Skate on
Last summer I undertook a series in which I asked people to act an everyday activity upside-down, underwater. This is one of the images from this series...
Read more
Last summer I undertook a series in which I asked people to act an everyday activity upside-down, underwater. This is one of the images from this series
Read less
Read less
Aug, 2017Views
1765
Likes
Awards
Contest Finalist in All About Water Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in People And Water Photo Contest 2017
Peer Choice Award
Staff Favorite
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Genius
Superior Skill
All Star
Virtuoso
Emotions
Impressed
Relaxed
Top Ranks
Top 10 rank
Top 10 rank
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 30 rank
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
With the years passing, our children use the pool behind our house less frequently, so I wondered if I could put it to better use. This led me to a series of conceptual underwater images.Time
I capture most of my underwater photos towards the end of the afternoon because the deep side of the pool is in the shade by then. This was taken slightly before, with the back of the pool in the shadow but with water permeating through the surface to create ripples on my model.Lighting
Since all the lighting comes from above the water surface (this image is captured upside-down), I needed additional lighting from below (or here from above my model). I used a slave speedlight, which I encased into a transparent plastic box attached to a brick. I then submerge this entire apparatus, along with an attached umbrella. When resting on the bottom of the pool, as close as possible to my model. this setup provides a nicely diffused light on her.Equipment
For this photograph, I handheld a Fuji X100S in a waterproof case. The camera has a 35mm equivalent lens, which was perfect for the dimension of the pool. The leaf shutter of the X100S gives me a high sync speed, which allows me to darken the ambient light with a simple speedlight with limited power.Inspiration
I wanted something to different for my underwater work. I also wanted to make use of the reflective surface of the water to produce a surreal ground plane. This led me to the idea of performing everyday activities underwater, upside-down. In this particular image my model, Julia Iliuk, fun with a skateboard. I further explored this theme and the technique in a series I named "The Underside": http://www.ericraeber.com/Portfolio/The-Underside/Editing
All scene pieces are captured as-is, but I do often assemble multiple images to get all the pieces of the image properly aligned. In this case I had one image with the skateboard and another with the bubbles. I then assembled the two images in post. All images are shot in RAW. Underwater images need extensive color corrections to restore normal looking tones.In my camera bag
The equipment I have in my underwater "dry box" is completely different from my kit for above water. The former has my trusted Fuji X100s with an underwater case by Meikon. I have a Yongnuo YN-560 speedlite in a recycled box of mixed nuts from Costco--these lights are cheap enough to take water in. I use nylon tape for water tightness, an S/PDIF optical cable for remote triggering. The equipment of my above water bag, would probably be matter for a different article.Feedback
Underwater conceptual photography is not easy, but once you succeed, the personal satisfaction is proportional and the images unique! My best advice would be to experiment a lot before any actual photo shoot. Invite an assistant to get wet. Not only for help holding things that tend to drift away, but also for safety reasons through a second pair of eyes. When in the water, with the model, practice yet again. The hardest part is to figure out how to get into position. This is something we typically practice 10 to 20 times beforehand, wearing goggles. The actual shot, once we had the technicalities figured out, often happens in 3 or 4 frames.
