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FALL 2013
I
t is rare for me to be on the other side of the lens
in an underwater photo, but during a recent shark-
photography event in the Bahamas, Mark Chapman
captured an image of me with a tiger shark that
was swimming away with my camera and strobe. It was a
benign encounter — I swam along with the shark briefly
until she discovered my strobe was not particularly edible
and released it — but it made for a more striking image
than a simple shark portrait. The presence of the diver
in the photo adds a sense of scale, showing just how big
and impressive this tiger shark was; it also makes for an
interesting narrative.
Shots like this one require the photographer to be
skilled and adaptable — able to catch a fleeting image
of opportunity. But there is much more to working with
models: It requires planning, collaboration and expertise
with a wide-angle lens.
Underwater photography that features models may be of
a commercial nature — to illustrate dive gear, for example.
That’s the sort of photography Doug Perrine (Shooter, Page 92)
described as being a subset of fashion photography or product
illustration, an observation I thought particularly astute. Images
of models underwater might tell the story of a particular dive
destination or adventure. Those are the kinds of images that
launched my career as a dive journalist decades ago. I honed
those skills during the 17 years I spent traveling the Florida
Keys and the Caribbean for Skin Diver Magazine. “Diver in
some kind of underwater environment” was my assignment.
Working with a dedicated model is much better than
waiting in front of some scenic sponge and hoping for a
diver to swim by as a chance element of composition. I’ve
done the latter, but nothing beats a model who is ready and
willing to work with you on a dive and understands your
objectives. So how does one find such a person?
IMAGING
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P H O T O T E C H N I Q U E S
Wide Angle with Models
b y S t e p h e n F r i n k
MARK CHAPMAN
