Ontario photographer sinks to new depths for underwater photos with a model

After receiving the record for the deepest underwater photo shoot with a model back in July, a Hamilton, Ont. photographer has bettered that milestone by snapping pictures some five times deeper.

Steven Haining says when he and a crew first ventured into Georgian Bay waters near Tobermory, Ontario in June 2021 they weren’t there to set any record as much as to check off an idea on a bucket list during COVID pandemic restrictions.

“I’ve been a diver for a while and I’ve done portraits in pools just because I love the atmosphere of it,” the 34-year-old Haining said.

“When there was the phrase was going around like ‘don’t breathe each other’s air’ … my studio team was like … ‘Oh well, if we all wear our scuba, then we’ll be able to still hang out.'”

The Ontario location is noted for hosting over 25 freshwater shipwrecks in a condensed area just off of Bruce Peninsula Park.

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Along with master scuba diver Mareesha Kulps and Brantford model Ciara Antoski in a white gown, the 2021 shoot grabbed the record for the deepest underwater model photo shoot at 6.4 metres (21 feet) on the rudder of W.L. Wetmore wreck.

Looking to push the envelope even further, Haining, Kulps, Antoski and diver Mario Medarevic, went back out to Tobermory in September with a larger crew to shoot at the deeper Niagara II Shipwreck which represented a depth of 30 metres (98 ft).

“It was sunk in 1999 intentionally to train scuba divers doing their advanced diving, and we were like ‘this is the perfect spot for it,'” Haining explained.

“We know the wreck, it’s at 100 feet and so significantly deeper … and it seems like it’s deeper than most people have ever done portrait photography ever.”

The original 2021 record-setting shoot exclusively featured Antoski, who returned to feature for photos in the 2023 shoot.

However, with safety concerns over deeper and colder water, the actual record-setting photos featured Kulps in a gown due to her vast diving experience.

“When we figured it out, we picked a huge, huge elegant gown … it’s one of those flying dresses from Greece that they hold down and they fly in the wind,” according to Haining.

“So it used that as the outfit, and we brought a significantly bigger safety team just in case, and then practiced for a couple of days.”

The photos of Antoski were shot during a practice day the week of Sept. 17 with a 16-minute-long photoshoot making the record-setting photos with Kulps a day later.

Hainings photos can be seen on Guinness World Records website.