Photos on a Quarry - Green !

[emoreira]

I've taken UW photos in the salt water in the sea and in fresh water in several quarries.
Sea photos are blue, while quarry photos are green.
Visibility were similar.
Attached two photos, both of my dive buddy. The first is in sea water, the second in fresh water in a quarry.
Why are the fresh water photos so green ?
Camera is Canon A570is. In both shots, the camera was set to underwater photos automatic.

 

[Nemrod]

You need to adjust your white balance but then if the water is green then shouldn't your pics reflect reality?

Notice this ocean pic is green, the Gulf often photos green, it is what it looks like so I don't care to try and correct what is real. Canon A570IS:

N

 

[M_Bipartitus]

Well, the photos are green because of algae, but to correct it...

I agree with Nemrod. You need to use the white balance feature of the camera. If I recall in that model you take a picture of something white (say a slate) then you select custom white balance. Then you are given the option of selecting a photo. Select the photo of your white object and you should have photos that better reflect the perceived scene you saw. The photo doesn't need to be completely white, If I recall the camera picks white to be the brightest part of the reference image.

 

[DannyG2]

You can buy a plastic neutral grey card, fill you lens with it, take the photo and then set you custom white balance. At least that's one of the ways to do it on land.
Try RawWorkflow.com and look at the wibal card.

 

[lrossel]

You don't have to use the Underwater mode in green waters. That mode is just for blue and shallow waters like caribean seas.

If you are diving deepest than 12 meters, all your photos will be green with any WB you adjust. The reason is the loss of colour at that deep.

The only way to fight the green is using a external strobe. Or just focus on macro shots, where the internal flash of the camera is enough.

If you are diving in shallow green waters, try the method of the white or gray card. But it only works when you are diving very shallow and with a bright sun.

 

[Gilldiver]

If you are much below 60 feet, most of the colors will be gone and you may only have a lot of blue and greens. Try Black & White and learn to work the shadows, it can make a great difrence and be very apealing.

But back to the green, in the film days we would shoot tungsten film as regular film. The tungsten would color shift the greens to blues. See if your camera has a tungsten setting and give it a try. BTY, tungsten was used for indoor photos under flurecent lights, so a indoor or flurecent light setting may work.

 

[mikerault]

You can improve the photos but if you had green water, you had green water. Here are the same photos auto-leveled in PS. Now you could tweak the reds back in but then you are messing with what was...