SSI Photo & Video eLearning

SSI Photo & Video — eLearning & Certification Credit Only

Capture your dives like a pro. The SSI Photo & Video specialty teaches you the essentials of underwater imaging — from camera setup and lighting to composition and post-production. This product provides your academic training and certification credit only; complete the theory online, then add in-water training if you’d like to level up your shots.

What you’ll learn online

• Choosing and setting up cameras, housings, lenses, and accessories
• Buoyancy and positioning for steady, reef-safe shooting
• Light, colour, and exposure: ambient vs. strobes/video lights, white balance
• Composition for wide-angle and macro subjects; storytelling underwater
• Video fundamentals: frame rates, movement, shot lists, and audio
• Workflow & editing: file management, colour correction, and simple post-production
• Ethical wildlife interactions and low-impact imaging practices

Optional practical training (booked separately)

To put your knowledge into practice, you can add confined water and/or open water sessions with an SSI Professional. Typical sessions include:

• Neutral-buoyancy camera handling and trim drills
• Lighting practice with strobes or video lights; managing backscatter
• Macro and wide-angle assignments (focus, composition, and subject approach)
• Short video sequence planning and capture, with post-dive review

Practical sessions are not included with this eLearning product and must be booked separately with Dorset Diving or any other SSI Dive Centre.

Important

• Please check that the dive centre you plan to use offers the SSI Photo & Video programme and can deliver the practical training before you commit.
• An Open Water Diver (or equivalent) certification is usually required for open water sessions; a basic dive skills refresher is recommended.
• Some centres may ask you to bring your own camera & housing; rental availability varies.

Free registration

Create your free SSI account and affiliate with our dive centre here:
Register with Dorset Diving.

What’s next?

Pair Photo & Video with Perfect Buoyancy for rock-solid shots, or add Marine Ecology and Fish Identification to improve subject choice and storytelling.