Backscatter issues

[rksmith]

Can someone give some advice on how to avoid backscatter without resorting to Photoshop and other programs? Is there a particular angle the strobe should be to minimize? Thanks.

 

[Doubler]

Go to Underwater Photography Guide they have great advise and show proper strobe usage.

 

[scubamarketing]

A little more specifically, check out these two links:
Backscatter in underwater photography, cause and prevention|Underwater Photography Guide
underwater strobe positions|Underwater Photography Guide

I like to envision the light coming from the strobe as a cone (because it is). Try to have the edge of the cone closest to the lens barely hitting your subject. That prevents the particulate between your lens and the subject from being illuminated, creating backscatter.

 

[rksmith]

Thanks for the info guys!!

 

[Warren_L]

There may be a physical limitation depending on your camera setup. The closer your light source is to your lens, the greater the possibility of backscatter since you may be more likely to light up the particles in the water. You can generally do two things. First, if you can reposition the light to be further away from the lens, you might reduce the number of particles you light up. Second, you can move closer to your subject to reduce the amount of water you're shooting through (a wide angle or closeup lens may help here).