Removing the water from underwater photos

I'm fascinated by the power of computational photography - as well as slightly unnerved by it. The camera may not lie, but it certainly tells its own version of the truth.

What Derya Akkaynak has done is create an algorithm that removes the light distortions that come through being underwater, to effective strip the water out of the photos. It brings the underwater world vividly to life.

But…

This is scientifically fascinating, and aesthetically charming. But it is showing us something that doesn't quite exist. It's showing us how these objects would look if they weren't underwater — but they always are.

Still, fascinating stuff:

[via Boing Boing]