420 Dive Log Australasia OCTOBER 2026

Learning to work below the surface Photography had been a major part of my life for many years. I had worked across portrait, documentary, concert, fine-art and macro photography, as well as astrophotography. Each discipline presented different challenges, but they shared one considerable advantage: I was standing on solid ground, breathing normally and able to move naturally. About seven years ago, my attention shifted below the surface. I had become fascinated by marine life and wanted to photograph the remarkable diversity of species in Port Phillip Bay, so I bought my first underwater camera. It was a TG-4 back then. I assumed my experience on land would give me a reasonable starting point. It helped with composition, but almost everything else had to be learned from scratch. Underwater photography demands proximity. Water absorbs light and colour, reduces contrast and softens detail, so photographing from a comfortable distance rarely gives me the image I want. I need to place the camera physically close to the subject while maintaining stable buoyancy and moving deliberately. Understanding that principle was easy. Putting it into practice was not. At the time, I could barely descend to three metres and did not know how to equalise properly. I could not relax or hold my breath comfortably, and I moved awkwardly and wasted energy. By the time I reached a subject and raised the camera, even slow-moving and naturally curious fish had often disappeared. I knew what kind of photographs I wanted to create, but I did not yet possess the underwater skills required to create them. That frustration led me to complete a beginner freediving course. I initially saw freediving as a practical way to improve my underwater photography, but it became one of the most significant decisions I have made. I learned to descend more efficiently, equalise correctly, remain relaxed underwater and use my limited time below the surface more effectively. Just as importantly, I gained essential knowledge about breath-hold safety.

Top: One of my first underwater images, when I could not even dive down to the subject. Bottom: A few months later, after completing an AIDA 2 freediving course, gaining more experience in the water.

Close-up portrait of a giant spider crab, photographed with a wide-angle lens using ambient light.

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DIVE LOG Australasia #420 October’ 26

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