Story Behind a Split-Level Image: Surfacing 🏊🏻‍♀️

Plus: A Reader Question about carrying a second camera body 📷

Jan 08, 2024

As this newsletter goes out, I’m just landing in Bolivia after two days of transit for a scouting mission, in preparation for one of OFFBEAT’s 2025 workshops. I was last in Bolivia 20 years ago during a backpacking trip through South America. That was long before I became a photographer, so I am more than excited to return with the camera and capture the famous salt flats and other natural wonders of this fine country!

Here’s what’s in this month’s edition of Fuelled by Creativity:

Behind the Image: Surfacing
Reader Question: When do you carry a second camera body?
Launching: Genesis

Til next month!

Behind the Image: Surfacing

Shot with AquaTech housing, dome port, Canon R5
and Canon 15-35mm f/2.8 lens

Photo: Paul Zizka. Model: Meghan J. Ward.

This image was shot during our recent family holiday in Cuba. Although photo opportunities are abundant on that magical island, I didn’t pull out the camera much because the trip was mostly about family time. But I couldn’t pass up taking a few shots at the Cueva de Saturno (Saturn’s Cave) given its tremendous potential for surreal underwater imagery!

My wife Meg and I went about the trip the way we usually do: I wear my “dad” hat for the majority of the trip, but usually block off time when Meg will handle the kids and I momentarily revert to being a photographer to go all out with the camera gear. That means Meg is never part of those creative sessions. This time, however, we travelled with Meg’s mom, who kindly offered to stay at our guesthouse (we’re not really the all-inclusive type) while Meg and I did the 20-minute walk to the nearby chasm to see what imagery we could come up with!

I scouted out the place on a previous visit, so I already had a few ideas in mind by the time we returned to the site. Most of those ideas revolved around the “over/under” concept, where you immerse the lens only partially to merge elements from both above and below the surface of the water. I have extensive experience shooting these types of images, usually in turbulent and/or cold water. Fortunately, the water was calm and much warmer than the glacial lakes of the Rockies. Plus, barely anyone else was around giving us several hours of uninterrupted shooting time.

This time, the challenges were different, with a lack of light being the main one. Because the composition I was after in this image required me to shoot while floating in 20 metres of water, a tripod wasn’t helpful. I resorted to a life jacket (to minimize camera shake), high ISO (this is shot at ISO 6400), and fairly static poses from Meg in order to make this one happen. Another, less expected challenge was that there was actually a current in the cave, so I would keep drifting as I shot, and my composition would slowly fall apart. This required constant readjusting, and timing my movements perfectly with Meg’s so that I would press the shutter when she was just in the right spot and almost motionless.

After 10 or so minutes of various attempts and tweaks, we got it right, and the raw file, shot at f/2.8 and 1/10s looks very close to what you see here. The main adjustment I made is that I shot an additional frame right after this one with the focus on the cave ceiling so that I could do a quick focus blend and achieve maximum sharpness.

I hope you enjoy the result! Read more about our experience in Cuba on Field Notes.

Reader Question of the Month

Want to ask something? Submit your question here!

Q: Under what circumstances do you carry a second camera body? When you have a second body, do you prefer one to be full frame and the other crop sensor?

A: I’ll start by saying that I bring a second body with me whenever I’m not carrying gear on my back for an extended period of time. A multi-day mountaineering trip is one example where I’ll head off with only one body. But I love having two bodies for a couple of different reasons.

For one, I love the peace of mind of having a backup in case one body becomes unusable. The reason for that would very likely be human error (I accidentally put the camera underwater or send it hurtling down a cliff, for example), as opposed to camera failure. That assumption is based on how durable Canon gear has been over the years and on my reputation for taking chances with gear at times and not being very good at “pampering” it. Should an unfortunate incident happen, I love knowing that I may have a second chance (provided I still have a working lens…).
I also love having a second body for efficiency’s sake. If I commit one camera to a time-consuming operation like a time-lapse, or star trails, then I like to have a free body that allows me to keep working on other ideas.
Lastly, I occasionally like having a second body that is different from the first one, which allows me to better shoot specific types of images. An obvious example would be wildlife photography, where I might want to have a cropped sensor that will get me closer to the action. On my upcoming trips to Kenya and Madagascar, where I know wildlife will abound, I will likely leave the country with both an R5 and an R7 so I can capitalize on as many opportunities as possible.

Image taken in Botswana back in 2021. I enjoy having two camera bodies for wildlife photography so that I can be as opportunistic as possible. Photo: Paul Zizka

Want to ask something? Submit your question here!

Launching Genesis: Journey of an Image

November 6-10, 2024 | Banff, Alberta

Join us for 5 days at one of Banff’s premier establishments, Buffalo Mountain Lodge, for a creative retreat exploring the genesis of image-making. This truly unique workshop experience will take you from image conception to capture, into the editing room and beyond.

In a world that encourages volume over value, Genesis goes against the grain by focusing on the craft as you create three portfolio-worthy images. To achieve this, we’ll cover every step of the creative process, from visualization to image capture, editing, and printing. Learn more about register here.

Learn More + Register