So....about a month ago my husband, our kids and I all enjoyed a getaway to visit my best friend (hereafter referred to as BFF) in San Antonio, TX. Living in San Antonio....she and her wife have a pool in their backyard. Since we visited in July/August...we spent A LOT of time in their pool! Those of you who know me know I love great family pictures, travel, and I love making memories. When the two of those come together - it doesn't get any better for this mama.
I proposed an idea to my husband to try and get some fun underwater pictures with the boys. They're at an age where they love being active in the pool and they love wearing their goggles. I thought it'd be fun to capture this phase in pictures. My husband took on said challenge...and after many, many, MANY bad, horrible, AWFUL photos.....we quickly learned what makes an underwater picture great. I'm sharing a few tips here so if you ever want to try and get a fun photo with your loved ones underwater....you can spend far less time getting one than we did. The good news is we're fast learners and by the end of our visit...we were nailing some great underwater photos on the first try!
Hold your breath, but don't puff out your cheeks. For many of us, holding our breath underwater makes us naturally puff out our cheeks. It doesn't look good in underwater photos. Trust me. So....hold your breath and as unnatural as it feels, make yourself smile instead of puffing out those cheeks.
2. Put your arm around whomever you're including in your underwater photo. As humans we're naturally buoyant. In order to stay underwater long enough to get a good shot...it helps to put your arm around another person to stay underwater longer.
3. Try not to wave your arms or legs. Any movement will create bubbles. Bubbles (in front of your face anyway) will block the view of your face in your pictures. This was a hard one for our boys...but once we demonstrated why, they were pretty good at staying calm underwater.
4. Shoot straight up. If your subjects are having a hard time staying underwater long enough...maybe your photographer can do the dive and shoot straight up while you float face down on the water. These make some awesome shots too and only require one person going underwater.
Give the underwater photo a try! It makes a great memory and is usually a frame-worthy masterpiece. Ours have been conversation starters more than once! Feel free to share your underwater photos here or on our Facebook page - I'd love to see your creative ideas and then try to replicate them with my kids! :)
