Six milestones in underwater photography

This year marks the 160th anniversary of the first underwater photograph. Something that was once an extraordinary achievement a century and a half later has become widely available and today practically everyone can record shots from under the water in the form of photographs or video footage. But what was the journey that started in England’s Waymouth Bay in 1856 like?

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First underwater photographs – 1856

William Thompson, together with a friend, built a metal housing for the camera with which they submerged in the waters of Waymouth Bay. It was here that the first photographs of the underwater world were taken. The camera, placed in a metal box that served as the first underwater housing, was operated from the surface using a cable. The photographs in turn were taken on glass plates measuring 4″ x 5″.

The result? Well… Mr Thompson and Mr Kenyon must have been looking for imaginative people among their contemporaries who could see the potential and work out the rest. That’s what happens when you take the waters off Dorset and the aforementioned Waymouth Bay as your location. It is worth noting, however, that the attempt took place just 20 years after the first ever photograph was taken and 40 years before the first dive was attempted.

The first underwater photographer – 1893

Louis Boutan created a simple and austere housing for a small camera that was used while diving in a so-called “classic”, which is a diving suit powered by air from the surface.

Boutan quickly realised the limitations of underwater photography as depth increased and natural light decreased. With subsequent attempts, he made pioneering attempts to introduce artificial lighting in underwater photography. The result of his collaboration with Arago Laboratories in Banyuls, France, was the development of a device to create a flash underwater, similar in operation to a flash lamp.

20,000 miles of submarine navigation – 1916.

Stuart Paton’s film is the first example of underwater cinematography being used in a commercial way. Ernest Williamson the creator of the “photosphere” was specially hired to make them. The film itself is a combination of the plot of “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and “The Mysterious Island” by Jules Verne.

The first colour stills from underwater – 1923.

Botanist W.H. Longley and photographer Charles Martin used a magnesium-based flash and thus created the first underwater photography in colour. In their photographs they only captured static objects such as corals, anemones and gorgonians. The photographs created by both men were published in the National Geographic in 1927.

The first underwater camera housing – 1950

Beuchat has created the first mass-produced underwater camera housing available to everyone – Tarzan. Its creator was French underwater photographer Henry Broussard. The equipment was dedicated to the French camera Foca. Founded in 1934, Beuchat took a very important step in establishing itself as a diving equipment manufacturer.

Creation of the “Calypso” camera – 1960.

Jean de Wouters, a Belgian engineer and former crew member of Jaques-Yves Cousteau, developed a 35mm underwater camera that went by the names “Calypso” and “Calypso-Phot”. In 1963, the design was bought back from La Spirotechnique by the Nikon brand and relaunched under the name “Nikonos”. As a result, this gave rise to a series of very successful cameras for underwater photography.

Source: uw360.asia Photo: wikimedia commons