Underwater Photography - with Mermaids!

A photo posted by J.Berendt Photography (@jberendtphotography) on

Back in July on the DC Photowalk (which was excellent by the way), @photorectoby of @photorec.tv asked me to share a bit about our underwater gear and how we process the images we make. I've been thinking about a quick way to communicate the basics of what we do and this is what I've come up with:

Underwater Photography Gear:

Nikon D750 - Chosen for its excellent low light sensitivity since we shoot with available light (which is typically in short supply underwater)Nauticam Housing - Chosen because it allows access to 99.99% of the camera's functionality underwater and it has been a dream to work with.

Our Basic Image Processing:

Shoot Raw - This allows for maximum color control in post. This is CRITICAL to getting the WB too look right Dehaze tool - water is not as clear as air. Even the crystal water of Hawaii needs a touch of Dehaze at times and it is a CRUCIAL when we shoot in our local quarry lake. Then - once those two things are taken care of we get into regular edits like clarity, shadows etc.We chose these sample images because they show what WB, Dehaze and a touch of clarity can do in about 5 seconds of editing. If you have questions/comments we'd love to start a conversation so let us know! And thank you once again, Toby for your interest in our work and methods! Follow @jberendtphotography for more underwater photos and maybe even a mermaid or two :)