I try to get the best image I can straight out of the camera, but as most of you know that is rarely achieved. Shooting primarily underwater, I have to deal with very little ambient light, water movement, subject movement, camera movement, as well as diver movement. Perhaps the biggest detriment to underwater photography is suspended particulates in the water. Light from my strobes reflects these particulates back to the lens creating what is known as backscatter.

On rocky reefs in decent visibility backscatter is only a minor annoyance. In areas such as under my boat in the marina, it is a minefield. The bottom is silty and any movement of the water spreads these fine particles of silt everywhere. Strobe positioning can help reduce backscatter but often at the cost of not getting enough light on your subject. An example is this nudibranch, Felimare californiensis. I placed it on a reflective slate to not only get a mirror image but to avoid the stirred sand on the reef. I could not shine my strobes directly on the nudibranch so the RAW file is very dark.

I had to make multiple adjustments in Photoshop to bring out the image I had in my mind. Fortunately, I don't have to do that with every photo, but I managed to save a gem from the recycle bin.