Tips for Photographing in Water

Hi, I'm Ian Plant, and right now I'm on the beautiful shoreline of Lake Superior in the upper peninsula of Michigan. And for a lot of landscape photographers, photography ends at the water's edge, but that's too bad. If you're not afraid to get your feet wet, you can get some unique images that no one else has. So when I'm photographing water, whether it's a stream or a waterfall, or if I'm in a coastal environment, on a lake or at the seashore, I always manage to bring with me a few items that allow me to get in the water safely. Of course, you can always just take off your shoes and roll up your pants and get in the water if it's not too deep or too cold, and a pair of wading boots or fishing chest waders comes in handy.

If I'm working in deeper or colder water, I'll even put on a dry suit or a wetsuit like I'm wearing now for kayaking around Lake Superior. One thing you gotta be careful about when you're working near water is making sure that your equipment stays dry. So a piece of equipment that I always bring with me is a dry bag, just a vinyl bag, and I go ahead and put my valuable electronics in the bag. And then, once I have everything in, you can seal the bag up, folding it several times till you get a nice tight seal, you close and buckle, and then your equipment should stay dry, no matter what happens, even if it goes in the water. And then I just go ahead and throw the bag into the back of my kayak and I'm ready to go.

When working in a coastal environment, I like to use a sea kayak to get out to the places that you can't otherwise get to by foot. And I often use my inflatable sea kayak, which is light enough for me to carry out on the trail if I have to hike to a waterfront location, then I can set up my kayak and it only takes me a few minutes to get it up and running. And then I'm ready to hit the water, get out and explore and look for compelling and unique imagery that no one else is getting. Here on the coast of Lake Superior, there's a lot of tall cliffs, and these beautiful sculpted caves that you find in the cliffs made of sandstone or limestone. And for the most part, you can't get to these cliffs except by the water.

So the kayak is nimble enough that I can get into locations that can't otherwise be reached. I just have to make sure that conditions are sufficiently calm because if I've got big waves pounding against the shore, I can't get inland, I can't find a place to put my kayak, and more often than not, I'm working in the water, sometimes in water as deep as a waist or chest deep. And with the kayak, I can get into these places, find a place to set up and get some really exciting shots. So when you're working in water, you wanna make sure that safety is always your first priority. Never go in water that's moving too fast, that's too deep or too cold for your personal comfort, and always make sure you have the appropriate safety gear if necessary.

So if I'm working in cold water, I'll usually wear waders to keep the water off of me. If it's colder and deeper water or if I'm out kayaking and I know that the conditions are gonna be pretty cold. If I go in the water, I'll wear a wet suit or a dry suit as necessary. I always have a personal flotation device on. You wanna be especially cautious if you're working in a dynamic coastal environment, if there's big waves crashing on the shore, you wanna keep an eye out in an ear out for any incoming rogue waves, waves that are bigger than normal.

And if you see or hear a big swell coming in, it's best to duck for cover and seek high, dry land. So don't be afraid to get your feet wet. If you can safely get in the water, you can make compelling, unique imagery that no one else is getting. I'm Ian Plant and thanks for watching.