Does a harness bcd improve shooting uw?

The negative is having an extreme off-centre of gravity.

But you don't have to have an extreme off-center COG, even with a BP/W.

Sure, using a steel tank on a weighted STA on a steel plate and the weights on your belt pushed around to the small of your back will make you top-heavy when you trim out horizontal. But move those belt weights around to the edges of your hipbone and put a couple of weight pockets on your waistband, and you trim out beautifully. Even with lots of weight and a DS with winter undergarments.

Sure, on the surface you need a couple of dives to get used to having your buoyancy on your back. But as soon as you learn that lying on your back is the preferred option anyway, that issue, too, is moot.

Disclaimer: I'm using the generic "you", not the personal "you"

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Typos are a feature, not a bug

I am going to guess English isn't your first language?

I always imagined that the jacket style BCD would be best for UW photography and subsequently I have gone through a number of different jacket style BCD's throuhout the years in my hunt for the "perfect bcd". I never seemed to find a BCD that would allow me to stay in "any" position I wanted without putting in effort. Being a woman with ample buoyancy at the hips, I always just assumed that there was nothing I really could do about it beyond excellent technique and concious effort. Then a few months ago I finally bought a Zeagle Zena backinflate wing style bcd. I couldn't believe what a difference it made! I can be in ANY position I want, stay absolutely still without any effort. My air consumption just dropped, bottomtime became longer, and photographing is so much easier. Also, since there is no bulk at the side of my body, I'm more streamlined and have more room for my arms and can tuck in to smaller spaces. The design also allows me to snug up the bcd to my body so it stays out and don't ride up and down. It's just so much better than any of the previous BCD's I've ever owned. It just fits and i almost feel like I'm not even wearing a bcd, it feels so effortless to wear it. I should have gone to a back-inflate harness style bcd years ago, but I didn't because somewhere I had read that they weren't good for photographers. Well, they are at least good for this photographer! I agree with everyone who say that buoyancy control and technique matters. Of course it does. But finding a bcd that fits just right and isn't in the way and doesnt try to dictate your position really makes a huge difference. I found mine and I am never going back to a jacket bcd with side inflation again.