Most underwater photographers are
concerned to protect the environment in which they take their
pictures and to avoid stressing marine creatures when they
are taking their images. This is good for the marine environment
and leads to better photographs.
Download Code of Conduct
This Code sets out good practices
for anyone who aspires to take pictures or video underwater.
Many aspects are also applicable to the general sports diver.
- No-one should attempt to take pictures underwater until
they are a competent diver. Novices thrashing about with their
hands and fins while conscious only of the image in their
viewfinder can do untold damage.
- Every diver, including photographers, should ensure that
gauges, octopus regulators, torches and other equipment are
secured so they do not trail over reefs or cause other damage.
- Underwater photographers should possess superior precision
buoyancy control skills to avoid damaging the fragile marine
environment and its creatures. Even experienced divers and
those modelling for photographers should ensure that careless
or excessively vigorous fin strokes and arm movements do not
damage coral or smother it in clouds of sand. A finger placed
carefully on a bare patch of rock can do much to replace other,
more damaging movement.
- Photographers should carefully explore the area in which
they are diving and find subjects that are
accessible without damage to them or other organisms.
- Care should be taken to avoid stressing a subject. Some
fish are clearly unhappy when a camera
invades their "personal space" or when pictures are taken
using flash or lights. Others are unconcerned. They make the
best subjects.
- Divers and photographers should never kill marine life to
attract other types to them or to create a
photographic opportunity, such as feeding sea urchins to wrasse.
Creatures should never be handled or irritated to create a
reaction and sedentary ones should never be placed on an alien
background, which may result in them being killed.
- Queuing to photograph a rare subject, such as a seahorse,
should be avoided because of the harm
repeated bursts of bright light may do to their eyesight.
For the same reason, the number of shots of an individual
subject should be kept to the minimum.
- Clown fish and other territorial animals are popular subjects
but some become highly stressed when a photographer moves
in to take a picture. If a subject exhibits abnormal behaviour
move on to find
another.
- Night diving requires exceptional care because it is much
more difficult to be aware of your surroundings. Strong torch
beams or lights can dazzle fish and cause them to harm themselves
by blundering into surrounding coral or rocks. Others are
confused and disturbed if torch beams or lights are pointed
directly at them. Be prepared to keep bright lights off subjects
that exhibit stressed behaviour, using only the edge of the
beam to minimise disturbance.
- Care should be taken when photographing in caves, caverns
or even inside wrecks because exhaust bubbles can become trapped
under overhangs killing marine life. Even small pockets of
trapped air which allow divers to talk to each other inside
them can be lethal for marine life.
- The image in the viewfinder can be very compelling. Photographers
should remain conscious of their
position and of the marine life around them at all times.
In sensitive areas, they should avoid moving
around on the bottom with their mask pressed up against the
camera viewfinder.
- Areas of extensive damage or pollution should be reported
to the appropriate authorities.Today, when so many more divers
are taking up underwater photography, both still and video,
it is
essential that the preservation of the fragile marine environment
and its creatures is paramount and that this Code of Good
Practice is carefully observed.
This Code of Conduct has been introduced
by the Marine
Conservation Society with
funding from PADI's Project AWARE project. It is endorsed by the British Society of Underwater
Photographers, the Northern Underwater Photographic
Group and the Bristol
Underwater Photography Group as well as being supported by
the Sub-Aqua Association, the British Sub-Aqua Club and the Scottish Sub-Aqua Club.
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