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| Doug Mills/The New York Times |
In these Olympic times the very good friend Gabriel Villa pointed me to this article. The very nice piece of digital paper shows some of the behind the scenes gear and procedures to achive spectacular images that drop our jaws no matter how many times we look at them.
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| Jed Jacobsohn for The New York Times |
There is SO much more than a simple picture. For these photographers it is a challenge and something of an adventure, discovering new technology and exploring new ideas. On the gear side, the camera itself can become a bargain, as an underwater housing for a pro-grade camera can cost up to some thousand dollars and even more than the camera itself. Don’t believe me? Check the link and see for yourself. And that is not even close to being all the equipment needed. There are different domes for each lens, lighting, scuba gear, the list and it’s price are endless.
After winning the battle with the bank account to get the gear, there are many more challenges. For starters you need to know how to dive. After that you have to become proficient at that field, otherwise it would be like trying to take handheld pictures with a camera as heavy as 10kg while keeping your balance on a tightrope. Looks hard enough? After all these you only have to learn the all new techniques for underwater photography, which differ a lot from “dry” photography. (If you need help with any of these wet steps, ask this guys, they really know what they teach).
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| Adam Pretty / Getty Images |
After becoming a semi-ninja-sub you will have to work hard with all your gear and to achieve amazing results. These come only to those extremely lucky or to the ones that dare to think different and DO different. See the examples from one of these underwater shooters in Beijing 2008 and his amazing photograph of Michael Phelps (un)questionable victory.
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| Heinz Kluetmeier/SI |
In 2012 these wicked dudes placed their cameras under the pool more than a week before the games began. And they go there every night to change batteries and check on the results. It may look like a glamorous job (and yet it is!), but there is a LOT of sweating involved.
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Heinz Kluetmeier, 1992 Summer Olympics |
For us the difficulties are very distant, but the amazing photographs are awe inspiring. I like to try to learn from these brave and crazy photographers and thank them for all the inspiration and ideas. But that is just me, what are your thoughts on this?
