Underwater photography - a passion backed by a small fortune

I look at my dive gear – twin, stage, automatics, dry suits, computers, torches – which, despite the fact that I change the storage place to bigger and bigger, still does not fit. I look at my huge bags of photographic equipment, full of lenses, filters, lamps and I realise that the amount of money I spent on all this is enormous. If you add to this the underwater housings, and you might need a different one for each lens, the financial analysis could give even the most calm people heart palpitations.

-- Advertisement --

However, looking at the number of people who attended the meeting organised by Santi Concept Store in Belwederska Street, listening to the speakers or asking questions, one can deduce that the financial issue is not the element that discourages from taking up underwater photography.

So what is it about taking photos underwater that attracts more and more people and becomes their passion or way of life?

Piotr Gorzelak started taking pictures because, as he claims, he is a poor storyteller (after listening to the lecture, I totally disagree) and he wanted to show his friends the underwater world, to take them, at least for a moment, to those places he “touches”.

Photo: Piotr Gorzelak

Similarly, Tomasz Plociński, takes pictures for himself and for friends who do not dive. But is this really the main reason? After all, you can teach them to dive, let them taste the underwater world themselves, then they will see with their own eyes what nature conceals.

I think people are fascinated not only by the ability to capture a moment, to show emotions, but by the desire to stand out from others and to be in an “elite” social group, inaccessible to mere mortals. This is of course nothing wrong, it is a need of our human nature. After all, being less “grey” with an interesting passion, uncommon, having something to say, gives us a sense of power and relevance, and on top of that, being in an “elite group” makes us feel special, admired and at the same time, consciously or not, we satisfy our primal needs.

One might also be tempted to say that belonging to a group of divers-photographers is a form of “social” promotion. When we start the adventure with diving we are, as it were, at the beginning of the ladder, then we train, gain experience and are promoted to the next group of “initiation” – technical divers and again we train, improve and enter the next level – the group of divers specialists: in photography, cave diving, wreck diving, deep diving or exploration and again we gain knowledge, experience in order to enter the next circle of initiation, because … there is always another circle.

Photo: Piotr Gorzelak

To sum up – underwater photography gives you the feeling of being “positively better”, standing out, elite, it is a form of opposing the “greyness of the crowd”. Deciding on such a passion you are aware that there is a “small handful” of people like you and not everyone will be able to belong to this group.

You take pictures, show your friends and realize that you are “one in a million”, that your friends have not experienced this and may never experience it, you create an image of what you experience and make you arouse admiration, respect and sometimes envy, but as “special” you handle it perfectly. Of course you know that your passion will come at a cost, but ‘elitism’ is worth paying for.

When I leave the Santi meeting with Mr Piotr Gorzelak and Mr Tomasz Płociński, apart from my own reflections on human nature, I am richer in knowledge that I would probably read in books, but the “live word” reaches me more and stays in my memory longer.

A few things that have stuck in my mind:

• Underwater photography is a combination of skills, experience and equipment – agreed
• Equipment should be tailored to the kind of images you want to take – so try different options to find your way to the beginning, and then invest in precise, specialised equipment – agreed
• participate in expeditions, interesting sessions, workshops – this will allow you to develop your skills and gain practical knowledge – true
• take a few pictures on the surface before you get in the water with the camera – you can’t do anything underwater if you haven’t, for example, taken off the cover or changed the batteries in the flash – good advice
• Light underwater is a carrier of information – it allows you to paint the picture you want to show – whether it is continuous light from a torch or in the form of a flash of a lamp – agreed
• know your equipment in depth – underwater there is no time or opportunity to learn – true
• if you want to take pictures of people – explain to them what it is and what you expect from them – it would be useful
• observe the work of both “dry” and “wet” photographers – look for inspiration and ideas

I think it’s worth taking a closer look at the subject of underwater photography itself, but also the equipment.

Photo: Piotr Gorzelak, Wojciech Zgoła