The Great White captured on iPhone
Follow me
One of the most common aspects discussed between rookie and professional photographers, especially when it comes to underwater photography, is how expensive equipment can get. Today, we have reached an era where technology makes it possible to produce much more accessible alternatives for those looking to take the first step without having to spend thousands of dollars and while they may not be able to reach the same quality that most advanced cameras have, they are definitely not far behind.
There's a line from an article where Jorge Cervera, a Mexican underwater photographer and producer, talks about a very similar experience, saying: "If you can't afford fancy gear, you don't have an excuse not to be on top of the game" [source]. In my case, I think it is worth sharing the story behind these series of photos because they turned out to prove that the less sophisticated gear can deliver great results with little effort and I strongly believe that doing your best with what you have is always better than doing nothing at all.
Giving away a bit of context, this was the third time going on a trip to Guadalupe and several days prior to the trip I remember thinking that I was going to produce my best material and I could swear that this trip was going to be my takeoff towards NatGeo stardom. Clearly, I was clueless.
This expedition took place in 2018 and in the end it was more of a lesson than anything else. Maybe I didn't come back with the most exceptional content, but I did manage to produce a series of photos with the only thing I had in my hands at the time; an old iPhone 6 and a relatively cheap housing.
Now, speaking specifically of the iPhone operating a few meters from the surface, it has its limitations of course. One of them is color. If you are familiar with how color and cameras work together underwater, then you know what I'm talking about, if not, I'll explain it to you. Light travels through the water in a way that it causes a gradual absorption of color. The deeper you go, the more colors are absorbed and the first color within the spectrum to disappear is red. To some extent your brain is able to compensate for this color loss, but cameras alone can't. That's why, without the right settings or proper lighting, underwater photos often come out too blue or too green.
Although Isla Guadalupe is distinguished by the striking blue color and clarity of the water, with the limited equipment I brought, the photos turned out way too blue. Years later (at the time of writing to be precise) I decided to come back and re-edit them. After a few adjustments here and there, these are some of the results.
I admit that although they are far from the ultra-high-quality photos that I've always been eager to shoot, considering they came out from an iPhone 6, they are somewhat decent and truth be told, I'm excited to think what I’ll be able to produce with better gear.
