Floating Through An Underwater Shoot

Anyone else noticed an increase in superb imagery created with an underwater shoot being used for fashion and advertising stills recently?

Nowadays, photographers shoot high definition imagery underwater, where you can’t even tell it’s in water apart from the visual effect of gravityless clothes, limbs and hair floating as if it were space.

An underwater shoot takes highly skilled professionals to make it run efficiently both with time and money . From PADI qualified photographers and support crew who understand the dynamics and issues when working with water, to health and safety experts and also models that are confident enough in water, not only to spend hours and hours in a dark water tank sometimes with heavy clothes on without tiring, but are happy to be tied down deep underwater trusting a diver to take air from them. It is also quite the skill to know where you are underwater, to keep yourself under without assistance and how to hold your face and body to make it look fabulous within tonnes of water pressure. A model saying she can swim is very different to a model who can achieve all the above with ease.

The UK has 3 large water tanks specifically for filming underwater. Diving Services UK run both the U stage at Pinewood Studios where James Bond is filmed amongst many other popular films plus the new water tank at the Warner Brothers Studios. There is also The Underwater Studios in Basildon where numerous music videos, commercials and TV shoots have taken place. Several water tanks popping up all over the world for filming purposes so expect to see more and more of this type of work.

Top underwater photographers in the UK include Zac Macaulay, Zena Holloway and Maya Almeida to name but a few.

Aquabatix provides highly skilled underwater models, both male and female, who are professional synchronised swimmers, divers, swimmers and free divers who are used to spending all day in water, know exactly how to move underwater and are not phased by being tied down for long periods of time. Whether it is for a fashion shoot, film or as a body double, Aquabatix models always exceed the client’s brief and help the shoot run exactly to plan.