There's nothing quite like seeing your baby swimming underwater. And we know time with them is precious, so having a snapshot of a skill that you and your little one have learnt together is something you'll want to keep for a lifetime.
Our underwater photography captures that special moment where your little one shows off everything they've learnt so far in their lessons.
Our photographers and equipment are world-class, so you can feel confident that you'll be taking home beautifully crisp, high-resolution digital images of your baby, striking their best pose. These photoshoots are run a few times throughout the year and are an additional cost. Your teacher will always let you know when one is coming up so you can book on.
So take home a unique keepsake. It's a chance to share your little one's progress with your friends and family too.
We set up a state-of-the-art studio in the pool to create that iconic 'Nirvana' shot of your baby. Our specially trained 'Dippers' will position your little one and our photographer will be ready to take up to 9 images of your baby on our shoots, depending on their comfort, so you’ll have plenty to enjoy and look back on when they’re older. All you need to do is give your little one a big hug and a 'high 5' after their photo has been taken!
Every baby is assessed individually so you don't need to be anxious about whether they're ready. We're only ready when they are.
"I love being a Dipper for Water Babies, so much so that I wanted to share my love and help up-skill others. After being a Dipper for several years, I began tutoring and mentoring other experienced teachers in the network. As part of the Dipper Tutoring team, we run courses so that our teachers can progress their skills and challenge themselves.
The course is an intensive two days in the pool. This is then followed by a photo shoot where they’re mentored through the process before they have a final assessment. The whole process takes a healthy six to nine months to complete in total.
I really enjoy tutoring our teachers who are passionate about giving this unique opportunity to our carers. They’re key in helping us to capture beautiful, ever-lasting underwater photos of the little ones we teach. The job is fun, rewarding and allows me to work with our family of teachers from all around the world."
It's not as easy to take underwater shots of babies swimming as you might think! It's not just a case of point and click. Our photographers need to be able to hold their breath underwater, lower their heart rate, use heavy equipment and keep their hands steady...and that's just the start. They've also got to deal with tricky lighting conditions, and wriggly babies, with only a split-second to get the perfect snap. That's why many of our photographers started out as scuba divers and then took up under water photography professionally. And they've won loads of awards too. Some of then have even worked for the BBC and National Geographic. Impressive stuff.
"After a series of boring and unfulfilling jobs in my early twenties, I started a job at Cameras Underwater. It's there that I discovered the depth of my passion for underwater photography.
I once discovered an extraordinary species of 'Nudibranch' in the Red Sea (think pretty sea slug), which had never before been seen, and caught this on camera. But without genetic evidence, it couldn't be proven. My time to shine however came when I got a mention from Terry Wogan on the BBC 2 Breakfast show for my shot of a seal off the North Devon coast - a little closer to home.
Today, I head up the photography part of Water Babies, and have been fortunate to travel to all four corners of our network and see some truly amazing landmarks. The energy, excitement and innocence of a baby is inspiring, and I am very grateful to be able to photograph them."
I've been a part of the Water Babies family since 2018 when I joined the Photography Department at Head Office. In 2022, I became one of the newest recruits to join our amazing team of underwater photographers.
For as long as I can remember, I've been taking photos. It all started back when I was little on a family holiday when I held my very first camera. I specialised in photography at school and then later studied it at university, which means I am the designated photographer of my friendship group. Lucky me! I have been a keen swimmer since I was little and recently completed several sponsored swim challenges, including swimming the distance of the channel in my local pool to raise money for charity. At Water Babies, I get to combine these two passions at our photoshoots. Capturing little ones is truly magical, and to see the skills they have learned while behind the camera underwater often takes my breath away. This provides a unique keepsake of your little one's journey.
Outside of Water Babies, I have started wild swimming and have been slowly ticking off beautiful wild swimming spots across the UK. I enjoy attending live music events, festivals, and comedy gigs. Fun fact: I have seen my favourite band play live over 30 times. I am a huge fan of ice hockey and support the Cardiff Devils, so when the season is on, I love getting to a game or two with friends, even though I cannot ice skate myself, it is so much fun to watch and maybe one day I will learn, but for the time being, I'll stick to watching from the sidelines.
Before the big day
Before the big day, your teacher and local office will provide you with all the information you need to know about the place, date and time of the photo shoot. We’ll also send you some gentle reminders too.
Ahead of your photo shoot, your teacher will let you know if your baby is ready to attend and have their picture taken. This will be based on their progress with submersions in their lessons. If we believe your little one needs a few more lessons or is starting to get the water wobbles, then your baby may not be able to attend the photo shoot. But don’t worry, your teacher will work with you to make sure your little one can attend a photo shoot a little later. It’s only when they’re ready that we are.
How does it work?
Your session will begin like any other lesson, but one by one our Dippers will call your baby’s name for their moment. Our dippers are the ones who will take your little one under the water for their picture. They’re highly trained, as well attuned to the needs and mood of your baby. The safety and comfort of your baby is at the heart of everything we do.
If everything is okay, then our dippers will start with their first submersion. Once underwater, the photographer has a quick-as-a-flash time frame to capture three snaps of your baby. We try as best as we can to do a total of three submersions with your little one, so you have plenty of shots to choose from. As in lessons, we're always guided by them and will only ever take as many photos as they're comfortable with.
Once your session is finished and everyone has been snapped, we'll get your amazing pictures out to you as quick as we can.