How to Dunk a Photographer {New Braunfels Trash the Dress Wedding Photography}

Step right up everyone, now's your chance to dunk a photographer. Watch her get wet and drop her camera in the water. It's okay, she doesn't mind. Seriously.

Jayme had touched on the topic of underwater photography with me in the past. He suggested it and I considered it time and time again. He bought me big books of gorgeous underwater images and we talked about getting scuba certified and taking our gear on scuba dives. But it wasn't until one of my favorite former brides e-mailed me a photo of a bride at the bottom of a pool that she saw on Pinterest that I finally jumped on the chance to try it out. I finally had a client who was interested in the art and that's all it took to get me to invest in the gear I needed.

I'll admit I was nervous the first time I tried out my camera in that gear. The day I got it I put some tissue inside, sealed it up, then dunked it in a bathtub full of water. The tissue came out dry. But I was still nervous. So I put my old back-up camera in the casing and went for a swim. It survived. Not a drop of moisture on it. Okay, this was great! I gathered up the kids and took my gear to my friend, Teresa's house for a little impromptu pool party. The kids swam and cheesed for the camera. I took frame after frame after frame. We spent hours underwater and got maybe a handful of images that I considered halfway decent. This was harder than it seemed!

I took the gear out again a few times with the swim team and practiced some more on my own kids. Finally it was time for my trash the dress session with a beautiful bride who was ready to jump in.

The water was perfect that morning. It was crystal clear -- at least it was once we removed a dead scorpion -- and the happy couple had a great time swimming in their fine evening wear. We discovered that it was harder than it looks to swim without scrunching up your face while you hold your breath. And blowing bubbles wasn't such a good idea -- they obstruct the view of your face.

We spent a good long time and by the end of that session, they'd had quite a workout. After she'd changed out of her wet dress she decided she'd trash it quite definitely and throw it out. But I convinced her to give it to me. A lot of my lovely brides would love to trash a dress, but are hesitant about using their own. Thus I've accumulated quite a collection of formal wear for just such an occasion.

I can't wait to get swimming again. When you're ready to trash your dress -- or just go for a dive and capture the moment -- give me a call!

Lisa On Location Photography