According to underwater photographer and the editor and publisher of Wetpixel Quarterly, Eric Cheng, shooting under water requires more from the photographer technically than when shooting on land.

“At typical scuba diving depths, water has already stripped out red, orange, and yellow light, so we have to use strong strobes to bring out the vibrant underwater colors that are normally hidden. The cameras we use are also calibrated for above-water shooting, and underwater, we typically want a different look. As a result, I shoot almost exclusively using manual exposure and manual strobe settings when I'm underwater.”