By Lucy Lazarony
Harry Martin, an Emmy-award winning New York TV news anchorman and journalist, began taking underwater glam photography about three years ago.
“Basically think of it as a fashion shoot underwater,” Martin says.
An exhibition of Martin’s dream-like underwater images are on display at the Boynton Beach Library, 208 S. Seacrest Blvd., through Sept. 9.
His first model was his wife, as she swam by coral reefs during a scuba-diving vacation.
“You can just get such amazing shots underwater,” Martin explains. “I started to get an inkling that this would be a cool genre to pursue.”
He shoots “what people do every day and puts it underwater” and the models he works with share in the creative process.”
Martin and the model will practice the shoot in an above ground studio before hitting the water.
“You have to establish a rapport. There has to be co-creative spirit,” Martin says.
He also likes to see how the costume will likely fall when the model moves underwater.
In Sally Flying, model Sally Wilson looks like she is in a freefall underwater.
With pearls in her deep red hair, deep red lipstick and rhinestones on her eyelids, her bright yellow dress billows above her.
Lots of ideas for photos happen on the spot. He may find things from around the house to throw in as well.
“I appropriate things from my kids and my wife,” Martin says. “If it’s not nailed down, it probably ends up in the pool.”
Model Zoe West showed up for her modeling shoot wearing a bubblegum pink Halloween costume.
Once Martin feels ready, he and the model will move to the pool.
“It’s almost like a dance. She’ll go underwater and I’ll go underwater,” Martin says.
“Really good photographers are great at reading body language. You kind of get her timing.
I don’t think we’re underwater for more than 20 seconds at most, maybe 15, to come down and come up. Sometimes, it takes a little longer. I usually do one shot per submersion.”
Martin uses the sun as his primary light source and he is intrigued by the way the surface of the water “almost acts as a funhouse mirror for the light.”
“There is something enchanting about water. It just gives it another character,” Martin says.
The more Martin shoots underwater the more he is moving away from simple, more traditional portraits to more abstracted photos. He’s even done abstracted nudes, with two female models seated with their legs crossed with bouquets of flowers between them in Conversation about Flowers.
He finds that viewers tend to react more strongly to his photos when there are some abstracted elements.
“It’s a much more emotional response from people who view the photo,” Martin says.
For more on the underwater photography of Harry Martin, visit harrymartinunderwater.com.