Working with models is a fundamental skill for the underwater photojournalist, and is equally important for divers wishing to include their dive-buddy as a part of their dive holiday portfolio. Including another diver in a wide-angle photograph serves establish a sense of scale in the scene and to allow viewers to envision themselves as participants in the adventure. The underwater model can make a huge improvement in a wide-angle photo, but requires the right tools, the correct techniques, and clear communication between photographer and model.

Tools - Wide-Angle Lenses

Because underwater photography has to be accomplished at near distances to achieve optimal resolution and color, photographing models in a marine environment requires a wide-angle lens. The topside photographer might be able to capture a full-body portrait from 10 feet away with a 50mm lens, but under water you should normally be three feet from the primary subject or closer.

In order to get that close; you must use the right lens for the right camera.

Nikonos V - At least a 28 mm lens if a tight head-and-shoulders perspective is intended, or more likely something wider such as a 20mm, 15mm, or even a Sea and Sea 12mm.

Nikonos RS - The 20-35mm zoom or the 13 mm full-frame fisheye are preferred. Even though this camera is discontinued I still keep 2 bodies and a pair of 13mm lenses just because they are so damn fine optically.

Housed cameras - There is overlap between lenses for housed film and digital SLR cameras, but each will require the right domes and port extensions to match the lens. Preferred optics include the 16 fisheye, 14mm, 18mm, 20mm, 17-35mm zoom, or even digital-specific lenses like the new 12-24mm zoom. (All the lenses above reference Nikon focal lengths, but Canon will have similar lenses with slightly different specs).

In any case, the lens you choose for model photography underwater should offer you an angle of diagonal coverage from about 70 to 180 degrees.

Tools - Wide-Angle Strobes

The wide-angle lens gives you extreme coverage on your media, but to take advantage of it you must use wide-angle strobes and/or strobes with diffusers to spread the light.

Whatever the source, you must consider both strobe and ambient light conditions together. A light meter and variable shutter speeds help you achieve this. I often use shutter speeds of 1/30th of a second or slower when working at depth or in low light conditions. Using a slow shutter speed will not affect the exposure value of the strobe (used primarily to illuminate the foreground) but will significantly add to the ambient light portion of the photo.

For example, when a Nikonos V is set on "A" (with strobe), the shutter speed is 1/90th second. By choosing the 1/30th shutter speed instead, a full stop and a half more ambient light is available. On a wall or deep wreck, this can add tremendous drama to the image. With housed cameras or the Nikonos RS I often use 1/15th second in low light, however I find that digital images (Nikon D1X with Seacam housing) are hard to hand hold at slow shutter speeds without visible motion in the background. Why that may be is still a mystery to me, but I rarely shoot my D1X slower than 1/30th.

Communication - Hand Signals

The model is one of the few elements in underwater photography that can potentially be directed. To that end, it helps to have nonverbal communication worked out between the photographer and the model before ever entering the water.

The underwater model I work with most regularly is my wife Barbara. Our 20 years of experience together allows us to work very efficiently with minimal signals. But when a photographer and model work together for the first few times, it is crucial to agree on signals for what may happen under water. This means:

• The model should look regularly to the photographer for direction. It is frustrating to line up the perfect shot but then miss it because the model is poking his nose in a crevice. Things happen quickly under water, and the photographer/model team must be prepared to react instantly to opportunity. I make a "toot-toot" noise through my regulator that carries well under water so that I can attract the attention of a momentarily inattentive model. Some kind of a tank-banger would work too, but I like to keep my hands free for cameras and strobes.
  
  
• Use a vertical or horizontal arm motion to tell the model which way you intend to compose the shot. It may make a difference in terms of how the model orients her body in the water.
  
  
• Particulate matter is an enemy of quality underwater photography, and two divers can stir up the bottom twice as fast as one. So I have a signal to indicate too much backscatter, at which point we move on to another set-up.
  
  
• Eye contact is crucial. The model's eyes should direct the viewer of the photo. Rarely is there a reason for the model to stare directly into the lens. If necessary I will taps my facemask to indicate a change is necessary, and then point to where I prefer the model look. Signals for up/down and closer/farther are important to tell the model where they should be relative to the lens.
  

Technique - Basic Set-ups

Shot #1: Diver with Environment
Probably the most common model shot, a diver somewhere in the background complements a colorful reef scene in the foreground. In this shot, the marine environment is usually the star; however, the model should communicate proper buoyancy control, visual contact with the primary subject and ecological sensitivity. Gauges should be clipped to body so there is no possibility they might drag across the coral, and of course under no circumstance should the model (or photographer) be touching the reef.

Shot #2: Diver with Marine Life
This shot offers more potential for dramatic photography, but is more difficult to stage. Instead of there being an inanimate sponge in the foreground, now a diver plus a shark, dolphin, manta ray or other animal must be coordinated. Not always easy, but very rewarding when it works. Usually, the photographer works into position near the animal, and the model cautiously approaches to complement the composition without spooking the primary subject. Benign interaction is the preferred aesthetic. Gone are the days when it was OK to puff a pufferfish or grab onto a turtle or manta ray. Eye contact between the model and the animal is important as well.

Shot #3: Diver Silhouette
Here the foreground can be either environmental (coral reef or shipwreck) or marine life. But instead of being close enough to be exposed by the strobe, the model is more distant and therefore rendered in blue-black silhouette. If it is a sunny day and the angle is right, the ball of light created by the sun can also be an element of composition. It is up to the photographer to direct where the model should be relative to the foreground subject and background water column, but it is up to the model to ensure that he looks comfortable and in control while hovering in position.

The Edit - Working Together