As many of you know, my background is in filmmaking. I have college degrees in English literature and film. Though I learned a lot about filmmaking in college, I also learned that I don’t have the passion to make films. I want to create movies and am particularly drawn to short, experimental type pictures, but my heart is not in the process that it takes to make a film. Truth be told, I want to work by myself. I don’t thrive in a group environment, though it is something I try to work on, so I’m not overly eager to get back into the film world.

However, my passion for it breaks through sometimes just enough to really go for it and to make something for the joy of it. I used to feel a sense of anxiety around making little movies. I felt as though, since I had studied it, whatever I make had better be ah-mazing. That stigma has left me now. I feel only the desire to make, to do, to create. Good or bad, who cares? I am my greatest judge, and I deem myself worthy of success and failure.

Our poor actress was shaking to the bone. We could only shoot for a few minutes at a time, maximum, or else she started turning blue, very literally. We had a bathroom with a space heater going to get her body temperature back to a normal level, and after some food on each break, we’d jump back in. I remember shivering so violently I thought my camera was going to rattle out of the underwater housing. I’m pretty good at calming my body and sticking to it, but it was a difficult, physical day. We were all spent by the end. I shot stills as Devin shot video. The video was shot almost entirely on a Go Pro (believe it or not!).

The next morning, before I had to head out of town, we got up for an early morning shoot. After a minor car accident and a lost driver later, we finally got to shooting with the beautiful morning sun. This is something I usually shy away from, but I embraced the contrast and went for it.

What I love about working with friends and a super small crew is that you can have a hand in every part of the project. When it gets too big, it is too easy to get lost. I like to be in control. You might even say it is my biggest weakness and strength. But nonetheless, I know what makes a shoot fun and what brings it tumbling down, for me at least. This small crew made it possible to create and have the jolliest day, too:

Director/Concept: Brooke Shaden
Cinematographer/Editor: Devin Schiro
Talent: Sara Silkin
Wardrobe: Michelle Hebert
Assistance: KD Stapleton & Kelly Mortensen
Music: “Unseen Entity” by Convolv

I hope you get some feels watching this video. It was really inspiring to create as I watched Sara effortlessly flip around underwater, the most graceful little thing. I had the opportunity to photograph Sara in 2010 when I shot images for her dance company and her passion and enthusiasm is unmatched.

I want to encourage you, no matter what negative thoughts you have going on in your mind, to do the thing you feel you cannot. Every time I have an idea for video, I talk myself out of it. I get too “in my head” and feel that what I make has to be remarkable since I have a background in filmmaking. Never stop yourself from creating because of what the end product will be like. Good or bad, the experience is everything…

…Though, after 15 months of waiting, I sure am glad to share this experimental short film with you. Enjoy!

See it bigger here!

Last year I had the idea to start filming music videos, whether someone hired me or not. I thought it would be an interesting medium to work in and since I have a film background, why not! I have shot two since then but they are still being edited, so I will share when they are finished. For my last video shoot we filmed underwater, and I grabbed a few stills while we were at it!

Shooting underwater is always wrought with challenges, but this shoot proved very simple in some regards. I rented a black bottom pool that was truly very dark, so editing the background and making the subject stand out became easy. I had an amazing model to work with, Sara Silkin, who is also a dancer and choreographer. She could move like nobody’s business under that water! And to boot, it was an overcast, rainy day in Los Angeles, so the light was wonderfully diffused.

The downside? It was COLD. That water was some of the coldest I have ever been in. Our model was turning a range of blue to purple to black, and so we could only shoot for a few minutes at a time with an hour in between to get warmed up again. It was extremely tough on my body and I definitely paid for it the next few days, but it was so worth it. I hope you enjoy the images!

Do you have a favorite?

Have you dabbled in underwater photography?

1. Shoot with a dark background.

This tip is definitely one of those that should be considered with your personal style. For example, I was shooting with someone just last week who wanted to shoot a white dress on a white background to blow out the highlights and make her look angelic. That simply isn’t my style, but is still amazing nonetheless. In my experience, I find the image to be more striking when the subject is lit but the background is not, and one way to simulate this is to sink a black backdrop. Of course skin tones should be contrasting as much as possible in order to get that *pop*, so be aware of this when choosing a background. 

2. Even lighting.

When I am creating an image, I enjoy natural, even light, and so that would be my recommendation for underwater as well. But my reason for suggesting this goes further – if natural, harsh light from the sun is shining down on a subject underwater, you get reflections from the water on the skin which creates harsh highlights and shadows that can be difficult to work with. Using external lighting or photographing in indirect light can solve this potential problem.

3. Swim down!

When posing your model, give him or her a pose, have your model swim to the bottom and then have them hit the pose and start to float up. This will eliminate most confusion about what to do first because the model has a clear structure in mind: swim to the bottom, pose, naturally float up. This gives you more time to photograph the model and different options as well for angles.

4. Lens choice.

I prefer a 24 or 28mm lens when shooting underwater because of how murky the water can be. I find that anything wider distorts the subject too much, while anything tighter makes it too difficult to see underwater because of the potential murkiness.

5. Take more shots than you think you need.

The worst feeling is doing a shoot and then only later realizing that you didn’t get the perfect shot because a body part wasn’t quite looking elegant enough. So take more shots than you think you need, and you’ll be well prepared for potential compositing later.

6. Pay attention to the hands and face!

Have you ever tried modeling underwater? If so, you can probably attest to the fact that keeping your hands looking graceful and your face like you’re not underwater is extremely difficult. As a result, these are the two things you should pay attention to while shooting so that you don’t have to re-shoot. The hands will naturally want to balance the subject and so they often keep moving to keep the model in place, while the face is so busy trying not to suck water up that it often looks puffed, which is what I like to call “underwater face”.

7. The bubbles the bubbles the bubbles!

When shooting, specify if you want bubbles in the shot. This can be created from the model by blowing out or thrashing her body. You can also employ an assistant to create bubbles from under the water or above.

8. Avoid the murk!

If you are shooting in a murky, natural body of water, remember that you will have to take longer to shoot. When you are in place and your model is as well, hold your positions while taking test shots to see when the murkiness has subsided. When it does, ask your model to pose. You should be able to get about 1-5 good shots off before the dust comes back up and you have to wait again. Avoid locations like lakes and very choppy ocean water where the water is stagnant or moving too fast, as these spaces will be extremely murky. 

9. Wardrobe.

I often choose a contrasting color for my wardrobe underwater. Bright colors work well for me because I can always desaturate them later, yet at the same time they naturally stand out underwater where colors might get dulled down from murkiness. 

10. Bring a friend or assistant.

When shooting a model underwater, always have a helper standing by in case something goes wrong. Long dresses or heavy dresses become far less manageable when under the water because they can get tangled around the model’s legs or pull her down. I like to have someone standing by to jump in and help just in case this happens. 

11. The basic courtesies.

Underwater modeling is extremely challenging, and it is likely that your model will be tired, cold, and hungry afterwards. When getting started, let him or her know that they should clearly communicate how they are feeling or if they need a break. I try to ask after every few shots how the model is doing, and always let him or her know that when that person needs out of the water, we will get out immediately. I bring along towels and sweaters to wrap the model in when we get out, and either have a hot tea ready or drive to the local cafe to get warmed up. 

I hope that you find these tips to be helpful in some way! Underwater photography is something that I have long loved for the way that we can experience a whole new world in a photograph. Not all of these tips apply to everyone, so keep that in mind and as always, try something new and fun! I’m absolutely thrilled that I love my new little camera since it makes shooting anytime, anywhere easier and more fun for the ease of it.

This is not a sponsored post in any way – I simply did research online and purchased the camera which I thought would be the closest match to a DSLR….so far, so good!

The camera used in this video and for the resulting images is a Panasonic Lumix. Big thank you to the models: Kyna Lian for braving that hugely cold creek, and Marsha Denlinger for modeling not only for myself but also for my class at After Dark Education! Thank you to Rocio Mirelis for filming behind the scenes footage with my camera, and to Celine Michelle with Sweetlight for filming underwater with her GoPro!