Do you have to be certified to take photographs underwater?

To scuba I highly reccomend being certified, though there is no law. As far as further certification in the photography area I say, it depends. If you just want to take them for fun and such, maybe not. What you learn in that course is how to take pictures, it is like a lot of on land photography courses, in that you learn how to best use the light available, and how to use scale.

Like Toothpick said, you don't have to be certified to take photos, but there are classes by the various agencies (PADI, NAUI, and such) that help you understand how to get the best results.

Often when you work on obtaining your next level of certification after Open Water (such as the Advanced Diver under PADI) you can include the U/W photo certification as part of the course.

I encourage you to get good at taking photos. It's one of the best ways to share your experiences with non-divers and get them interested in the underwater world.

I'm also interested in taking good pictures.
And i don't have a course either.
But i'm sure i am goint to look for it very soon.
The beauty under the surface has to be showed.