Made to look impossible
Underwater Portrait Photography
Underwater portraits made in the studio pool or on location, where your hair lifts, fabric blooms around you and nothing holds you down.
It’s a studio shoot that happens underwater
Lights, backdrops, wardrobe, set pieces, props: it all works underwater. Whether that happens in the studio pool or out in the ocean or a spring, what comes back is a portrait that couldn’t have been made anywhere else.
Teaching you to model underwater is part of every session, so you arrive as you are, with no experience needed. If you’re already a model or an underwater performer, we dive right in and spend the session building portfolio work.
Abbey is in the water with you the whole time, coaching breath-hold and movement, and she has coached first-timers for years. Justin comes from film: he’s a storyteller, and he builds every portrait like a cinematic shot. The picture is your idea as much as ours, and you have a say in every frame.
What people tell us afterward is that it was far easier than they expected, and that they had no idea they could look that good in a photograph. The difference between your first dip and your last is night and day: everything slows down, your face relaxes, and your hair and the fabric swirl and flow in just the right way.
Justin Lutsky is a total professional. Always responsive, on time, with great follow up, he is also extremely talented, creative and super easy to work with. His calm and thoughtful manner makes the day fun and stress-free. I would recommend him to anyone!
Hannah Mermaid Fraser
After you have done one of their underwater modeling workshops you will be hooked, and a normal boring vacation just won't compare. It's going to suck!
Onyx Merman
Submerge is nothing short of extraordinary. It boasts an unparalleled level of professionalism, meticulous attention to detail, and model coaching. The company ensures the safety of its team and models by maintaining a large safety team.
Orlando D
I had the best experience with submerged underwater with Justin and Abby. They made you feel comfortable, and they are so much fun and knowledgeable very professional, in taking pictures! I would not go anywhere else.
Jocelyn Ferrer
Justin is an incredible photographer and a great guy to work with. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking to do an underwater shoot.
Adam Roa
I have worked with Justin numerous times, and each time I am blown away by his professionalism, creativity and passion for photography. He puts everyone around him at ease and is very easy to work with. Quick turnaround with images. I would highly recommend Justin Lutsky Photography.
Linnea Snyderman
No two sessions alike
We shoot a range of underwater portraits, from clean and classic to elaborate built worlds and themed sets. Every session is crafted to capture your personality and produce images that are unmistakably yours, whether that means beauty and fashion, fine art, fantasy, mermaids or cosplay characters.
Looking for something more specific? Explore maternity, boudoir, bridal, mermaid and fantasy and cosplay sessions.
Fashion Suits, coats and statement pieces, shot on a wreck, a reef or in the pool.
Beauty and glamour Close portraits built on hair, makeup, jewelry and color.
Dresses and fabric Ruffles, gowns and long fabric that billow and drift around you.
Where we shoot
A pool, the ocean and a spring each give you a different picture and a different day. Choosing between them is usually the first thing we do together.
The studio pool, Fullerton
Heated to 90°F, so you stay warm from the first frame to the last. Your own playlist plays underwater while you work, and a screen at the edge of the pool shows the frames we just shot. Watching yourself become one of these pictures is usually the moment the nerves go. A second feed runs to the living room, where whoever came with you can watch. There’s a private changing room and a bathroom. See the studio.
This is the most predictable water we work in: the same conditions every session, whatever the weather. The most stylized sessions happen here: high fashion, fine art, and any picture with a lot to get right in one frame. If you haven’t done this before, this is the water to start in.
The ocean
Kelp forests run up toward the light. A reef opens out behind you, sunlight breaks apart as it comes down through the surface, and fish move through the shot while we work. Out here an animal can swim into the frame and change the picture entirely. We have photographed people in the water with sharks and with mantas, close enough that the animal is the second subject.
An ocean session is an adventure. Conditions decide what the day looks like, and a large part of what we do out here is read the water and build the shot around it. The frame nobody planned is often the one you end up printing.
An open water session runs somewhere we have already dived and scouted, which out here is a safety decision before it is a creative one. We bring a team of safety divers, sized to the location, and every client rehearses the session in the pool before it goes anywhere near open water. Choose the ocean when you want the pictures to feel wild.
Springs and cenotes
Springs and cenotes hold the clearest water we ever work in. Limestone walls and cavern mouths stand behind you, and light comes down through the opening in beams with crisp edges. Some drop away into the deep. Others are shallow enough to capture the floor, the surface and the trees standing above them in one frame.
A spring is the hybrid. It looks like nowhere you could build, and the water behaves like the studio: the temperature holds, the visibility holds, and the water stays calm. Choose a spring when you want the natural version and a day you can plan.
Start to finish
Plan it
Get in touch to book a consultation. We get to know you and your project, then plan the session with you down to the creative details, including the best time and place to shoot, anywhere in the world.
Shoot it
Our goal is to transform you into a stunning work of art, and to make the day itself fun, collaborative and safe, so you can be at your best. You should leave having created images that make you feel great about yourself and about what you can accomplish.
Deliver it
We share previews of every image captured during your session. You pick your favorites, and every one you choose goes through our creative editing process.
Safety
We’ve been water people our whole lives, so safety gets planned before the pictures do.
Justin shoots, and he’s been photographing underwater for over a decade; he’s also a PADI Dive Instructor. Abbey coaches, in the water beside you the whole time: how to go down, how to make it look easy, when to come up. She’s a PADI Mermaid Instructor and an experienced freediver who spent years teaching children to swim.
Everything runs at your pace. You go down when you’re ready, you come up when you want to, and you rest at the surface as long as you like in between.
There’s never any pressure to perform. We take care of the safety, so all you think about is the pictures.
Are you scuba certified?
SCUBA-assisted photo sessions
If you’re SCUBA certified, working on compressed air with a team of safety divers puts locations within reach that freediving alone can’t, and it lets you wear things you could never work in on a single breath.
It’s also the most relaxing way to shoot. Swimming up and down between every frame is what tires a model out, and on air you stay where you are. A team of experienced divers is around you the whole time, watching you and nothing else. All that’s left for you to do is perform. We communicate underwater between shots, make adjustments, and keep going until it’s right.
Shoots like this were once reserved for film productions and a handful of well-known performers. With a team of safety divers beside you, they’re open to any certified diver, and our signature images come from these sessions.
The same session runs several times across a week on our workshop trips, and we’ve taken groups of aspiring underwater models all over the world. Plenty of them had only just learned to dive. By the end of a trip they’re posing effortlessly on a shipwreck on the sea floor, floating above a coral reef, dancing through the marine life like they have gills. They’re ordinary people who found out what they could do with the right training and the right team around them.
The team, the planning and the protocols are what make it work. Every client starts in a classroom on the concepts, then trains in a pool where we practice the skills and rehearse the session before anyone goes near open water.
Extras for your session
- Hair and makeup
We book a professional artist for you on request, one who works in waterproof makeup and hair that holds up underwater.
- Mermaid tails and tops
Realistic tails and tops to rent from our own collection.
- Gowns and fabrics
Gowns and lengths of fabric to rent from our own collection, chosen to flow underwater.
- Couples and groups
More than one person in the frame, coached together.
- Behind the scenes video
Your session, filmed from above and below the water: raw clips, an edited reel, or both.
- Fine art prints
Canvas, metal or framed. They hold up at gallery size because the frames were shot and finished for it.
Ask about an underwater portrait session
Tell us the picture you’re imagining. If you don’t have one yet, we’ll find it together on a call. You’ll be talking to Justin and Abbey, the same two people who’ll be in the water with you.
Who you'll be in the water with
Justin Lutsky
Underwater Photographer & Cinematographer
PADI Dive Instructor · Public Safety Diver
Abbey Blake
Underwater Performer & Talent Coach
PADI Mermaid Instructor · Freediver
Frequently asked questions
I'm hesitant or worried about booking. I'm not sure I could ever do this. What should I do?
It is completely normal to feel a mix of excitement and nerves! Many of our clients are not professional models and have never done anything like this before. We specialize in making the impossible feel accessible. If you are feeling unsure, please reach out to us for a chat. We are happy to walk you through the process step-by-step, discuss your specific concerns, and help you decide if this adventure is right for you, no pressure attached.
Do I need to be a strong swimmer?
Not at all! You do not need to be a professional swimmer or diver to get great photos. For our studio sessions, we work in a controlled, heated pool where safety is our top priority. We coach you through specific breath-holding techniques and poses that look effortless but only require you to be underwater for a few seconds at a time. We also have a "float" available at the surface at all times for you to rest.
How long do I need to hold my breath?
Not long at all! In the pool, all it takes is a few seconds to get a great shot, so a massive lung capacity is not important. For our ocean shoots, we often conduct SCUBA-assisted photo sessions where safety divers are readily available with air, allowing you to stay submerged comfortably between takes.
Does it hurt to open my eyes underwater?
Generally, no! In our pool studio, we maintain the water chemistry meticulously to ensure it is gentle on the eyes. On location, natural water is gentler still: ocean saltwater is natural to the eye, and spring water is fresh and clean, so neither stings the way chlorine can. We guide you on how to relax your face so you look comfortable and serene.
What should I wear?
Fabric moves differently underwater than it does on land. We recommend flowy fabrics like chiffon, tulle, or organza that drift elegantly in the water. Avoid heavy fabrics that become weighed down when wet. If you aren't using our wardrobe, we can guide you on where to source the best outfits during your consultation.
What is the turnaround time for my images?
We know you are excited to see your photos! Typically, you will receive your proofing gallery within 1 week of the shoot. Once you make your final selections, the finished, high-end retouched images are usually delivered within 4–6 weeks.
