How underwater photography was taken 80 years ago: Pictures that take you to a fantasy world

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In the central part of Florida (USA), at the head of the Silver River, there is a group of one of the largest artesian springs in the world. They have such crystal clear water that in the middle of the 19th century they organized excursions on boats with transparent glass bottom. People admired the waters, transparent as a tear, through which, the gaze easily penetrated to the very bottom. And when, in 1938, an American photographer, Bruce Mosert, looked into the alluring azure depths of the Silver Springs sources, he, in addition to natural beauty, saw unique opportunities there.

Bruce Mozert was born in 1916 in New Arc, Ohio. Until 1938, he had already made a career as a photographer. Together with Victor de Palma, who was the number one specialist in his field, they worked for Life magazine. Such a mesmerizing beauty, like the nature in Silver Springs, has attracted a lot of tourists for almost a hundred years. People drove there in droves to admire the extraordinary views of the underwater world. And who would have thought that such a wonderful place might need advertising. And yet it is so. Man is a being who is fed up with everything. Even with such divine beauty.

In the thirties of the 20th century, the Silver Springs springs began to lose their former attractiveness for tourists. Some new images were needed to spark interest in these places. Bruce Mosert became the man who supplied these images. On instructions from the publication where Bruce worked, he went to Silver Springs to take a series of shots about the work on the film "Tarzan". Which was filmed there at that time. American swimming champion Johnny Weissmuller starred in this film. The pristine waters of Silver Springs served as the inspiration for the innovative underwater photography at the time. Mosert, in addition to the necessary photographs, wanted to make a whole series of underwater photographs.

Especially for this purpose, Bruce asked a familiar expert, Wilton Martin, to help design an underwater box for his camera. The photographer fearlessly plunged into the water wearing a diving helmet. According to his idea, a cannon was connected to the helmet, through which his assistants, using an ordinary hand pump, pumped air for him so that he could breathe. Later, Mosert came up with the idea of using a compressor instead of a hand pump. And, in fact, invented the first compressed air system!

The photographs that Bruce took on the set of the film were so successful that MGM bought them out. They were used in movie commercials. Overall, the idea was so good that Bruce continued. For more than half a century, he has been creating his underwater masterpieces. In his photographs, young beautiful women were talking on the phone underwater, playing golf, reading newspapers and even preparing barbecues. Bruce Mosert was surprisingly resourceful. He saturated his works with unique details, from which his pictures began to breathe life. For example, in a glass of "champagne" he put dry ice or aspirin, from which bubbles were created as in a natural drink. And to depict the smoke from a barbecue, he took condensed milk and the fat contained in it, rose up under the water, creating a very plausible smoke effect.

Bruce experimented endlessly with lighting and photo filters. His pictures were sold in huge numbers. Silver Springs artesian springs received advertisements. Of course, I really want to look at such a clean and transparent lake, under the water of which you can take such clear photos.

The photographer says: “Everything that exists in this world has its own picture. And this picture can be sold! In his already very respectable years, Bruce continued to run his business, independently piloting the plane. In 2004, a calendar with his works was released.

The pioneer of underwater photography passed away in 2015. He was 98 years old. Until the very last days, this undoubtedly outstanding person was busy with his favorite business. If you are interested in the work of Bruce Mosert and the topic of underwater photography, you can read more about this in another our article. Based on materials