First of all let me say that normal average people should not attempt this stunt! You must both be in top physical condition and excellent swimmers no matter how friendly the conditions appear (green flag). Plus you need extensive familiarity with what exists where (rocks etc.) under the water in that area. With this understanding, This was relatively safe enough for me and my model, because of our love of the water, familiarity of the area and green flag conditions, and both of us being in excellent shape and good swimmers. Although I almost got my camera wet taking this one! Yes, I was in the water with her, jumping off of the bottom, so as not to get my motorized Nikon FM camera, wet. We were having fun! There was no undertow or anything like that. Besides, I was 22 and in the best shape of my life. Really, who else besides me could pull off a shot like this, especially getting the lighting this good. I even used the white water as a natural reflector. I miss those days, shooting Kodachrome slide film, it was just more magical back then (you had to really concentrate to get in that “stream of consciousness” state to get the shot, then you wouldn’t know how good it was for a few days. Then you would go over the film which was an intense revelatory experience and usually ecstatic to some degree). I thought I knew I had it, right after I took the 4th frame (I had developed an ability to temporarily memorize the picture I had just taken, I would get an immediate impulse feeling if it was good or not, so I could decide “in the moment” if I “got the shot” or not). I took an even more (double maybe treble) spectacular picture of her posing on the rocks, after this, which belongs to my Iconic category of images. Maybe someday you’ll get to see it. At least I promise to post something else of her a little later.
Model Photo Test Shots 