The Montreal-based photographer Benjamin Von Wong is well known for his surreal-looking photographs often involving fire in spectacular locations. This time, he went below the surface to shoot some literally breathtaking images. Wong took to the coast of Bali to take pictures of free divers, turned into models, in a sunken shipwreck 25m underwater.
However, even though the result almost looks magical, the photoshoot required a lot of different features from the usual photo session. First, shooting underwater means having to work with what was available and safe to use; on-camera strobes or simply natural light. Also, normal assistants would not work; specially trained safety divers were necessary to ensure a smooth session. Normal clothes would also have been wrecked by the sea water, the photographer thus had to find a designer who specialises in waterproof dresses, called Ali Charisma. Finally, the two captivating mermaids are actually full-time free divers who notably had to hold their breath for 3/4 minutes at a time.
Such an impressive organisation, but we can all agree that it was absolutely worth it. Check out the full project here: http://www.vonwong.com/blog/baliunderwater/
