BTS (Behind-the-scenes)

Whenever possible, we try to get some photos and/or video of the process. Of course, this requires an additional person to capture, which isn’t always an option. Below are some recent sessions to give you an idea of what the process is like.

Here’s a short BTS of Cristina attempting something tricky… trying to get herself completely horizontal just below the surface, to create a nice reflection above her. This is hard to achieve because (1) you can’t really tell where the surface is, and (2) you can’t see your own reflection. Only I can see it as I’m at an angle to the surface. If you look directly up, you see the sky. So it takes imagination and skill to pull this off.

Here’s a series of dives with Michelina, working with a piece of black and gold sequined fabric. The first two clips are in the deep end of the pool, which is in shadow, and the last two clips are in the shallow end, in direct sunlight. Note the differences that the lighting, as well as the depth, make on the subject.
— BTS video by Cristina using iPhone in a waterproof case


Cristina in the shallow end of the pool in direct sunlight. This was from our very first session together.
— BTS video by Michelina using iPhone in a waterproof case


Stills from behind-the-scenes at the 5-mermaid shoot we did at a public pool (see video page for a sample of what we captured). The more people you’re photographing, the more complicated it gets. This was a challenging, but very fun shoot. These mermaids are a joy to work with.
— BTS photos courtesy of Maxine Earhart


The day we photographed Brendan O’Connor as a merman at a pool in Maitland. Brendan is an amazing human and lovely to work with. He brought so many props that we didn’t even photograph them all. So much fun. See some of the images from this shoot on the individual page.
— BTS photos courtesy of Paige Pompa.