BTS (Behind-the-scenes)
This page exists because the finished images do not tell you very much about the day.
What actually happens is a lot of standing around in a warm pool, a lot of laughing, a posing coach calling out corrections from the edge, someone chasing a piece of fabric that has drifted off, and long gaps between the shots while everyone gets their breath back. It is unglamorous and it is genuinely good fun.
If you are trying to decide whether to book a session, this is probably a more useful page than the portfolio. It is what you would see if you came along on the day — which, incidentally, you are welcome to do. Most people bring someone.
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.