First of all, and I hate to state the obvious here, taking pictures of fish requires the ability to swim…

Oh, and don’t forget to take the obligatory underwater selfies… those never get old… and a good underwater camera will also greatly add to the likelihood of taking underwater pictures… but mostly, it is about swimming. I swam so much that my rented swim fins wore holes in the tops of my feet. And that hurt. And speaking about things that hurt, try not to be bitten by any sharks, eels, or barracuda. Also, try to avoid being stung by any stingrays, scorpionfish, or sea urchins… and it probably wouldn’t hurt to avoid sharp coral while you are at it.

On top of that, because you will be diving down to follow the fish around, you should avoid attempting to breathe while underwater. Aside from those few things, it is as easy as falling off a log… into a wild ocean full of things that can mess you up…

Wait… would that picture up there make more sense if I flipped it the right way? I just thought it looked sort of cool an artsy like that, but we can try normal too…

Now, back to my tips.

The main thing is that to take a picture of a fish, you have to find a fish. The best way to do this is float around in the water looking all around at the sea floor bellow you. Hey! There is a fish!

You have spotted a fish. Good work. Now, take a deep breath, flip upside down, and propel yourself downwards. Follow the fish. It may take a while. They don’t usually wait for you to get close… because they know they live in a dangerous place…

While you are kicking your feet like a ballerina on crack and steroids, trying to catch up to an animal that swims for a living, while also only being able to use one hand to help you swim because, presumably, you have a camera in the other hand, don’t forget to take lots and lots of pictures… because most of them will be like that one up there… a top-view of the fish. These are the least exciting pictures you can take of a fish… unless it is one of those fish like a flounder that spends all of its life on its side.

Hey… wait… there is another fish!

This brings us to the next tip. Don’t get distracted. You can’t follow two fish at once. Pick one and stick with it till you get a good shot. Then go find the other fish. Later on, when I figure out how to put the videos I took up on the blog, you will see some amusing little movies of how easily I got distracted by other fish. Learn from my mistakes, that’s all I’m saying.

Of course, if you get two fish in one picture, that is just a nice bonus. I can’t find the black and yellow fish on my dive card, but for those of you keeping track, the little yellow one is a yellow tang… also known as a yellow tang surgeonfish.

So, let’s review…

Spot the fish.

Dive down and follow the fish.

Get the best view of the fish, and capture that moment forever…

Then go home and drive yourself crazy trying to decide if that is a reef triggerfish… or a lei triggerfish… and how much it really matters.