Going under is the way to go

Besotted young couple Ksheer Vasudha and Sharad Selvam went underwater for a one-of-akind pre-wedding photoshoot. Most brides- and bridegrooms to-be have so far mostly looked, moonstruck, into cameras installed on beaches, deserts and mountains, but going underwater for a photograph is territory that has not been waded into too much. Professionals do carry out these shoots, but it needs practice on the part of the couple to execute. Having the hair, makeup and costume too in place are additional challenges. 

This couple was game for it. “I didn’t want a conventional shoot at the beach. So when I was doing the research, looking for some out-of-the-box ideas, I came across some underwater shots and was immediately impressed,” says Ksheer, who runs House # 22, a well appointed cafe, on St Thomas Mount, Chennai. They planned the entire shoot within a short span of time, availing of much help from the photographer, Hemant Shekar, a friend who has been doing underwater shoots for the last three years. Vasudha claims that the entire shoot was planned in a short span of time and the photographer helped them through. “The photographer had previously done underwater shoots. We shot at the pool at our house. We didn’t need a very deep pool.” 

They were prepared with right costume and the make-up but little did they realise that how different the procedure could be. “We had to be breathless and learn how to sink first. We only had a couple of seconds to go inside pose, smile and float to the surface. But I guess, that’s was the point of the shoot, to trust each other with our lives.”    

The couple planned a story board that narrated their journey and choreographed it for the shot underwater. According to Hemant, shooting with models was comparatively easy as they knew how to pose. “For underwater shoots, we need to teach the couple ‘to sink’ first. Everyone thinks that you need to inhale before getting into the water, but it’s exactly the opposite. People struggle initially and then adjust in time. Patience is the key,” he says.