The last time I did this, I followed an albino hammerhead shark into the depths off Tufi in Papua New Guinea with my camera and lost the lot. In my enthusiasm, I went three times deeper than I was supposed to go with a soft housing and watched – not so remarkably you might suggest – as the water crept in and completely embraced my equipment.
Now, with the prospect of photographing numerous South Pacific islands as a result of my latest commission, I’ve renewed my divers license, increased my camera insurance (they hate me) and bought myself a professional housing (pictured) for my D3 gear which, hopefully, will keep my equipment dry for the duration (this assumes that I correctly follow the instructions to put it together – a challenge which has eluded me most of my life).
As a professional travel photographer, it is important to me to cover as many aspects of my field as I can to deliver the widest variety of high quality images to my clients. Literally, this housing will add a new dimension to my work. The plan is not so much to go to great depths and shoot what every enthusiast is already out there doing but to shoot more creatively around the surface by linking the water and activity to the people who enjoy it. I figure my staple – destinations, resorts and cruise companies – are all likely to benefit from it and – importantly – it will see me offering another specialised service that my competitors probably can’t ( as, surely, just lugging the extra gear around is enough to put them off).
I’m likely to work mostly within a 10 metre depth to capture the colour and the “sweet light.” I’m also looking forward to playing with those half above the water/half under the water images. Pool shots could be fun, activity shots like white water rafting may get a look in, rock pools and waterfalls will be captured from a different perspective now I don’t have to run away for fear of the equipment getting soaked.
With the big files of the D3, a motor drive and an arsenal of professional lenses, I should end up with some half-way reasonable pictures
……now, if I can just find that %%$#@! O ring for the back.
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