From Non-Swimmer to Underwater Photographer: My Journey Below the Surface

Here’s me in front of the camera for a change. How’s that pic #2, the over-the-shoulder look… did I nail it?

Getting in front of the camera helps me be a better portrait photographer. I get to feel what you’ll feel during your underwater photoshoot, what it’s like to step out of your comfort zone, to build confidence in front of the camera, trying to channel the inner goddess… all while holding your breath, wrangling fabric, and (sometimes) getting water up your nose.

It’s not something that always comes easy, and I understand that first hand. But it is fun. A lot of fun.

From the deep end of fear to the heights of creative freedom

Here’s something that may surprise you: I didn’t learn to swim until I was 22. So for my non-swimmer clients, I truly understand what it’s like to feel out of your element.

But how on earth did a non-swimmer end up as an underwater photographer?

The backstory

I started photography at age 10, back in the film days, developing rolls of b&w film and making prints in the school’s darkroom.

Much later came the underwater part. After university, while working for an investment bank in London, I learned to scuba dive while on holiday in Spain. I was hooked. I returned to London, quit my job, bought a round-the-world ticket that hit all the best dive spots, and planned to return in one year. I never went back.

(Fellow dive junkies: you know how addictive it can be, right?)

I ended up working as a scuba instructor, dive guide, and tourism photographer. I lived the dream travelling and shooting throughout the Indo-Pacific.

 

My photography appeared in a range of publications, but seeing my photos on postage stamps for the Solomon Islands made me smile the widest.

There’s a magic in the transformation clients undergo in the pool, and it’s incredibly rewarding to witness and be a part of. Each underwater photoshoot is about experiencing a moment of liberation and seeing your inherent beauty through a new lens. And it’s a magic I’m honoured to share with you.

—Liz