast to bring out the detail your camera captured while keeping the image natural.
Start with My Free Underwater Natural-Light Photography Guide
I’ve shared a free guide covering the basics of shooting underwater with natural light.
If you’d like personal help understanding those basics and applying them to your own photography, join me for one of the private workshops below.
We’ll work with your equipment, your images, and your questions at your pace.
Private Underwater Photography & Photoshop Workshops
One-on-one instruction with Eli Martinez
Bring your camera, your photographs, and your questions. Let’s work on what matters to you.
Whether you want to feel more confident underwater, anticipate wildlife behavior, improve your compositions, or learn how to edit your images in Photoshop, these private workshops give us dedicated time to focus on your photography.
With more than two decades of experience guiding wildlife expeditions and photographing underwater encounters, I’ll help you connect camera technique with what’s happening in front of your lens.
Each workshop is tailored to your experience, equipment, and goals.
Private Zoom Workshop
$175 · 90 minutes
A focused, one-on-one session built around what you want to learn.
We can review your photographs, work through camera settings, discuss underwater lighting and composition, or edit your images together in Photoshop.
Topics can include:
Preparing your camera and underwater housing.
Understanding exposure, focus, and white balance.
Using natural light or strobes.
Anticipating wildlife behavior and positioning yourself for a photograph.
Reviewing images and identifying ways to improve.
Photoshop color correction, backscatter cleanup, cropping, and export.
Send your questions and selected images ahead of time so we can make the most of our session.
Button: Book a Private Zoom Workshop
Before & After Expedition Mentorship
$450 · Three private Zoom sessions
Start your expedition with a photography plan, then learn how to finish the images you bring home.
Before your expedition — one 60-minute session
We’ll review your equipment, look at your current photography, and discuss the wildlife and conditions you expect to encounter. Together, we’ll set practical goals and identify techniques to work on during your trip.
After your expedition — two 90-minute sessions
We’ll review your photographs, discuss what worked and what you can improve, and work through selected images in Photoshop. You’ll learn an editing workflow you can use on future photographs.
Photo coaching is already included during our regular SDM Adventures expeditions. This optional mentorship adds dedicated private preparation and post-trip instruction.
Button: Book Expedition Mentorship
Private Photography Expedition
Custom itinerary · Call for pricing
For photographers who want a trip built around their own interests, we can plan a private expedition with dedicated photography and editing time.
We’ll discuss your preferred wildlife, destination, dates, experience, and photography goals. From there, we can shape an itinerary for you or your private group, with time for field instruction, image reviews, and Photoshop tutorials.
Wildlife encounters depend on the animals and conditions. Our focus is on making the most of the opportunities we have while respecting wildlife and following local regulations.
Pricing depends on the destination, trip length, group size, logistics, and amount of instruction requested.
Button: Plan a Private Photography Expedition
Let’s Work on Your Photography
Tell me what you’re shooting with, what you want to improve, and which workshop interests you. If you’re unsure where to begin, we can help you choose.
Call or WhatsApp: (956) 279-8119
Button: Contact Eli