Words and images by Todd Thimios. All images © Todd Thimios. Please do not download or use my images for commercial purposes.
Slow shutter underwater photography is one of the most underused techniques in the water. Most divers with cameras default to fast shutter speeds — freeze the subject, get the shot, move on. It’s the safe option. But it’s not always the most interesting one.
A slower exposure — anywhere from 1/15 to 1/4 of a second — introduces motion into the frame. Done well, it produces images that feel closer to how it actually is to be underwater than a technically perfect freeze-frame ever will.
WHAT SLOW SHUTTER ACTUALLY DOES
At its core, slow shutter photography underwater works the same way it does on land. A longer exposure allows moving subjects to register as blur while stationary elements stay sharp. The longer the exposure, the more pronounced the effect.
Underwater, this creates some specific and interesting results. Fish schools become streaks of silver. The water itself — the particles, the light — starts to show movement. The image becomes less of a document and more of an interpretation.
There are two ways to use it:
Stillness — you hold position and let the subject move through the frame. The background stays sharp, the subject blurs. Works well with fast-moving schooling fish, or anything passing through a beam of light.
Panning — you follow the subject with the camera during the exposure, tracking it as it swims. Like following a subject with a paintbrush across a canvas. When it works, the subject retains relative sharpness while the background streaks into motion. It’s the more technically demanding approach but produces the more dramatic result — and it’s the one I use most.
The key to panning underwater is matching your camera movement exactly to the subject’s speed and direction. Too fast and the subject blurs. Too slow and the background doesn’t. It takes practice — and a subject that’s moving in a predictable, consistent line, which is why turtles and sharks work so well for it.
SETTINGS
These are the numbers I work from at Julian Rocks as a starting point. Conditions vary and you’ll need to adjust, but this gives you a foundation:
Shutter speed: 1/15 to 1/4 second. Start at 1/15 and slow down from there depending on the light and the effect you’re after.
Aperture: f/8. Enough depth of field to keep the subject readable within the blur.
ISO: As low as the light allows. At Julian Rocks’ shallow sites on a clear day, ISO 200–400 is achievable. Push to 800 if you need to.
Shoot RAW.
WHY JULIAN ROCKS
Nguthungulli — Julian Rocks Nature Reserve sits 2.5 kilometres off Byron Bay, at the convergence of warm tropical and cool temperate currents. The result is over 1,000 marine species in a compact site: leopard sharks, grey nurse sharks, manta rays, three species of sea turtles, eagle rays, wobbegongs, large schools of pelagics and a genuinely impressive macro scene on the walls.
For slow shutter work specifically, a few things make it ideal.
The shallow sites — The Nursery at 5–12 metres and The Needles on the southern end — receive strong natural light on a clear day. Julian Rocks in summer has the light to make it work.
The marine life is relaxed. The site’s protected status as a Nature Reserve and decades of regular dive traffic means the animals are unhurried around divers. A leopard shark resting on the sand isn’t going to bolt the moment you approach. A turtle cruising through The Nursery will give you multiple passes. That predictability is what allows you to set up and execute a panning shot properly.
The subjects themselves suit the technique. Turtles move in long, consistent arcs — ideal for panning. Leopard sharks are still enough on the bottom for the stillness approach, with just enough tail movement to add life to the exposure. The large schools of snapper and pelagics that push through the site create the kind of movement that a slow shutter renders into something genuinely striking.
Hugo’s Trench at 15–18 metres drops the available light considerably. But the eagle rays and wobbegongs down there are worth the effort, and in winter the grey nurse sharks at Cray Cave offer some of the most compelling slow shutter subjects on the site.
JULIAN ROCKS — QUICK REFERENCE
Season: October to March for warm water, leopard sharks and manta rays. June–August for grey nurse sharks.
Depth: 5–25 metres across six main sites.
Water temperature: 24–27°C summer, around 18°C winter.
Operators: Sundive Byron Bay run regular guided trips. View more prints in the shop.
