Articles

Often, our inclination is to get as close to big animals as possible. After all, this is one of the reasons we shoot super wide lenses—to be able to minimize the water between us and the animal as much as possible while still fitting the entire animal in the frame. However, sometimes the surroundings are as beautiful as the animal itself. This manatee surfaced to breathe in a lovely spring and I actually swam away from the manatee to try to capture all of the scenery and give it some context (Sony a9III, Sony 28–60mm, Nauticam housing, Nauticam WACP-C, f/8, 1/50s, ISO 1000)
 

Often, one of the very first things we hear when beginning our underwater photography journeys is some version of this adage: “Get close, get close, and when you think you’re close enough, get closer!” In other words, the less water between you and your subject, the better. This is sage advice and for the vast majority of underwater image-making scenarios, it is advice worth following. However, what I am going to make the case for here is the antithesis of the above statement.

While it is only natural to try to fill the frame with our subjects, creating a picture in which the subject takes up a relatively tiny percentage of space, while still being prominent, and the overall frame being pleasing, can often create a much more unique and interesting photograph. The difficulty lies not only in capturing your subject well, but in the “negative space” complementing your subject properly, without being distraction, and, ideally, by being a net positive to the picture.

The examples here are photographed with a range of cameras and lenses, illustrating that gear is not necessarily a key factor for creating compelling “small-in-frame” pictures. So, take note of your subject’s surroundings, fine-tune your compositions, and add a new type of image to your underwater photography portfolio!
 

This is a relatively “large” subject for a small-in-frame image, though some of that is due to the reflection making “two” fish. Unlike some examples, this particular picture was relatively easy to make. Without other distractions surrounding the mosquitofish, I could keep taking frames and just had to focus on pleasing swirls in the water, and catching the reflection. The little bubble blown by the fish was a nice bonus. In this case, the negative space, comprised of ripples, doesn't distract, and adds some interest to the otherwise empty space (OM System OM-1, Olympus 60mm Macro, AOI UH-OM1 housing, dual Sea&Sea YS-250 strobes, f/5.6, 1/30s, ISO 80)
 

Despite this manatee taking up just a small portion of the frame, the composition, with the animal in the highlighted part of the image, still works. The negative space of an image is often as important as the subject, as the “empty” space can complement or detract dramatically. In this case, the little window of light, surrounded by shadow, helps draw attention to the subject (Nikon D7100, Tokina 10–17mm Fisheye, Sea&Sea housing, f/10, 1/80s, ISO 200)
 

This beautiful, diminutive lined seahorse was too small for the lens setup I had mounted. However, it made the perfect opportunity to photograph the seahorse more “delicately.” I think this picture gives a better idea of what it can actually be like to find one of these wonderful fish, looking for all the world like another little cluster of algae, given away only by strobe light and by waiting for direct eye contact. The warm tones of the seahorse also help it stand out against its cooler surroundings (Sony a1, Canon 50mm f/2.5 Macro, Isotta Housing, custom curved macro port, dual Backscatter Hybrid Flash strobes, f/5, 1/40s, ISO 100)
 

By themselves, Florida gar are cool fish. Healthy seagrass beds and sunrays are beautiful. Together, the three elements come together nicely. The gar immediately draws your attention despite being a small percentage of the image, and your eye then travels along the seagrass and into the sun rays. Interesting small-in-frame pictures are as much about the setting as the subject. For wide-angle small-in-frame, it can often be useful to find the scene you want to photograph and then wait for (or hope for) your desired subject to swim into it (Sony a9, Nikonos RS 13mm Fisheye, Seafrogs housing, dual Kraken Sports KR-S160 strobes, f/8, 1/60s, ISO 800)
 

While the largemouth bass is the subject of this picture, it is the surroundings that make the shot. A bass small in the frame without any other interest would be a quite boring image. Typically, a subject centered in the frame is not overly appealing. However, with the right composition, a really beautiful scene is pulled together, the fish is framed by plants, and the bass is still prominent and draws your eye (OM System OM-1, Olympus 8mm f/2.8 Pro Fisheye, AOI UH-OM1 housing, dual Ikelite DS230 strobes, f/10, 1/13s, ISO 200)
 

Taking small-in-frame pictures a step further is capturing well-camouflaged subjects small in the frame. The challenge then becomes how to showcase a cryptic animal so that it is obvious, but highlights the crypsis, and the overall frame working together with a small subject. For this dwarf frogfish, the mimicry of a shell chunk helps it blend right in with the surroundings. If I’d shot a classic macro image, the context of the frogfish would be lost and that wonderful camouflage would go unseen in the picture (Sony a1, Canon 50mm f/2.5 Macro, Isotta housing, custom curved macro port, dual Kraken Sports KR-S160 strobes, f/10, 1/40s, ISO 100)
 

While the temptation to fill the frame with your subject or create black-background or blacked-out macro shots can be very strong, this comes at the expense of context. Here, by placing the jawfish with eggs small in the frame and letting some natural light bleed in, some interesting context is included (Nikon D700, Nikon 60mm f/2.8 Macro, Nauticam housing, Retra Flash, Retra LSD, f/10, 1/80s, ISO 100)
 

A great way to make a small subject stand out is to contrast colors. This bluefin killifish sports some truly spectacular colors whereas the habitat it prefers is often drab and dull. The blue of the fish will help it stand out in such an environment no matter how small in frame it is! (Sony a1, Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro, Isotta housing, dual Kraken Sports KR-S160 strobes, f/3.2, 1/250s, ISO 100)