Athletic Photography: Capturing Action, and Emotions Underwater

Athletic photography is regarded as a specialty. Capturing sporting events in motion requires specialized equipment along with a skilled photographer. The difficulties of capturing action and emotions underwater are magnified by the environment.

Capturing the tapestry of nature is an important artistic endeavor of photographers. There are professional photographers who gravitate to underwater nature photography and those who gravitate to human competition in the water. Water offers a kaleidoscope of textures and colors to the photographer that is both an ally and a nemesis.

The unique environment of photography in water presents similar challenges for all photographers who focus on nature as well as sports. Action and emotions permeate both, however, those photographers who set their apertures to photograph the live action of sports are adding instantaneous reactions to their tool belt of skills.

Equipment, Technique, and Skills that Challenge Underwater Photography

The equipment challenges of underwater photography are met by a camera manufacturing industry that competes. To best their competitors there is an inflow of capital, time, and research into developing underwater cameras and the apparatus to use them. Today the underwater photographer has freedom of movement and a choice of equipment that has never been enjoyed for underwater photography.

Photographic equipment available for underwater use includes waterproof cameras, housing, lights, strobes, and the equipment necessary. Everyday sporting events on fields, courts, tracks, courses, and raceways attract thousands of photographers who try to capture a gem among the millions of images that are taken.

Along with learning the intricacies of the latest equipment and its limitations, underwater photographer needs to challenge their own techniques and skills to capture action and emotions underwater.

The skills that shape a photographer are constant. They need to understand and use the interplay between shadow and light, negative and positive, foreground and background, and framing and perspective. These difficult skills are made more difficult to master by the challenge of water and its effect on clarity, distortion of distance, and refraction of light.

Using the Fluid Dynamic of Water to Enhance Action and Emotions

The underwater photographer must recognize the how and why of the fluid dynamic of water and its unique interplay of shadow and light on the subject. Water can be used as a foreground, background, or a combination of both to enhance action and emotion in the underwater photograph.

Michael Grecco has decades of experience beginning with 35 mm black and white photography for leading news organizations. He has developed techniques and skills that are intrinsic, intricate, and essential in creating photographs that join the forces of framing, lighting, and environment.

Each year as he tackles a new discipline in his photographic adventures his understanding of light and shadows, framing, and perspective is sharpened. Whether photographing in black and white, on the field, or in the water, Michael Grecco is skilled at capturing athletic action and emotion.

Capturing actions and emotions underwater requires Michael Grecco to apply his photographic skills to compensate for the environmental challenges that water brings to the photograph. Along with his other photographic accomplishments, Michael Grecco has mastered the art of photography that captures underwater actions and emotions.