10 March 2013

Charming Old-School Underwater Photography





Photographer Bruce Mozert is particularly renowned for his pioneering work in underwater photography.



Working mostly at Florida's Silver Springs in the 1950s, Mozert defied the limitations of his time with his innovative use of simple solutions to create alluring effects underwater.



Without the water-proof cameras we have today, Mozert was able to snap pictures in the clear waters of the Silver Springs by building his own waterproof housings for his cameras.



To create the bubbles in a champagne flute, Mozert turned to dry ice. Sometimes he used Alka-Seltzer in the glass, as well. In order to replicate smoke that comes out from a grill underwater, he cleverly used canned condensed milk, because the “fat in the milk would cause it to rise” in the water, thereby creating ‘smoke’ for a long period.



According to Mozert, “Everything has a picture in it, a sellable picture … All you got to do is use your imagination.”



Dive right into some of Mozert's works below:







































[via The Paris Review, images via Smithsonianmag.com]