Underwater photography has got to be one of my most favorite past times. Not only do I just love being in the water, whether it be a pool or the ocean, there is something to be said for the sheer delight that kids have in the water. Having always been infatuated with water, it’s not a surprise that underwater photography suits me. What’s so nice about photographing kids under the water is that they are having FUN. If you ask them to swim this way or jump over you or whatever, it’s NO BIG DEAL because they’re in the water and happy. I don’t know if there’s a much more happy sound than the sounds of splashing and laughing and jubilant shouts of “Marco Polo!!!” And if the noise gets too much, I just submerge myself in the gentle cradle of the water and cherish the muted sounds of water, bubbles, and kids screaming.

I love the water and feel beyond blessed every time I get a chance to put my camera in the water.

This Spring Break, I visited my sister who has a pool! It’s a saline pool which means it’s easy on the eyes and skin. The only problem? My sister lives too far away from me. Le sigh…

One of my favorite things about underwater photography is how surreal it is to be underwater… the floating, the movement, the light, the reflections. It makes me feel wildly creative.

Thanks for looking! And if you’re interested in learning about underwater editing, check out my photographer website, shineworkshop.com. 

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For a long time, people have been asking me if I would sell my sky overlays and cloud brushes. And for whatever reason, I never got my act together to do it. Until now.

Introducing My new store, SHINE WORKSHOP!!!!

I’m selling my sky overlays, brushes, actions to help you with placing your skies, AND video tutorials on how I do what I do to get a believable sky. I am obsessed with skies. Obsessed. I have a huge catalog of sky images that I have compiled over many years and am sharing my favorites with YOU.

Besides being able to get this sky package which is totally amazing, if I do say so myself, I also am being a little more open about the fact that I offer one on one mentoring and portfolio reviews. Until now, I only really shared my pricing on that if someone asked. So, I’m changing things up. I plan on continuing to add to the store, so be sure to check back!

Check out these before and afters! My tutorials walk you through the steps to get each of these edits!

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I have always been obsessed with being underwater. There was a period in my life where I dreamt about swimming with dolphins at least three times a week. I lived in Hawaii for a couple of years before I started physical therapy school, and I learned to surf. I learned to respect and love the water. When I started to learn photography, I never in a million years thought that I would end up where I am right now: underwater with my camera. It’s seriously a dream come true. There is something about being underwater that fills my soul. I love the sound. I love the quiet. I love the light and the colors. I love how we move underwater.

And if anyone knows me, they know I also love to edit. I love taking an image, seeing its potential, and bringing that to life through editing. Editing images underwater presents it’s own set of challenges. The color straight out of camera is less than desirable. Skin is often blue. Clarity is lacking. What you see when you look underwater with your goggles is an entirely different thing than what your camera captures. But for me, that’s part of why I love underwater photography. I can uncover that beauty. See what I originally saw, and in many cases, see something even more beautiful than what I originally saw.

Last year, I put my camera into a DiCAPac bag and said a little prayer every time I did. Every image had the port in it, and it was a pain to edit it out of every image, but I did it, and did it gladly, because I knew I would love the final result. Here are some images shot last year. This year, I took the plunge (pardon the pun) and bought SPL housing for my Canon 5dMkIII and a port for my 16-35L lens. I have taken my underwater housing into the pool exactly one time so far this year. I threw out over 200 images. The sun was in and out of the clouds that day, and I quickly found that I craved that sunlight. When the sun would peek out of the clouds, I would beg the kids to do what I told them and do it NOW before the sun was gone. And bonus? Because they were having a great time in the water, they were happy to oblige. Anyone who takes pictures of their kids a lot knows that getting their kids to cooperate is often more than half the battle.

And do you know what happened? Magic happened. My soul lifted. My heart laughed. I felt light.

Here are some of the images I captured that day. I cannot wait to continue this journey and hope you join me.

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Let’s actually start with two from last year that I didn’t edit until this year. My crazy splashers.

My little man.

And here’s the same guy this year. This was the first one that I edited when I got home, and my heart was in my throat. I was so excited. And just to give you an idea…. here’s an image before any editing. Straight out of camera: blue and murky.

My swimming beauty.Wild Child. This one makes me happy.Our fingers were wrinkled. We’d been in the water for maybe an hour and a half. My camera said I had one more picture on my camera, so I turned the camera on me and my kids. I might be happiest in the water with my camera and kids.

And if you are interested in learning more about editing in both Lightroom and Photoshop, check out my SHINE ~ Unleash Your Awesome Workshop. It’s the last week to register!…