Earn some money as an underwater photographer or videographer as a certified diver, divemaster or instructor. These are my best five tips to get started as a freelance underwater photographer or videographer business in beautiful tourist resorts.
Get a good underwater camera and start shooting photos underwater and make underwater videos. Go to youtube and check out tutorials about underwater photography and underwater videography. Get photo editing software and video editing software. There is also free editing software available which is for beginning good enough. Get also a good laptop. Get also an extra hard drive for storing your photos and videos. If you want to invest some more money you can also attend specialty course in underwater video and photography course (but it is more important to get practice as much as you can)
Go to a tropical diving area where a lot of dive centers are in business. Start a blog and a video blog on youtube and show them some good photos and videos and explain to them that you want to offer photo and video service for their divers if they do not have it. It is easier for you to start as a freelance underwater photographer or videographer. So you get only paid when you sell photos or videos. Tell them also people like to share their photos and videos on social media and Trip advisor and so they get also free advertising. Make a cool intro and outro of their dive center. You can also offer them to make some professional pictures ( you need a professional land photo gear) or a short video of the dive center which they can use on their website or on social media.
Start with easy photos or short videos of beginner divers. So shoot photos in the discover scuba diving classes or also when people make a try dive. Here you only need your camera and a snorkeling gear and you do not need to have a tank. ( For dive centers they do not invest in a dive tank for you and they usually give you a chance to start as underwater photographer or/and videographer)
Go also to snorkeling excursions. It is easier to sell photos or a video about the excursion.
Work fast and use an easy to use software to edit your pictures and cut your video already at the boat. Show the photos with a Laptop or Notebook on the boat and sell them. Maybe make a CD-ROM or you store them on a cheap USB stick and sell the photos and videos to the tourists. You can also invest in a photo printer like and make some individual postcards and sell them.Later if you want to invest a little bit you can offer mermaid courses. Especially if you in an area where a lot of families make their holidays. So you need some Mermaid costumes and make some pictures or a small video for the kids. Of course, you need to know to swim with a monofin. But you can practice this and so more you train the better you get.
Make also Photos and short videos on the surface. Sometimes couples, who are at honeymoon want to have a special photo shooting. If you have a professional camera and a little open-air photo studio you can make some extra money. Get in contact with other resorts and hotels and let them know you work as a photographer. Offer them to make some free Photos or a video of their resort and give them a business card with your local mobile phone. If you have the right guests in the hotel they would likely contact you.