Photogrammetry is an established technique for producing 3D representations of submerged structures in shallow, naturally lit environments. Natural light is not available in more extreme environments such as in the deep ocean or submerged caves, which are major applications for photogrammetric survey. Additionally, these environments are often accessed with resource-limited sensor platforms, necessitating efficient use of power constraining the level of artificial illumination that can be deployed. A method to estimate the amount of light needed to achieve sufficient image quality in underwater photogrammetric acquisition systems is presented.