Recent Underwater Articles

'Alchemie': A Behind-the-Scenes Look Into Another World

Creating new jaw-dropping images or video can be daunting when it seems as if everything has already been done. During a recent scroll through an underwater photography forum the mouths of many underwater photographers hit the floor with a poetic dance underwater using prisms to tell the story.

Mac Stone Discusses His Conservation Photography at the Everglades

When people think of visiting the Everglades, wading around neck deep, alligator infested waters isn't exactly what most folks have in mind. For Florida-born photographer Mac Stone, this is what he calls his office. Stone has been steadily developing his work in conservation, particularly of wetlands. He recently gave a compelling speech at a TedTalks event, discussing not only his evocative work but importance of the wild areas he works in.

Beneath the Surface: The First Time-Lapse to Record Coral Bleaching

Scientists are constantly capturing the devastating effects of environmental decline all over the world. However, doing so underwater has always proven to be a challenge. In the latest documentary binge watch, a team has successfully shown just how the world below the surface is declining at an advanced rate.

The Economic Value of Underwater Macro Photography

Could a very niche genre of underwater photography, that people travel great distances for, be capable of protecting bizarre critters few know exist? During a visit to the Lembeh Strait in Indonesia — a mecca for macro photographers — I met with Belgian researcher Maarten De Brauwer to learn more about his research into the economic value of muck diving and underwater macro photography.

Fstoppers Reviews the Aquatica Water Wizard, an Underwater Light Trigger System

Shooting underwater already comes with many obstacles in terms of visibility, posing, light, and clarity. Thankfully lighting can easily be taken off this list in many cases with a few sets up from the surface. Connecting your land strobes to underwater is not as difficult as one may think.

Nine Tips for Photographing Great White Sharks

As we are now in the middle of the white shark season in Guadalupe, Mexico, many shark lovers are preparing to make their way to the waters surrounding the volcanic island situated 150 miles off the western coast of the Baja Peninsula. Having photographed white sharks in various locations around the globe, I thought I’d put together a few tips for anyone keen to shoot them for the first time.

A great white shark investigates cage divers

1. Fish-Eye and Wide-Angle Lenses: While I mostly shoot underwater with a fish-...

How To Shoot Splash Photography

Here is a very simple but totally informative video about splash photography. I cannot figure out who this photographer is, if you happen to know please post it in the comments below. <
Ocean Art Competition Winners Highlight the Beauty of Our Oceans

The 7th Annual Ocean Art underwater photography competition winners were announced this week. The competition sorted through thousands of entries from across 70 countries and consisted of 16 categories ranging from Wide-Angle and Super Macro to Cold Water and Marine Life Behavior. The Best of Show image was awarded to Duncan Murrell for capturing an image of three giant devil rays in the midst of an underwater ballet.

How To Create Waterproof Kino Flos For Underwater Video

TheUnderwaterRealm.com is a blog that is following the production of an independent film that will take place completely underwater. Each week the guys and gals are releasing a BTSV which shows exactly what they have been working on. If you are interested in movie production, I highly suggest checking out their website. In the video below the team is forced to build an underwater Kino Flo lighting system. This video is 1 of 29 so there is a lot more quality content to be seen.
How To Shoot Fashion Photography In A Pool

Even if you have never shot pictures underwater before, I bet it has crossed your mind. I know I've tried it a few times and failed miserably. Luckily there are talented guys out there like Cal Mero who are masters at shooting below the surface. Check out his latest BTSV which is packed full of priceless underwater shooting tips. Do you want more info on shooting underwater? Check out DivePhotoGuide.com

Cal Mero Underwater Fashion Photographer from DivePhotoGuide.com on Vimeo.

Jonathan Ryan Shoots Underwater Bridals

Lee and I are wrapping up our trip to WPPI in Las Vegas which is basically the largest wedding convention in the US. So today after meeting with tons of wedding professionals we thought it might be fun to showcase an underwater bridal shoot. Jonathan Ryan is a wedding photographer in Canterbury, England and in this video he is using a few strobes, a Nikon D3, and our favorite Ewa-Marine underwater housing to take some unique bridals underwater. It's pretty interesting to see how Jonathan syncs his strobes underwater since radio transmitters are pretty much useless around water.
Speedo Outlines A Complete Ad Campaign

I'm always interested in underwater photoshoots because I've failed miserably trying to do my own underwater shoots in the past. I was happy when I came across this video created by Speedo where they show you exactly how they came up for their new 2010 print ad campaign. It's a shame they don't showcase photographer Martin Brent more than they do but they do a great job showing how the idea was first created and the process of going from idea to final rendering. <
What It Looks Like to Shoot an Entire Short Film 100 Feet Underwater

The process from concept to actually shooting a short film can have a lot of moving parts that quickly balloon the overall size of a project. Unforeseen problems will inevitably arise, budgets, schedules, and resources, all putting stress on the crew. Now, imagine choosing to shoot the entire film underwater and at times at a depth of 100 feet. This is exactly what Josiah Gordan envisioned for his film "Angelita."

Great Destinations to Practice Underwater Photography

Are you new to underwater photography, or need to brush up a bit? Unsure where to get your feet wet first? While there are many ideal places around the world that are perfect for beginners, I've compiled a few of the spots that I love for their calm conditions, easy entries, and photographic opportunities.

6 Tips for Photographing Sharks Safely

Shark photography is a popular and exciting part of shooting underwater. Many photographers travel the world over to get up close and personal with these mysterious creatures. If you are planning to start photographing sharks, it’s important to have a read through some of the items below to keep yourself and the very creatures you are in awe of safe.

Red Bull's Illume Photo Exhibit Is Itself Art

Yesterday I got an email from one of the Red Bull brand managers inviting me out to 2010 Illume Photo Exhibit here in Charleston, South Carolina. Illume is a traveling exhibit where dozens of images from the world's best action and extreme sports photographers are displayed on huge 6'x6' backlit panels. I have to say it was one of the most interesting photo displays I have ever seen, and the winning photos are nothing short of spectacular. The next stop on the tour is Miami, Florida but you can check out the images and future tour dates at Red Bull Illume Online. Also, check out this BTS video we posted last year of one of the winning images.
HAZMAT Surfing Video Predicts a Dangerous Future for Our Oceans

Earlier in the week, we shared Michael Dyrlands, HAZMAT Surfing photo series. To recap, HAZMAT Surfing is a photo series that gives a futuristic look at what surfing could be like twenty to twenty-five years down the road and spreads awareness of our oceans contamination. Dyrland came up with the idea after he was unable to enter the water on a trip to LA because of ten billion gallons of run off that had polluted the ocean after an evening of heavy rain. Dyrland has now released a video version of HAZMAT Surfing, which continues to spread awareness of the contamination of our oceans.

Photographing Whale Sharks

Photographing whale sharks tends to be a top bucket list item for many underwater image-makers, and for good reason. The largest fish in the sea, whale sharks offer uniquely special photo opportunities. For those of you who have yet to photograph one of these gentle giants, I’ve put together a few tips to keep in mind for that first encounter.

Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

Plans are good. Most of us live by plans, and we like things to go as planned. But sometimes just showing up and going with the flow can yield immense rewards for photographers. There is nothing wrong with wanting to know what to expect so you can plan appropriately, but sometimes we just need to let go. Here are a couple of examples of some amazing moments I would have missed if I had stuck to plans and took shelter in my comfort zone.

[Video] How To Color Grade Underwater Photos And Video

A few months back I posted a video created by the team at The Underwater Realm showing how they created waterproof hotlights to be used on their feature film that is currently under production. Their entire movie is planned to take place underwater and the shots will be a combination of real underwater footage and studio work. Anyone who has ever shot anything underwater knows that the deeper you go, the bluer the image becomes. With a little bit of color work you can create a much more pleasing looking image. Fast forward to 4:00 for the goods.
Five Tips for Underwater Wide-Angle Composition

As with land-based photography, patience and planning can go a long way underwater. And while some aspects of topside image composition are the same below the surface, there are other elements at play underwater that you should keep in mind when composing your shots.

The Age Of Aquarius. BTS With NASA And One World One Ocean.

Join the MacGillivrays of One World One Ocean as they take you under the sea and into 'inner space' to document NASA's NEEMO 16 mission (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations). Aquanauts are sent to Aquarius (the world's only undersea laboratory) to live underwater for two weeks which can simulate living on a space station.

Michael Muller Photographs Speedo

I guess this has become Speedo Week on Fstoppers! I recently discovered the photography of Michael Muller and must have spent a good hour on his website checking out all sorts of amazing photography! He has recently been working with Speedo for their summer catalog, and the production that goes into these shoots is insane. Click the post for a second video showcasing some BTS material from this shoot and be sure to check out Michael's website for all sorts of inspiring photography. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhy6g8Ewpac<
[BTS Video] Honda Let's Viewers Explore Unknown Territory

Inspired by Google's street view, Honda Civic is launching their 2012 campaign by creating an interactive 360 degree online experience that will let viewers explore unique environments that have never been seen before. This behind the scenes video is just a peek at what is to come and so far it is pretty awesome. They have filmed areas like the previously unexplored Alaskan ice caves and an underwater art museum in Cancun, and the Boneyard at the Neon Museum in Las Vegas. Watch the preview and making of Honda's upcoming campaign below.
Zena Holloway Shoots Underwater

Take a look at what a real underwater shoot looks like. This video is great but it isn't half as impressive as Zena's full portfolio. <
Brian Skerry Becomes One With the Ocean

As a commercial wedding photographer, I know very little about how to take compelling underwater images. Luckily underwater photographer Brian Skerry and National Geographic have shared this short BTS video on what it's like diving with fish and swimming over coral reefs. I think it's interesting how simple but necessary the lighting setup is for this field of photography; most of us "land photographer" probably take for granted the complex lighting setups we can easily construct. Most of us also don't bring "backup gear" to our shoots because we expect our gear to break! Hopefully we will see more videos like this from other underwater photographers. <
Dave Hamilton Makes It Reign

I was just about to throw up a new post and I got this video in an email and decided to change things up. Check out Dave's fantastic BTS video and then head over to his website here.

Dave Hamilton Photography - behind the scenes from tashunka b on Vimeo.

The Fstoppers Contest Has Received Its First Submission

Well it took a few weeks but we have finally received our first contest submission. Dave Gruentzel Photography of Photofide.com has created a solid BTS video of their latest underwater shoot. If you would like to ask questions or make comments feel free to leave them below or head over to our forum where they posted the video here. <
Dominique Daher Talks About Shooting Wind Surfing

Dom Daher is an extreme sport photographer. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to have to shoot commercial photos while avoiding crashing waves and aggressive surfers then this video should wet your appetite. <
Mick Gleissner Takes Us Underwater

Mick Gleissner has been featured in Elle, Maxim, Seaster, and Photo Magazine with his surreal underwater fashion images. This is one of the coolest videos I've personally watched and hope you guys enjoy it as well. Maybe our own Fstoppers writer Lee Morris can take a note or two out of MG's book of tricks.

Mick Gleissner's Underwater Photography from Mick Gleissner on Vimeo.

Mark Tipple Shoots The Underwater Project

When I think of underwater photography I think about fish and coral. Mark Tipple thinks about shooting waves and swimmers from below the surface. Check out this very quick clip and then head over to his beautiful website here.

Shooting The Underwater Project. from The Underwater Project on Vimeo.

Patrick Lawler Inspires Me twice In 1 Week

A few days ago I posted Patrick's video of his friends jumping on a trampoline in the desert... I just ran across his skim boarding video on vimeo and I am once again smiling while I watch his work. You want to know how he did it? Simple; he put a GoPro HD Hero on a monopod and threw it around in the ocean. Love it!

GoPro HD - Skimboarding In A Storm! from Patrick Lawler on Vimeo.

I Learn To Scuba/Fail At Underwater Photography

I spend most of my time in Charleston, SC and NYC. It was February and Charleston was uncomfortably cold and NYC was unbearably cold. I had some free time so I decided to fly down to Placencia Belize and learn to scuba dive. As a photographer I wanted to get some cool photography as well. The trip ended up being the most memorable trip of my life but I broke 2 of my 3 underwater cameras on the first day and I didn't get a single quality image under the water... Read more after the jump and watch the youtube version is you happen to be on your cell phone. ><