JPG Magazine: Stories: Photo Essay: Submerge your camera!

Submerge your camera!

By Jerad DeBoard

12 June 2007

I've always been attracted by water even as a small kid. My parents had a pool, a boat...I was always around it. So like most people on this site that just love to take pictures, you try to infuse as much of your other passions with photography as you can. Pictures of your family, pictures at the ballgame, pictures of a 1969 Chevelle SS...sweet. So naturally, after seeing the price they charge for underwater housings on ebay for my Canon SLR, I thought of a less costly approach, a ziplock bag...it wasn't a real ziplock bag either though, ah! My anxiety increases.

The other night was a nice early summer night. The smell of the neighbors charcoal grill, someone mowing a yard, birds chirping. You know summer shit! I decided to take my Canon SD400, also know as my sidearm, out in the pool and take some pictures. Not really anticipating something spectacular, just to see what kind of images come out. Plus, there was an underwater setting on my non waterproof camera that got me damn curious.

Whilst getting use to the unassuming artic waters that have yet to warm up from the dog days of summer, I was taking the camera underwater, set on the multi shot mode and just kept the shutter button held down for as long as I could hold my breath for every time I went under. I thought to myself, "What if I ruin my camera?...Oh well it's all about brave new photography, dammit!" I didn't use the auto focus, I didn't set up a shot or want to change the lighting. Didn't set the ISO to a proper speed, none of that jazz. I was going digital baby, ignorance at its finest.

A few hundred images later, I couldn't wait to upload these little bastards and see what had resulted in me gambling the livelihood of my SD400 and possibly getting hypothermia.

The resulting images is what I have uploaded to include in this story. I was amazed at the images that resulted, not because I took the images, but because of the way the manner and chance was for these to come out the way they did. I've been told I read into things too much ( I don't know, maybe 'cause I am a Scorpio?), but I know from elementary physics that I have a very slim to none chance of capturing an exact image like this again. The colors swirls, the streaks and relentless lines that seem to know no boundaries or reason. Maybe one night if your feeling a little ballsy and want to be a rebel, stick your camera in a ziplock bag and take it underwater, you may get that once in a lifetime shot.