Celebrating the sea: ocean photography tips and techniques

Translating the ocean's power and grace into an image has been a lifelong mission for many photographers enchanted by its mystery. Not only is ocean photography an infinite creative challenge, it can also provide a way for creatives to document the importance and fragility of our oceans and marine life.

Here, top pros share their different approaches to ocean photography – from dramatic stormy seascapes and abstract portrayals of the coast, to underwater photography, and split-level sea photography – as well as their favourite methods and kit recommendations.

1. Freeze dramatic stormy waves with telephoto lenses

Inspired by her fascination with stormy seas, fine art coastal photographer Rachael Talibart creates bestselling prints that transport viewers to the middle of the ocean. People are often astonished to discover that Sirens, her critically acclaimed series of storm wave photographs, was shot from the shore of Newhaven in the UK, on her Canon EOS 5DS R with Canon zoom lenses. "Pretty much every image was taken with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, handheld, usually while lying or crouching on the beach, which often surprises people as they think I must be in the sea," she explains.

"I only take these photographs during really big storms, because I need the waves to make big shapes – I need fast winds and a high tide. You can't go in the sea during a force 10 storm, but with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens you can get fairly close. I've got longer zooms, but they're harder to hold steady when you're being buffeted by the wind. That doesn't happen with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM, as it stays relatively compact for a long lens."

Shooting in such stormy conditions can be a challenge, but combining a lens which can cope with low-light conditions with the weather-sealed controls of the Canon EOS 5DS R, setting shutter speeds of around 1/1000 and shooting in high-speed continuous mode allowed Rachael to isolate powerful crashing waves in mid-air.

3. Use light intelligently underwater

Conservation photographer and filmmaker Robert Marc Lehmann has been diving for more than 10 years and has worked as a marine biologist. He is driven not so much by a desire to take beautiful images, but to highlight the plight of the creatures that inhabit the marine environment.

Robert, who was named National Geographic's Photographer of the Year in 2015, says even dark, murky waters with small-scale marine life can make for standout pictures. This is especially the case with intelligent use of strobe lighting, which can help to eliminate backscatter – particles in the water illuminated by the camera flash.

"The key factor is bringing the light underwater," he explains. "In the area where I live and photograph, 95% of the time I'm diving in very murky water with sediment, so strobe technique is very important. You need to position the strobes as far away from the camera as you can, at a 30-40-degree angle, so they hit the particles from the side, rather than lighting them up from the front."

Robert uses a Canon EOS-1D X Mark III with a waterproof housing and strobe lights, alongside a Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM and Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM lens. Using such wide lenses helps him glean as much light as possible from the underwater environments and achieve those all-encompassing perspectives. This, teamed with the improved ISO capabilities of the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III (up to ISO 102,400, expandable to 819,200), helps to bring light into challenging environments, such as dimly lit underwater caves.

4. Take on the split-level challenge

Fast-moving underwater subjects such as sharks and dolphins make the sharp autofocus and 20fps continuous shooting features of the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III essential for Robert. But it's his iconic split-level shots that are the hardest to master.

"You want your levels equally split, and the strobes need to be lit, with the reef or animal in the foreground. It's very hard to keep everything in focus, so a really small aperture such as f/22 is the way to go.

"The most difficult thing is removing the water on the underwater housing's big glass dome port. You have to spit onto the dome port, tip the camera into the water and let the water run off. Then, you have less than 1.5 seconds with a clear view to press the shutter."