By Steve Miller
Most travelers to Switzerland are seeking altitude- not thinking about what lies in the depths. Ikelite Ambassador Steve Miller shares what he found when he traveled to southern Switzerland's scenic Verzasca valley for the first Swiss Masters Underwater Photography Competition.
If you're willing to take the plunge into the cold mountain water, you are rewarded by a crystal clear oasis of magnificent rock formations, waterfalls, and plenty of opportunity to work on your split shots.
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"Switzerland holds a secret for underwater photographers. I would never have thought to take an underwater camera housing there, but I'm very glad I did."
Recently, the Swiss Masters Underwater Photography Competition was held at the Verzasca River in Switzerland. Once you get underwater in these rivers, you're going to notice that, in some cases, they're carved out of solid stone. So you've got a lot of smooth surfaces, a lot of very nice curves, tones, and different types of rock that are quite beautiful.
Switzerland's rivers can be crystal clear with 150 feet (46 meters) of visibility carved out of solid rock. Since it's cold, the rocks don't tend to get covered with algae, so you'll see the different colors of the rocks.
The Right Lighting for Shooting Underwater in Switzerland
You can do some really good natural light work, and about half of the stuff I did up in the river was shooting natural light. But if you bring your strobes along with you, you're going to be able to paint in some colors, soften some shadows, and do a little more precise work.
The Ecko Strobe is a perfect choice for this kind of diving because it's so lightweight, so easy to carry, and it'll cover your wide lens. We're mainly using the strobe as a fill, what we call flash fill. Basically a natural light exposure, but just a little puff of flash to add some color and maybe a little bit more texture, fill in some shadows of whatever is that you've framed up.
John Brigham is pictured here with a pair of Ecko Strobes underwater in the Verzasca Valley. These strobes will bring dimension to your photos and add color, clarity, and contrast to make your images pop.
Shooting Split Shots in Verzasca River
The Verzasca River Valley is extremely scenic, and you will be tempted, rightly so, to do a lot of over-under work, especially in the shallows. Remember when you're shooting over-unders, you only need to be in 6-12 inches (15-30 centimeters) of water. As you get into deeper and deeper water, it's going to be difficult to make the lower part of your over-under as interesting as the upper.
SEE MORE:
Tips for Shooting Split Shots with Your Underwater Housing [VIDEO]
The Verzasca Valley is the perfect place to shoot split shots. When you've got water that clear and environs that are so stunning, it's definitely an excellent place and worth it to take your camera.
I think for the most part, the trick is to find a frame and find a composition that uses the curves and the shapes of the rock formations with an over-under and something interesting in the background. I think that's one of the best shots for making a really strong image on these dive sites.
Equipment Used
Nikon Z8 in Ikelite 200DL Underwater Housing # 71069-DLX
Nikon 8-15mm f/3.5-4.5E Fisheye Lens
Dual RC165 Strobes # 40116
Canon EOS R10 in Ikelite 200DLM/D Underwater Housing # 69742-FBR
Canon RF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM Lens
Dual Ecko Fiber Strobes # 40101
Additional Viewing
River Junkie: Underwater Photography in the Freshwaters of Switzerland
Diving into the Verzasca River, Switzerland [VIDEO]
Best Underwater Photography Shop in Switzerland // Fantic UW-Foto AG
Split Shot Editing // Balancing Exposure Underwater and Above in the Lightroom [VIDEO]
Tips for Shooting Split Shots with Your Underwater Housing [VIDEO]
Ambassador Steve Miller has been a passionate teacher of underwater photography since 1980. In addition to creating aspirational photos as an ambassador, he leads the Ikelite Photo School, conducts equipment testing, contributes content and photography, represents us at dive shows and events, provides one-on-one photo advice to customers, and participates in product research and development. Steve also works as a Guest Experience Manager for the Wakatobi Dive Resort in Indonesia. In his "free" time he busies himself tweaking his very own Backyard Underwater Photo Studio which he's built for testing equipment and techniques. Read more...
