I am very excited to announce that I have a new book out on underwater photography. The book is called 52 Assignments: Underwater Photography and it is really different from any previous book on the subject…
The new book is designed to make you a better underwater photographer. But rather than give you page after page of methods, it is a book of challenges, assignments, activities and ideas. It is a book for those that want to improve, want to take on challenges and have fun with their underwater photography.
The 52 exercises are designed to be a fun focus to take on during your dives, but more importantly each will let you experience something important in underwater photography. It might be a detail of technique, or a way of thinking about composition that will expand your creative horizons. And, of course, each assignment should hopefully yield some exciting new images to fill out your portfolio.
The number 52 could be taken as weeks in the year, but aware that few of us are lucky enough to be able to dive during every week of the year, I crafted the assignments to be easy to complete during a dive or a day of diving. I spent a long time honing the list of assignments to ensure that they stretched photographers in different ways. They aim to bump you out of your photographic comfort zone and get you creating new times of images.
I hope the book will demonstrate to everyone how diverse underwater photography can be, and how the more types of shots you try to take, the greater the rewards. You broaden your portfolio, experience, knowledge and photographic mindset.
Many of you will know my very popular book Underwater Photography Masterclass, which came out 8 years ago. Masterclass is a total course in underwater photography, a book of techniques to allow you to take any underwater photo. I think of Masterclass as a teaching book, while 52 Assignments is a coaching book, giving you fun challenges to develop your skills through doing rather than reading.
52 Assignments does not set out to be comprehensive on the subject, but is filled with diverse, surprising and fun challenges that will produce really eye catching shots and most importantly teach you important lessons by stealth! If you are interested in underwater photography I hope that you will check it out.
Alex
6th September 2024
