I remember the first time I saw an underwater photograph. It was by Toronto photographer Barbara Cole. I don’t remember the images by name, but I do remember the dreamlike quality that submerged me into a new obsession of trying to recreate that same painting/dreamlike movement in my own work. At the time, I was a 19-year-old OCAD photography student who couldn’t afford all of the underwater gear for my camera, but lucky for us photographers who want to shoot underwater, there have been some amazing strides in technology that make getting an underwater camera much easier now.

To inspire you to get started with underwater photography, I’ve put together a collection of underwater photographs from up-and-coming photographers on 500px, as well as some camera recommendations:

GoPro HERO5
Olympus TG-2
Nikon Coolpix AW100
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-4

To view the full Gallery, check it out here! I add new photos to it as I come across them.

Dive into the deep end and start shooting your own underwater dreamy photos. Don’t forget to upload them to 500px and mention me (@steph_juliet) so I can see them! Also, if you’ve shot underwater and have some camera gear recommendations, be sure to mention them in the comments.

Exploration by Lorenzo De Donno on 500px.com

Chilling by Brett Stanley on 500px.com

Over Under Shot from Electric Beach Hawaii by Brendan Bannister on 500px.com

Jacobs Well, TX by Jake Baine on 500px.com

Untitled by Anya Berkut on 500px.com

Crocodile, Cenote Car Wash by Kadu Pinheiro on 500px.com

Sea Snake by invisbear on 500px.com

underwater by Kasia Hemery on 500px.com

Ema by Ivan Bakardjiev on 500px.com

Double Vision by Shane Brown on 500px.com

It's quiet down there by Paul Schlemmer on 500px.com

Anxiety2.0 by Kaarel Antonov on 500px.com

"Escape From A Soggy Grave"  -NateDornImages by Nate Dorn Images on 500px.com

Underwater Color Shot by Rebecca Handler on 500px.com

Cenote El Pit by Tom St George on 500px.com

Stephanie Algieri is a Product Designer for 500px. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Photography from OCAD University and a Certificate in Graphic Design from Humber College, Stephanie now works to create meaningful experiences for the photographers on 500px. In her spare time, she creates Galleries of beautiful photos from up-and-coming photographers on 500px, in the hopes to offer them the exposure they deserve.