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Photographer dives to new depths for record-breaking image
Photo: Steve Haining A photographer has gone to new lengths (or, in this case, depths) to create a unique photograph. Canadian photographer Steve Haining and model Ciara Antoski recently set a Guinness World Record for the deepest underwater model photoshoot. The shoot took place at 49.8 meters (163.4 feet) on a shipwreck near Boca Raton, Florida, producing otherworldly images. This record-winning photo wasn't the pairs' first foray into underwater photography or setting Guinness World Records. They previously set a record for the same category in July 2023 for a shoot at 9.7 meters (32 feet) in Tobermory, Ontario. That project wasn't specifically to set a record, and mostly resulted from a joke about how to conduct a photo shoot safely during COVID-19 lockdowns. They quickly followed it up with another record for an underwater photo shoot at nearly 30 meters (98 feet) in December 2023. Photo: Steve Haining The latest record-breaking shoot was, of course, more challenging than their previous ones. Haining spent time researching the location and looking at image references ahead of time but said that, given the depth, there weren't many photos available. As a result, he opted for a recon dive to get a better sense of the location. “Once I had a visual look of the location, I could frame the composition, relay the shoot plan to the team, and get the lighting where it needed to be in order to get the shots I wanted,” he told My Modern Met. Haining says it took roughly a year of planning between the creative team and their safety diver, Ray. Given how physically demanding it would be, Antoski spent a year training specifically for the shoot. After all, instead of a warm, streamlined wetsuit, she was wearing a flowing dress and didn't have constant access to oxygen. Communicating and moving underwater aren't simple, either, adding even more complexity once at the shipwreck. Of course, things rarely go to plan, and that was the case here. The team dealt with fishermen attracting larger wildlife, tank malfunctions and even a jellyfish sting. According to Haining, the shoot took 52 minutes, with 15 minutes at the bottom, five more minutes than needed for the record. All in all, it shows a true dedication to craft, on the part of the entire team.
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| Photo: Steve Haining |
A photographer has gone to new lengths (or, in this case, depths) to create a unique photograph. Canadian photographer Steve Haining and model Ciara Antoski recently set a Guinness World Record for the deepest underwater model photoshoot. The shoot took place at 49.8 meters (163.4 feet) on a shipwreck near Boca Raton, Florida, producing otherworldly images.
This record-winning photo wasn't the pairs' first foray into underwater photography or setting Guinness World Records. They previously set a record for the same category in July 2023 for a shoot at 9.7 meters (32 feet) in Tobermory, Ontario. That project wasn't specifically to set a record, and mostly resulted from a joke about how to conduct a photo shoot safely during COVID-19 lockdowns. They quickly followed it up with another record for an underwater photo shoot at nearly 30 meters (98 feet) in December 2023.
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| Photo: Steve Haining |
The latest record-breaking shoot was, of course, more challenging than their previous ones. Haining spent time researching the location and looking at image references ahead of time but said that, given the depth, there weren't many photos available. As a result, he opted for a recon dive to get a better sense of the location. “Once I had a visual look of the location, I could frame the composition, relay the shoot plan to the team, and get the lighting where it needed to be in order to get the shots I wanted,” he told My Modern Met.
Haining says it took roughly a year of planning between the creative team and their safety diver, Ray. Given how physically demanding it would be, Antoski spent a year training specifically for the shoot. After all, instead of a warm, streamlined wetsuit, she was wearing a flowing dress and didn't have constant access to oxygen. Communicating and moving underwater aren't simple, either, adding even more complexity once at the shipwreck.
Of course, things rarely go to plan, and that was the case here. The team dealt with fishermen attracting larger wildlife, tank malfunctions and even a jellyfish sting. According to Haining, the shoot took 52 minutes, with 15 minutes at the bottom, five more minutes than needed for the record. All in all, it shows a true dedication to craft, on the part of the entire team.
