Underwater Engagement Photos in the Florida Springs
If you are looking for a unique way to show off saying yes to your bestest friend proposing and celebrating this exciting chapter in your life, consider underwater engagement photos!
Underwater engagement photos are an upcoming trend I am seeing with adventurous couples who want to do out of the ordinary activates and are planning an adventurous wedding.
Although these photos look majestic they are not as easy as it seems. It can take multiple tries to capture one good photo but this experience is super fun and so worth the hard work!
CRYSTAL RIVER FLORIDA SPRINGS ADVENTURE
Emilie & Jeremy’s time with me was an all day adventure (literally 9am – 5pm). It was my first time visiting Crystal River, Florida so E + J invited me onto their boat and we explored MILES of Crystal River’s water. We boated out to the ocean, almost got launched out of my seat from the waves of other boats, and snorkled many different springs Crystal River had to offer.
Once the sun was in the sky at the perfect time we adventured to the Three Sister Springs to capture their photos underwater. Yes the water was really that blue!
I was warned ahead of time by a really good friend who has lived in Florida half of their life to wear a water suit because of how cold the water is. They weren’t kidding! The springs water was ice cold! We only lasted about one hour because of how freezing the temperature was, my lips were even turning blue!
But E + J were troopers and we all had so much fun taking photos and boating around Crystal River. After warming up in towels and the warm sun we boated back to the dock and watched the sun set over the Florida Springs.
WHERE TO TAKE UNDERWATER ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS
Underwater engagement photos can be taken anywhere! Your backyard pool, the ocean, or for this couple the Florida Springs in Crystal River!
Swimming pools are great for easy accessibility and you don’t have to travel far. Because of the already clear water you don’t have to worry about dirt floating around you or objects in the water getting in the way. If you aren’t the best swimmer this is also a great choice for your underwater engagement photos.
The ocean and the Florida Springs are always the first place I will recommend taking your photos because of how clear the water can be, how tropical your photo background will look, how stunning the colors and lighting are in your photos, and the way the water moves! Imagine going underwater and watching the waves crash on top of you in your photos! So cool, right?!
WHAT TO WEAR FOR YOUR UNDERWATER PHOTOSHOOT
Clothes or swimsuit? It’s up to you! If you aren’t the strongest swimmer or have no experience swimming with clothes (which weighs a lot heavier and is extremely difficult to swim in), I recommend wearing no clothes or a lightweight swim suit.
If you’re comfortable wearing clothes underwater my favorite outfits are neutral colors for the men and flowy dresses for the women.
For men I suggest black, khaki, or white pants and a white button down shirt.
For women I highly recommend a solid color dress – no patterns because they can be really difficult to edit and the colors underwater can change into weird tones too. White, black, red, and yellow dresses are always the best! Depending on how long the train of your dress is it will affect the difficulty it is to swim because it often wraps around your legs and weighs you down when trying to stay afloat.
TIPS FOR YOUR UNDERWATER ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS
If you’ve never taken photos underwater and want to after seeing this post, do not be afraid! Underwater photos are more work than normal engagement photos but with how unique and stunning your gallery turns out I think they’re worth it!
Before your photoshoot, after contacting me we will either communicate through text or phone call to consult about what to wear for your photoshoot, where I recommend taking photos, and how good of a swimmer you are!
TIPS TO CONSIDER WHEN PLANNING FOR YOUR UNDERWATER PHOTOSHOOT
– Find a cheap outfit you are OK with getting dirty – like a thrifted outfit or a shirt you haven’t worn in a long time.
– Depending on where your underwater photoshoot location is you will need access to a boat + boat driving experience! If you are considering the ocean or one of Florida’s beautiful natural springs you may need to park at a boating dock and drive your boat for miles until we get to the photoshoot location.
– You will need more than one hour for photos! If you are wanting swimming pool photos I recommend two hours minimum for photos just so you can catch your breath, relax, and get your energy back with water and snacks. Also because it is underwater you will feel like you have less control of your body so you would need to repeat poses. If you are wanting a photoshoot in nature, like the ocean or Florida Springs, you will need extra time to drive to the location, dock or anchor your boat, and then go into the water for your photoshoot.
– For clear, crisp, and sunny photos.. Midday is the best time to photograph your photos! You want a lot of light to reflect underwater (but not too much) and get some good contrast in your photos!
– Bring goggles to see underwater! Photographing couples with goggle is awkward and in my opinion takes away the emotion from the photo. Depending on what water type you are shooting in (fresh water, salt, or chlorine) it can burn your eyes so closing them before taking your googles off for the photo is my best advice for you.
– Bring a floatation object. If you are in deep water and cannot stand or hold onto anything to stay afloat, having a hard surface like a surfboard or boogie board is an item to add to your packing list! Believe me from personal experience. My first underwater photoshoot I was wearing a long trained dress above 20 feet of water with no floatation object to hold onto for 45 minutes. Thankfully I know how to float on my back using no energy but oh boy was that so tiring.
– Don’t forget snacks and water! Underwater photos will feel like a workout once you are done. You will be holding your breath, swimming, fighting against the underwater anti-gravity, and moving around a lot. Having snacks and water with you is so important.
What do you think? Would you consider taking photos underwater for your engagement photos?
HEY, I’M KELCEE!
adventure elopement
+ INTIMATE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
I’m here to help you with all things adventure & weddings. Planning your wedding day is one of the most exciting and biggest decisions you will make in life and you are not alone!
I’ll help you plan your best day ever, take away any stress you are experiencing and support you as your new best friend.
Your wedding is the experience of a lifetime and you deserve not only the support for doing what you love but also the best quality photos that tell your love story that will last a lifetime.
Wow. These are gorgeous! Thank you for including tips for those trying to create their own underwater photo shoot!
WHATTTT???!!! These underwater photos are so incredible!!! I also love that you included information about how to do a session underwater!
These are stunning! Like a frame out of a movie! I never thought to take engagement photos underwater, thanks for sharing these tips!
How cool!!!!! These photos are so neat! What a cool idea and a great way to create some unique memories.
I would loooooove to do an underwater session! either behind the camera or in front, i just can’t hold my breath for that long LOL but your photos are amazing!!
This content is gold. I haven’t seen such a cool engagement shoot for a while. Underwater photography is such a unique experience for couples. Thanks for sharing the tips too!
Whoa!!! These underwater images are really well done! Your underwater housing for your camera must be top notch – the clarity is just divine! And yes, sign me up for an all day underwater photo shoot!