Did you know I have an underwater camera? Pool party playdate!
Did you know I have an underwater camera? Pool party playdate!
Pool Party Photographer
My favorite shot from the day! How long can we do this with kiddos before they get too big? Now they will remember this forever. Ok, ok its also a favorite because of the action of the water droplets! I love water!
Need a Pool Party Photographer? I was incredibly lucky to get an opportunity to photograph some special kiddos in my life at the pool twice this week!
One pool party session was an outdoor setting and the other an indoor setting.
It was a great opportunity to play around with my little underwater camera I purchased almost a decade ago!
Even though eyes closed is not the traditionally loved image, this is one of my favorites. He is so calm and happy in this moment, just enjoying the present. We adults can do this too right?
More about the camera:
This was one of the first smaller pro canon cameras that were released for professionals who wanted to be discreet. It turned out there was a waterproof housing for it as well so naturally as a water lover I bought it up.
Because this camera is from several years ago the resolutions isn’t quite as amazing as I am used to now but its still in that great zone of “better than cell phone” and “not as top notch as my super expensive fancy camera”.
It gets the job done though and the kids love being allowed to splish splash this particular camera (in its water proof housing) to their hearts content without getting in trouble. What kid doesn’t wanna be wild and free to do whatever and there be no consequences?
Side story: when I got my new phone I wanted to test the resolution in a low light indoor pool situation and kiddo kept splashing the brand new phone…eeeek.
What service am I offering here?
This particular session was a very candid no pressure situation. I wanted to test the speed and efficiency of the camera and learn how to adapt to it so I can anticipate and capture those awesome shots.
I love water and LOVE pool parties so I want to start offering serviced that are geared towards that.
This would be the perfect session for the family that loves the water or swimming. Families that want a candid family photo session. Having something to do is important and this is a great and unique activity to capture.
When going swimming with me as your photographer there is a great opportunity to get a variety of facial expressions, action, connection and all-round fun.
The images that would be received are perfect for hanging on the wall! Sharing to social media channels would be a unique way to share your family or lifestyle.
Love that this pool had a playtime with green toys one of the most durable kinds of toys out there!
Should we be outside or inside?
There is a significant difference between the two settings. Outdoor vs indoors. There are personal reasons and then there are practicalities to think about.
Me and kiddo getting a selfie in. Look at how the sunscreen really blocked the water from being absorbed, it just sits there.
Those little flags just have this symbolism of “summer is here”!
Why should you have a pool party photographer at your indoor pool session?
If you have a love hate relationship with sunscreen like me this is a great option for you. No worries about sunscreen and you don’t even have to wear rash guards, if sun is the reason you wear it.
Indoor session is very muted, but not uninteresting. The air bubbles you see in the first shot photograph differently in an indoor or shaded area vs sunlight.
Indoor pool – we made some funny faces and that was lot of fun!
Why should you have a pool party photographer at your outdoor pool session?
Please remember me, lol.
The natural light is incomparable to indoor fluorescent light. The way the sun plays upon the water creates something other worldly.
Pool sessions right now are only an hour long, so you would only need to put sunscreen on for a short while.
Colors pop even if the bathing suit worn is a muted color. Read more below about colorful bathing wear.
Everything is much sharper when outdoors.
Love how the water looks from down below. Even if I miss a face shot I get something beautiful in this kind of swimming session.
But what do I recommend?
Ultimately outdoor sessions are way better. The way the sunlight plays upon the water ripples and the shadows and light areas it creates on the subjects is by far more interesting and eye popping that an indoor setting.
Having a me as your photographer at either of these sessions is a great opportunity regardless to get unique looking images.
Outdoors is my favorite. The images below are mostly outdoor and speak for themselves.
Do outdoors if you can.
Swimming milestones and progress are some of the most exciting times in your kiddos life. Just this week one kiddo got brave enough to jump in and the other achieved dunking his face in the water with joy.
These milestones move quickly around the 3-5yr age group so it’s a great time to do a session.
Side story: One of the kiddos in my life hated having his picture taken but the minute I got this particular camera out he couldn’t stop posing. So if this is a concern of yours maybe this is the kind of session you need.
Its a great picture that he looked its eve better with mom in the background and the little air bubbles adding an element of wonder.
What kind of bathing wear should you wear to the pool party photo session?
Bright primary saturated colors photograph very well and black. I always convert to black and white because that makes the image’s focus all about the emotion, movement and action. So sometimes the color does not even matter.
Such a cute little face!
One Final Jump In:
This was a great two-day experiment and now I simply cannot go to the pool without the underwater camera anymore. I want to keep getting better at this. If you want to do a family session or have me photograph your pool party, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via email or the contact tab above.
These are four of my favorite color shots. Color is fun but I adore black and white.
I love getting those little details in a pool setting, so much more interesting.
Check out another candid session I did here: https://shannapaxton.co/2021/06/candid-photographer-olympia/
