Underwater nudes
Underwater nude photography
Underwater Nude Photo: A pic of woman floating free. A model of photo beauty. A photographic challenge.
Underwater nude photography has enjoyed some celebrity in the art world. The typical underwater nudes photo will feature a woman swimming, either in a pool or at the beach, floating free, the model of elegance. Though technically difficult, the making of the pic will free your photography and perhaps bring you celebrity as well.
Technical concerns of Underwater Nude Photography
Obviously, a model of camera suitable for underwater photography is essential. This means either a purpose-built camera (like the celebrity of the underwater photography world, the Nikonos V 35mm) or enclosing your existing camera in some sort of water-tight container (such as a underwater photo bag) this is probably the only option for underwater digital photography). For the less affluent, there are several waterproof rangefinders available, including the Canon A-1 submersible camera preferred by underwater photographer Greg Schilhab).
As with all photography, lighting is critical to the success of your photos. For underwaer photography, it is doubly so. Light falls off very quickly, and using available light means staying very close to the surface of the water. You can compensate for this with faster film, and for some reason grain texture isn’t as objectionable with underwater photography. The use of external light sources gives your photography much more control; this can mean either an underwater flash (several manufacturers make these, and some underwater cameras have them built-in) or using a light outside the water (this is very useful for backlighting the nude and gives them more room for swimming.
Working distances tend to be short with underwater nude photography as distortion, haze, light falloff all increase dramatically with distance. Most underwater cameras are available with wide-angle lenses to compensate for this, but care is needed when composing your photos. The wider lenses can distort your pic, especially on the edges.
Practical issues with Underwater Nude Photography
The same challenges for all nude photography apply to underwater nude photography, only greater. This means finding and recruiting a model (who not only is comfortable being nude, but also underwater for long stretches of time), securing a free location (most places have restrictions against nude swimming), creating a safe and respectful environment (this usually precludes the beach and other public places), etc.
Unless your model is a celebrity like Britney Spears, Tara Reid, or Paris Hilton or you’re shooting for Playboy, the pic will be more about the pose, the grace of the woman, than depicting her literally. Make sure the model is comfortable with the idea that their face may not even been seen in the photo!
Image: Oceanides, Untitled #1, by Greg Schilhab
You may also like some of these images from the StartPhoto galleries:
My project Oceanides is an exhibition of underwater figure photography, transposing the art of classical dance to a weightless world.
10 Photos
Underwater nude figure photo gallery by Richard Forster
10 Photos
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