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I've come to prefer the summer heat because the waters warm up and I can finally take more underwater portraits. So, I've been shooting a lot lately. All these images were taken with a Canon 5dmkiii and 17-40/4 lens housed in an Ikelite underwater unit.
bwalwork wrote:
Won't critique, because I couldn't do anything like this myself. I think they're lovely!
I'd like to see her eyes open in one or two, but the feeling is of floating in sleep, so that might weaken the image.
Bryan
Thanks. Regarding opening the eyes, all I'll say is that some people have it, and some don't. This is a lot harder than people think and when they get in the water, invariably they struggle. I've only shot a couple people who genuinely feel comfortable in the water. Most of the time I feel lucky to have acquired any usable images. This shoot was no different in that sense. But it's still a lot of fun and the models typically end up having a good time as well, in spite of the challenges.
A few questions. What's the difference in the backgrounds of 1 and 2? I love the background of 2, how she pops out of it, the bubbles. But I also like the dreamy look of 1 and 4 and 5. I presume that's a cloth backdrop in 3 and 5?
Lastly, are these just naturally lit, or are you using an underwater flash? If naturally lit, seems like it might be better to do it during mid-day with the sun up high?
A few questions. What's the difference in the backgrounds of 1 and 2? I love the background of 2, how she pops out of it, the bubbles. But I also like the dreamy look of 1 and 4 and 5. I presume that's a cloth backdrop in 3 and 5?
Lastly, are these just naturally lit, or are you using an underwater flash? If naturally lit, seems like it might be better to do it during mid-day with the sun up high?
Thanks! In 1, the background is the pool wall (white plaster). In 2, I used a black muslin draped over the edge of the pool. The grey background is also a muslin.
I use an underwater strobe placed topside to act as a trigger that fires an AB800 that is placed outside the pool, facing downward over the model. The underwater strobe connects to the underwater housing.
friscoron wrote:
Thanks for sharing your setup. It's so cool. I especially like the DIY backdrop holder/pool sweeper. Seriously good stuff!
Thanks! Yeah I wish I had some kind of scaffolding system bridged across my pool for backgrounds and lights. But moving and storing the thing would be impractical.
Thank you for sharing your setup! Just curious - what kind of power do you need to output so that it gets a couple feet down? Also, are the halogen work lights or even ambient contributing to the exposure at all? The underwater strobe is contributing to the scene?
I have this notion in my head that white balance would be a mess when shooting underwater and lighting from outside the water...
Seriously good stuff!
