Underwater! Behind the Scenes

I've loved water my whole life and often incorporate it into my work, but I finally took my camera completely underwater for some experimental shoots with Sandy and Brooke. I've been itching to shoot underwater portraits for a very long time, but haven't had the resources to make it happen until now. After much research, I settled on purchasing an EWA-Marine housing. It's a flexible housing that is difficult to control underwater, but has room for a wide variety of camera bodies and even a flash. I didn't end up using a flash inside the case this time, but the feature will eventually come in handy.

Instead of purchasing underwater strobes, I used my Alien Bees strobes above the water and fit the trigger inside the housing. Water gets in the way of radio signals, so my dad came up with a cable that would help the signal make it to the surface. Taped to the outside of the housing in the right place, I could make my strobes go off fairly consistently. It's not the way most underwater pros do it, but I did the best with what I had.

Ironically, it rained during both of these experimental shoots. Thanks to many plastic bags, I managed not to destroy any lighting equipment. The rainclouds blocked the sunlight, so the strobes were essential for creating the texture and contrast in the photos.

During our time on location, my intern Sydney also experimented with underwater work with both of our models. I was so proud to see her take charge of her shoots, coming up with concepts and lighting all on her own. I'm very excited to see the final product of her work.

Thank you SO much to Sydney and her family for hosting these awesome shoots. We couldn't have done it without you!

 

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