Have you ever had a wild idea pop into your head, and before you know it, you’re knee-deep (or should I say, submerged) in a whole new adventure? That’s exactly what happened to us when we decided to dive into the mesmerising world of underwater photography!
Inspiration
I’m not entirely sure where or when the idea originated, but sometime ago we were drawn in by the ethereal beauty captured in underwater photography. And so my sister and I decided we would dive in and give it a try. Just one tiny hiccup—while Hannah was a mermaid in a past life, I’ve always had a deep-seated fear of putting my head under the water. But this was for arts sake, so I just had to get past this and make friends with the water. Dan and I started going swimming regularly, and little by little I got better!
Getting the Gear
Getting kitted out was next on the agenda. And what a mission! This kit is super specialist, so extremely expensive. Initially, we went second hand. This was a total disaster! Nothing worked quite the way it should and we got nowhere. After several super frustrating swims we threw in the towel.
Lock down came and went and then we met lovely Molly from Molly’s Little Minnows. Chatting with her fired us up again. This time round we decided to trust the experts, go new and seek advice. Except finding experts in this specialist field proved to be just as much a challenge. Seems we are being a little bit maverick with this project! Anyway with gritted determination, a bit of back-and-forth with various suppliers, and a few friendly nudges from Molly, we finally got our hands on kit that worked, lights that flashed and all happy to work underwater!
Leap of Faith
And Trust us, taking thousands of pounds worth of camera equipment underwater you need to know it’s going to work – it is nerve-wracking! Did everything get closed up properly? Did we put the right amount of sealant gel on everything? How much is the right amount?! Getting the camera snugly packed inside its underwater casing was another learning curve of its own. The stakes are high, and the margin for error is, well, not very forgiving.
Kayleigh Proffit’s little one (one of our very first underwater portraits!)
Going Under Water – Eeeeek!
Now came the (even more) tricky part—learning the ropes. And an underwater studio is a whole new world – literally! Everything around you is in constant motion, including yourself! Thankfully, Molly took us under her fin—I mean, wing—and allowed us to tag along to her classes. We’ve had more than our fair share of epic fails, but through experimentation and play, we’ve embraced the challenges and gradually conquered this exciting new genre of photography.
When I’m struggling to learn something new, I like to remind myself ‘That Every Master was once a disaster’ I don’t know where that quote came from, but it is one of my favourites! If we keep going, we’ll eventually get there. Molly has been a huge help and our little fish models have been an amazing, helping us build up our underwater routine. Together we have worked out what works. We’ve tried all kinds! Swimming through hoops, sitting on the bottom, even hand stands. And the favourite- everyone especially loves the freestyle section of the shoot where we ask them to strike a pose. A lot of fun underwater! Thank you guys!
Emma Smith’s Little Minnows
Emma Smith’s little ones strike a pose
Living the Dream
It’s times like this that I am reminded that we are living our dream. From a little idea this whole creative adventure has spawned. Yes it’s been a little tricky to get started, but we now have a wonderful relationship with Molly’s Little Minnows and this underwater world is our oyster!
Chloe Cartledge’s little fish
Victoria Cooper’s mermaids.
Want to Make a Splash?
We still have a lot to learn. Next on the agenda is making our underwater portraits a bit more arty. I really want to do clothed underwater maternity and family portraits. Picture white, flowing shirts and dresses – tasteful mer-people! If you fancy dipping your toe in and being our next model, we’ll be doing our next round of test shoots at Heysham pool on 15th March. 4pm – 7pm. Want to join us?
Our test shoots are just £25 and include a digital portrait. Plus the option to purchase more also at this very discounted rate. You must be happy to sign a model release. Click the link to book your session (you’ll need to find 15th March on the diary).
Here’s to diving into the deep and making a splash in the world of underwater photography!
