Some useful tips for shooting 'half & half' photographs

Over the past year or so I’ve developed a real taste for ‘half and half’ photographs… But as I’ve learned (the hard way…) it’s VERY challenging to get a decent ‘half and half’ shot! So I’ve decided to share with you some of the basic things I’ve learnt along the way. Hopefully this will help you in your quest.

First of all, my best advice will be to NOT do as I initially did: rush to the water with a camera and try getting ‘the shot’ until the memory card is full! I’ve realised along the way that before starting to shoot ‘half and half’ images, one has to understand the technique and its inherent challenges. RESEARCHING THE TOPIC PRIOR TO TRYING IT will not only speed up the learning process incredibly, but it will also provide you with enough insight into the technique to start being creative on your own… That’s my TIP #1!

‘Half and half’ photographs are often called ‘split shots’ or ‘over/under’ or ‘above/below’ shots, but really, as acclaimed National Geographic underwater photographer David Doubilet pointed out in one of his blogs for Dive Photo Guide website, they should be called ‘half and half’ images’ as they bring together the two worlds of air and water.

Put simply, it’s about placing the camera (in its waterproof housing!!) at the interface between water and air and achieving a clean shot where both worlds (the part above the water surface and the one beneath) are in focus and together tell a compelling story… Easier said than done! Haha.

TIP #2 – SHOOT WIDE: To achieve such a shot you will need a DSLR camera with a fisheye or ultra wide-angle lens, housed in an underwater (and waterproof!) casing. But most importantly, you will need a very large dome port on your camera housing (8-inch or larger). The large dome port should make it easier to focus underwater, as well as above the water – read more about dome port optics and the ‘virtual image effect’ here.

TIP #3 – USE A SMALL APERTURE: If the shot you want to achieve is a shot with a close underwater model or subject and a nice farther background above the water, you will need to have both parts in focus. A small aperture between f/11 and f/16 is good (depending on weather and available light). You will then need to adjust your shutter speed and ISO accordingly.

This said, the biggest challenge lies in the fact that exposure above and below the water line is different. And you will need to deal with this differently depending on what you are trying to achieve.

TIP #4