Underwater Portrait Photography on Dartmoor
As a photographer who revels in experimenting, I have kind of “fallen” into underwater photography and now I’m embroiled in an unexpected side quest to attempt to create interesting images in Dartmoor’s waterways.
It all started quite some time ago now, when I met Waterpiskie on Instagram both sharing a love of jumping in Dartmoor rivers and generally getting covered in mud.
Nothing solid was ever put in place, but we’d chatted on and off about shooting some water based images at a future date.
Shot with an incredibly inexpensive “fake” gopro camera, but kickstarting my interest in underwater photography.
With my artistic sabbatical in full swing, and Waterpiskie having eventually recovered from the emotional, mental and physical stress of completing her PhD, we took the opportunity in June 2025 to meet up and shoot some River Dart based images.
Whilst we were discussing possible locations, it became apparent that we also shared similar favourite swimming spots along the River Dart 😁
Although I’d never claim to be anywhere near as obsessed with being in the water as Waterpiskie, it was rather reassuring to learn that I have fairly decent taste in watering holes 🤣
We arrived at the first spot and had the slightly awkward conversation where Waterpiskie pointed out she may have omitted to make it clear in our chats that she only ever swam naked 😮
We spent time at both Bell Pool and Sarrah Pool and both of us were really pleased with the results.
Most of the shots were above the waterline with my standard Sony a7r, however what surprised us most were the interesting underwater images we achieved with a very cheap 4K video camera setup to shoot stills 📷
Waterpiskie underwater in The River Dart
Spurred on by the success of out first trip to The Dart, I did a little research and stumbled upon a waterproof housing for my compact camera (Sony RX100) on eBay for only £25 (the seller obtained it from a house clearance and couldn’t guarantee it worked) … gamble accepted!
Unlike doing the Lottery, this gamble paid off … It works 🤣
Ikelite Underwater Camera Housing - eBay Bargain!
A few weeks later we returned to The Dart and took some with the underwater housing.
This time Waterpiskie decided to go against her rule, and wear some clothes! To be honest, the fabric of the dress adds to the amazing pre-Raphaelite feel of these images.
I was overjoyed with the results 😍
It’s fair to say that underwater photography isn’t at all easy, and it comes with it’s fair share of quite unique problems.
You quickly realise that you need a face mask in order to have some semblance of control of the camera, though I’m happy to admit, some of these images were achieved by focussing beforehand and clicking away randomly in the hope something could be salvaged from the chaos 🤣
Underwater is very much darker than on the surface, hence the reason the best results seem to be when the bright sunshine is cutting through the “not always clear” river water.
Holding my breath has never been a problem for me, a misspent youth snorkelling and generally messing about at the seaside means I’m rather good at being underwater. The problem arises when you realise that taking deep breaths and holding them, makes you even more buoyant than you usually are. In a flowing river, this means you are often several metres further away from your subject than you thought you were when you dived below the surface.
The stop gap solution to this appears to be to exhale your air and sit (or float) in a position where you have a little more control of your body (as a kind of bony tripod)😁
Several people have suggested that I need diving weights, however, the thought of carrying many kilos of lead onto the moor is not a prospect that I am at all happy about.
Although, I’ve yet to trial my idea, I have a 20 litre collapsible water container that I plan to utilise for the job.
The Magnificent Charlie in the River Walkham
Spurred on by the success of my experiments with Waterpiskie, I have taken the time to shoot a few more underwater images. My friend Charlie (who I have worked with a number of times) jumped at the chance to try something new and we managed to create some mesmerising pre-Raphaelite-esque images that I am truly proud of.
You can find Charlie on TikTok as funkymandalalala 😍
The effects you can achieve in fairly shallow water is really impressive, Though it’s the shafts of light that I feel give these images that magical edge.
Kate of Dogberry & Finch Bookshop in Okehampton
The brilliant Kate, owner of Dogberry & Finch Okehampton's own independent bookshop. A self confessed “not a morning person”, it was particularly awesome of Kate to jump into the East Okement early on a breezy July day in 2025 to help me out with my latest hairbrained experiments 😍
Kate has been a tour de force not only in supporting me as I’ve attempted to make a mark in the world of Dartmoor Photography, but in supporting all forms of authors, artists and performers, you can see what events she has coming up and several past events on her website 📖
Poppy-Jayne Jones: Poetry, Performance and Song
Later in the year I had the pleasure of meeting up with poet Poppy-Jayne near Grenofen and spending a little more time in the River Walkham. Capturing some more Pre-Raphaelite inspired photographs.
Underwater photography carries with it a plethora of dangers, not least that your camera might get wet (mine at present seems to be seized with a tiny tiny piece of sand from a beach) however, if you’d like to swim in a river on Dartmoor and you’re not keen on getting lost, drop me a line and I’d be happy to guide you to some beautiful spots. This is a chance to wild swim, “not” and offer to shoot your portrait under water … however …
Collaborative with me on my Dartmoor Underwater Portrait Project
Dartmoor's wild peat stained rivers, waterfalls and magical moorland pools can provide breath takingly beautiful and unique backdrops for my experimental underwater portrait photography project.
This is not your conventional photography experience. If nothing else, it requires genuine commitment, physical confidence in sometimes extremely cold, open water, and, of course, a willingness to embrace the unexpected.
If you're comfortable submerging yourself in water (and opening your eyes), and you’re genuinely excited by the prospect of creating something truly dreamlike, I'd love to hear from you 😍
This is a collaboration, previous underwater experience is advantageous but not at all essential.
What matters most is confidence, commitment, and a great creative spirit. Feel free to message me.