In my opinion, black and white underwater images are often overlooked and somewhat underrated. Most people think they are getting the most out their digital camera by shooting in super sharp color, especially underwater photographers. Don’t get me wrong, sharp and colorful images are fantastic. However, sometimes I feel black & white images do a better job of enhancing emotions and displaying a more intriguing story.

I originally shot the images below in color. However, when I reviewed the images in my studio, I thought the colors from the reef were too distracting from the sculptures. I was pleased when I converted each picture to black and white.

The two images below were taken at Molinere Bay Underwater Sculpture Park in Grenada. The sculptures were designed by Jason deCaires Taylor.

The image below of the toilet below was taken off the coast of Roatan in Honduras. The toilet was randomly positioned on the deck of a shipwreck. I found the placement to be amusing. I forgot the name of the wreck and unfortunately I can’t read my notes in my log book. This is another image I converted to black and white after I was not pleased how it looked in color.

The other image was taken in the village of Tulamben in the north-eastern coast of Bali, Indonesia. This Blue Spotted Stingray allow me to get pretty close and didn’t seem to mind my camera. However, the ray kept a keen eye on me. I knew this image would be great in black and white while taking it.

I took the images in Grenada and Honduras on a Sealife DC1400. The DC1400 was my first underwater camera. I later traded the camera in and upgraded to a Sealife DC2000. My underwater setup can be found here.

Bonus Image:

Nearly all of my images on this site are underwater photographs or videos. Once in a while I do take photographs out of the water. I shot the image below on a Panasonic GH5 in monochrome.