Recruitment
The obvious people to reach out to first are your significant
other, your children and regular dive buddies or other
friends. Both my wife and daughter have been excellent
models for me over the years, which carries the advantage
that we always get the opportunity to review together what
worked and what didn’t and try to do it better the next time
we work with each other. A willing dive buddy is a huge
asset; one who you can work with repeatedly is ideal.
For commercial shoots we hire models, of course. With
only a few days to shoot and a lot of products to illustrate,
we can’t accept the risk of finding a willing model on the
dive boat. Plus, products used in photo shoots are often the
very first of their kind and likely aren’t available in every
size, so the models must be hired according to size as well as
physical appeal and appropriate age demographic.
As far as skills are concerned, the most important are
comfort and facility in the water. Underwater models
have to be able to position themselves in some very exact
compositions and either hold position or move relative to
marine life in the foreground. They must have excellent
buoyancy skills so they appear comfortable and graceful
in the water and can avoid contact with fragile corals even
when proximity is required.
Modeling agencies are notorious for lying when describing
the dive skills of their talent. It’s probably not malicious,
but the booking agent is likely not a diver and typically
won’t understand how crucial dive skills are to a successful
underwater model shoot. Just being certified does not mean
a model will possess the necessary skills. Unless the shoot
is predominantly topside, years of experience underwater
and an intuitive understanding of what the photographer is
hoping to achieve make all the difference.
Compensation is also appropriate, but the level varies. With
hired models there is an expected day rate in exchange for a
model release. For dive buddies it may be something as simple
as a complimentary photo they can post on Facebook. But at
the very least there should be sincere thanks and appreciation
for the skills of an underwater model — their contributions to
this genre of photography can’t be overstated.
Communication
Unlike topside photography, underwater work requires the
photographer to direct a model without speaking. Typically
we discuss a complete set of underwater signals on the boat
before the dive. I have signals for telling models when there
is too much backscatter on the scene and it is time to move
on, when we are shooting verticals or horizontals (as that
will affect their posture in the water), how far or near they
should position themselves relative to the reef or marine
life in the foreground and optimal eye contact.
Eye contact is an extraordinarily important variable, as
it directs the viewer’s eye when seeing the image. Rarely
is there a reason for the model to stare directly into the
camera; it’s much more natural for the model’s eye to be
cast toward some underwater feature of interest. Most
models will figure that out on their own, but if they
don’t the photographer will need some signals to direct
them. A lucky photographer will achieve some level of
mind-meld with a talented model, as that makes the
collaboration much more rewarding. But ultimately it is the
photographer’s job to communicate where in the frame the
model needs to be and what he or she is meant to do.
Wardrobe and Gear Preparation
In a catalog shoot, gear is paramount, and particular
attention is given to logo placement and diver position
relative to a preconceived layout. But in editorial
photography compositions are less restrictive. In terms of
wardrobe, it is nice to incorporate a bit of color, although
that can be tough since so many wetsuits and BCs are black.
Masks and fins offer an opportunity for color
coordination. Clear silicone skirts are much easier to light
than black-skirted masks, and colorful fins add definition to
divers in silhouette. It is especially important that masks be
clear of fog, and new masks are particularly troublesome.
The glass must be scrubbed thoroughly and repeatedly
with toothpaste, Soft Scrub or some other product such
as 500 PSI mask scrub. Both the glass and the inside of the
silicone skirt need to be scoured; standard defogger isn’t
usually up to the task for new masks.
Equally important is to tether the dive gear properly.
Hoses should be clipped to the BC so they don’t dangle and
damage coral — and create the psychological impression
through the photo that it is appropriate to dive that way.
Execution
The density of water is important to remember with model
photography, because strobe power diminishes rapidly with
distance. A model more than eight feet away from a strobe-lit
foreground will essentially be an element of composition and
should be positioned accordingly. A strobe simply cannot
punch through that much water, which is 800 times denser
than air and of cyan color cast, so aiming a strobe toward
a distant model will likely only create backscatter without
appreciably illuminating the face mask or bringing in color
from wardrobe. It would be better in that case to concentrate
the strobe beam on an interesting element of the foreground.
However, when a model is within a couple of feet of the
foreground or, for that matter, is the foreground, lighting
the model is critical. The strobe should be directed so it
doesn’t cast a shadow from the mask’s skirt or rim across
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