I sometimes prefer to make photo-reportages showing underwater photographers at work, rather than going out to take pictures of the sea-life itself. During the last Red Sea shoot-out, I had the chance to take part in some underwater photo productions with famous photographers. The first, Viktor Lyagushkin, whom I’ve related to in this previous post and this time Johannes Felten for whom I’ve shot the following pictures during two dives with him.
Set 1: Just below the surface
The first underwater photo fashion shoot with Johannes happened just below the surface. The model, Yael, was free-diving while the photographer was shooting. The second dive was much more complicated…see below.
Set 2: At 30m/100ft depth
The location of the next underwater fashion photo session was on a wreck called “Yatush” (The Mosquito) at 30 meters / 100 feet depth, off the coast of Eilat’s Coral Beach. The “making of” images are followed by Johannes’s final fashion shots.
In this kind of dive, an experienced safety diver is required to escort the model, providing her with air throughout the dive and to make sure she is safe. Bryan Hansen is a professional diver and instructor who accompanied Yael. In underwater fashion photography the model is posing underwater with no diving equipment at all and she doesn’t breathe during the shoot itself, but she still needs to look calm and natural and perhaps even smile. Because the model is not self sufficient and is completely dependent on the safety diver to supply her with air every few seconds, the safety diver’s role is an important factor, especially in a deep dive where the model cannot reach the surface by herself. He also has to keep out of the frame during the shoot itself, and swim back fast to the model as soon as she asks for air. Johannes, being an Adv. Trimix technical diver carries an extra air tank for the model just in case the safety diver encounters a problem of his own and is unable to reach the model in time.