Featuring Bill Hawthorne
Freshwater Springs are home to an abundance of wildlife just waiting to be photographed! Aquatic Ecologist and underwater photographer, Bill Hawthorne, shares his tips for creating the best underwater photos while exploring the beautiful Florida springs.
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Tip # 1 | Choose the Right Time of Year
Tip number one for photographing in Florida Springs is to choose the right time of year. There's some incredible wildlife in these springs but some of them are only found during the winter or the summer and different behaviors can be in different times of years. If you want to photograph manatees always come in the wintertime. If you want to photograph striped bass always come in the summer. And if you want to avoid the people always make sure to go during the coldest, stormiest days.
If you're looking to shoot Florida's unofficial mascots, manatees, you'll need to plan your trip for winter. And you'll also appreciate these 7 Tips for Photographing Manatees.
Tip # 2 | Research the Springs
Tip number two is to research the type of spring that you're going to. There are many different types of springs throughout Florida. Some are salty, some are fresh, and all contain a unique assemblage of flora and fauna. There are some springs that are crystal clear and will give you those really beautiful crisp images and there are some springs that are tannin filled where the water looks orange or green. Those tannin-filled springs can be a lot better for moody photos or different types of shooting like macro.
Visit a crystal clear spring for a crisp shot like this one. © Bill Hawthorne
Tannin-filled springs will make for very moody, artistic photos. © Bill Hawthorne
Tip # 3 | Choose the Right Gear
Tip number three is to choose the right gear. Today I'm shooting with the Ikelite DLM/A Housing with a Sony a7CR and then I am using the 16-35mm Sony PZ lens. I really like this lens because it's nice and sharp from center to the side. I use macro lenses for smaller fishes. People don't realize but there are a lot of really cool freshwater fish that are quite small and that macro lens can help you get in close and really highlight those unique small animals.
Bring a macro lens to the freshwater springs, you'll find a lot of smaller, photogenic fishes there. © Bill Hawthorne
Tip # 4 | Camera Settings and Techniques
My fourth tip is to choose the right settings and techniques. So in springs I like to shoot with a very slow shutter speed so I can get lots of light and keep my ISO pretty low. I like to shoot more narrow apertures generally around F/11 to F/13. I find this helps keep everything nice and focus and sharp but sometimes I will open up the aperture for more artistic shots.
This close focus image was shot at f/13. Shooting with a narrow aperture will give more detail to your image, and a wider aperture will add some soft bokeh to your background. © Bill Hawthorne
Springs have beautiful crystal clear water and they're a perfect opportunity to capture Snell's window which is where you can lower your camera down and actually look through the water and see things like trees and birds above. A lot of times I'll get my camera nice and low (another reason why I love this really small DLM housing setup) and and shoot up through that window with subjects in the middle. I also like to shoot a lot of close focus wide angle and for those I generally shoot very low shutter speeds and try to freeze the object with the flashes but then have enough natural light in the background to create a cool scene.
You'll need a wide angle lens to capture Snell's window, get your camera and housing as low as you can and shoot up. © Bill Hawthorne
Bill's Gear
- 200DLM/A Underwater Housing for Sony a7CR # 69124
- Sony FE PZ 16-35mm F/4 Lens
- Sony FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G OSS Lens
- DL2 DS Link Sony TTL Converter with Ikelite Connector # 46043
- Ecko DS Underwater Strobe # 40102
Take a deep dive on Bill's gear, including all of the accessories he uses and what bag he packs it all in for travel.
Additional Viewing
From Research to Outreach: Underwater Photography as a Tool for Science
What Secrets Lurk Underwater in the Florida Springs at Night?
Creature Feature: Hellbender Salamander
Photographing Manatees Underwater in Crystal River, Florida [VIDEO]
What's in My Underwater Photography Gear Bag // Bill Hawthorne 2026 [VIDEO]
Bill Hawthorne is an aquatic ecologist specializing in the study of the freshwater springs of Florida. Bill focuses his studies and photography on freshwater species, most notably turtles. By sharing his underwater images, Bill hopes he'll expand his viewers' passion toward these unique environments and animals. Check out more of his work on his website, Instagram @billhawthornephotography, TikTok, and YouTube.
