UW Photography, Early Days

[Green Frog]

I started thinking about early UW photography and remembered that back in the early ‘90s when I started in UW photography, I bought just about every book I could find on the subject… and that they were all still stored on a bookshelf in the basement. Of course they were all about film cameras, either in special cases or purpose built for use underwater.

We see Cathy Church and her UW photography school still mentioned, but I wonder how many remember Norbert Wu, Carl Roesseler, and so many others? I also remember one of the real pioneers, Jerry Greenberg. He started doing UW photography around 1950 with cameras encased in waterproof cases he built himself; eventually going on to become famous with his books, fish ID cards, and even his cleverly built UW camera housings he made and sold on the fledgling UW market of the day. He probably had his biggest impact when he had a color cover on National Geographic in 1952.

I wonder whether we can get a discussion going about the pioneers of UW photography? Am I the only old timer who still thinks about the roots of underwater photography in these days of iPhones in cases and GoPros?

Green Frog

 

[BoltSnap]

We see Cathy Church and her UW photography school still mentioned, but I wonder how many remember Norbert Wu, Carl Roesseler, and so many others? I also remember one of the real pioneers, Jerry Greenberg.

I took Cathy's UW photo super course in grand Cayman circa 2001 (not sure however) after I bought my Nikon N90 with S&S housing. I was using s&s motor marine prior to that. Started with the mm in mid 90s.

I remember Wu and Roesseler but don't know about Greenberg.

 

[tursiops]

My first UW camera was a Nikonos I, now on the bottom of the Atlantic at about 4000m depth near 70W, 34N, if anybody wants to look for it. Lost about 1982. I'd had the camera since 1968 when I bought it at a Canadian PX in Europe. Those early guys and gals were my heros. Saw Cathy Church recently at Sunset House...

 

[Green Frog]

@BoltSnap, here are a couple of his books I bought in the early ‘90s or maybe a little earlier. Both were ‘71 printings, but Underwater Photography was first released in 1956. I also have one of his fish and reef ID books, but I left it downstairs as I was researching photography books specifically.
BTW, my first UW camera was an Instamatic in a plastic UW case, used snorkeling in the Bahamas. I had Minolta, Sea&Seas, and then a bunch of Nikonos of various Marks. My all time favorite was a trusty old Nik II maintained by the late Bob Warkinton. He put one of his clever flash port connections in it so I could use it with S&S and Ikelight strobes.

 

[Gene]

We'll see who all adds in here. I grew up mostly in the Tampa Bay area with my dad being a photographer in the 60s and 70s and beyond, but he shot photojournalism above water. I started shooting underwater while interning for the Miami Herald Palm Beach bureau in the 90s using their Nikonos gear and loved it! It inspired me to get the Nikon Action Touch that I could take underwater down to 30 feet or so, which I did, even on some photo assignments. Eventually, once I moved into shooting digitally in the early 2000s, I got an underwater housing, which I also used on film sets as a sound blimp to silence the shutter sound. All before mirror cameras came out years later. And yes, it became so much easier to be able to shoot more frames underwater AND be able to see instant results!

 

[Green Frog]

Greenberg did his publishing via Seahawk Press at 6840 SW 92nd St in Miami. I have always wondered whether that was his personal publisher.