Cave and Overhead Environment Photography

Type: Photography and videography technique
Significance: Specialized discipline combining cave diving skills with low-light imaging techniques in cenotes, caverns, spring systems, and fully enclosed cave passages

Overview

Cave and overhead environment photography is among the most technically demanding specializations in underwater imaging. The photographer works in environments ranging from sunlit cenote openings to fully enclosed cave passages where the only light comes from equipment brought in by divers. The discipline requires advanced diving certifications (cavern or full cave), meticulous buoyancy control to avoid disturbing fragile formations and silt, and mastery of low-light techniques including light painting, remote strobe triggering, and long-exposure photography.

The Wetpixel community has engaged with cave photography throughout its history, from early forum discussions about painting with light in caves (^[1]) to the establishment of dedicated annual cenote photography workshops. The technique saw significant growth in the 2010s and 2020s as video light technology improved, mirrorless cameras with superior low-light performance emerged, and remote strobe triggers made creative off-camera lighting practical in overhead environments.

Types of Overhead Environments

Cenotes (Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico)

Cenotes are natural sinkholes that serve as entrances to underground cave systems in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. In local mythology, “they are the entrances to Xibalba, the Mayan underworld where gods and ancient spirits reside” (^[2]). The Riviera Maya hosts the world’s largest underground river systems, filled with crystal-clear water and extraordinary formations (^[3]).

Over a dozen cenotes are commonly visited for guided cavern diving, most found along the highway between Playa del Carmen and south of Tulum. Each cenote has its own character: some are known for dramatic light beams (Tajma Ha’s “Dome of Lights”), others for geological features like hydrogen sulfide layers (Angelita), water lilies (Cenote Carwash), or haloclines where fresh and salt water meet (Calavera) (^[4], ^[5]).

The cenotes offer virtually unlimited visibility, making them outstanding destinations for wide-angle photography. They work well with both natural light and balanced-light approaches, and when the sun is out, photographers can capture remarkable light ray effects (^[6]). Even within cavern diving restrictions (always within sight of natural light), there is access to 25 different cenotes offering an amazing variety of scenery (^[7]).

Florida Springs and Caves

The US state of Florida has more than 1,000 springs. Most discharge crystal-clear groundwater from the porous limestone bedrock of the Floridan aquifer, one of the most productive and spring-dense aquifers globally. Visibility in Florida’s caves often exceeds 30 meters (^[8]).

Florida’s cave systems became legendary in cave diving history through sites like Ginnie Springs, Eagle’s Nest, and Peacock Springs. These were the primary working environments for pioneering cave cinematographer Wes Skiles (^[9]).

Eagle’s Nest cave in Florida is entered through a pond, swimming to a chimney at approximately 30 feet that drops to about 70 feet into a massive ballroom. At the bottom of the ballroom, at about 130 feet, the cave system begins with upstream and downstream tunnels extending about half a mile each, descending to depths around 300 feet (^[10]). In 2011, Wetpixel members Becky and David Schott of Liquid Productions won an Emmy for their Eagles Nest Cave feature story that aired on CBS, filmed using rebreathers, trimix, DPVs, and 600 watts of light to travel 2,000 feet upstream. The film crew spent an hour at 270 feet, with filming completed over two days (^[11]).

Florida’s springs are also an environmental concern. Jason Gulley, a geology professor and cave photographer, documented both their beauty and decline: “Over the last several decades, water flow from some springs has slowed to a trickle, and thick blankets of hairy algae have smothered the native vegetation in most springs” (^[12]).

Blue Holes (Bahamas)

The Blue Holes of the Bahamas were the subject of one of the most celebrated cave photography projects documented in Wetpixel’s history: Wes Skiles and environmental anthropologist Kenny Broad’s extensive exploration, which resulted in the cover story of the August 2010 issue of National Geographic (^[13]). Skiles and Broad were posthumously (in Skiles’s case) named National Geographic “Explorers of the Year” in 2011 for this work (^[14]).

Orda Cave (Russia)

In 2014, Wetpixel featured images by Victor Lyagushkin from the Orda Cave (Ordinskaya) in the Urals region of Russia, the longest gypsum cave in the world at approximately 5.1 km long. The gypsum formations add a unique and reflective element to cave photography in this environment (^[15]).

Japan

In 2014, divers in southwestern Japan penetrated 300 meters farther into the Inazumi Underwater Stalactite Cave than ever before, discovering a large cavern with an air pocket — demonstrating that cave exploration and documentation continue worldwide (^[16]).

Lighting Techniques

Lighting is the central creative challenge of cave photography. As cave photographer Natalie Gibb explained, “caves are, in the end, quite dark,” and the approach to lighting fundamentally defines the style of the resulting images (^[17]).

Natural Light and Light Beams

Near cenote openings and in cavern zones, natural sunlight penetrating through openings creates dramatic light beam effects. These beams are best captured when the sun is high and bright. Cenote El Eden produces “amazing light beams that penetrate through the openings if you dive in the early morning” (^[18]), while Tajma Ha’s “Dome of Lights” is famed for its laser-like light rays (^[19]). At Cenote Xkail, a sinkhole in Yucatan State, light beams can reach 70 meters tall (^[20]).

Photographer Martin Broen described cenotes as “illuminated only by the few sun rays that penetrate through the sinkhole or the lights that you bring with you.” He noted that for photographers who “enjoy wide angle photography and playing with light, these are some of the easiest, most accessible, and rewarding photo dives you can do, although they will push your low light photography skills” (^[21]).

Video Light Photography

A significant development in cave photography was the shift from strobe-based to video light-based imaging, enabled by increasingly powerful LED video lights. Natalie Gibb described her approach: “I still use video lights in my photographs as I like the softness and subtlety of using just enough light to show the cave.” She uses no on-board lights, preferring to “lurk in the shadows” and capture the caves as she sees them as a cave diver and explorer (^[22]).

Gibb’s approach involves placing multiple video lights throughout a scene, with extensive setup time. One photo at Cenote Nai Tucha “looks simple, but took five video lights and about thirty minutes to set up,” while another shot at Cenote Nohoch Nah Chich required her to move “seven video lights around” while diver Hana Cho “patiently sat in this position for at least 30 minutes.” Her technique creates images that Jill Heinerth described as looking like “stage lighting” — she places lights behind columns, in front of and behind divers, and uses each diver’s own light to illuminate their face (^[23]).

Fan Ping, a cave diver and filmmaker, used Keldan Video 8X 13,000-lumen lights for cave and blackwater work (^[24]). Gibb credited him with introducing her to “diffused video lights with high CRI indexes, thereby ruining my life and my finances” (^[25]).

In 2022, Gibb tested the new Keldan 8XR lights and RC1 ultrasonic remote control, exploring the creative opportunities of having true remote control of off-camera video lights in cave environments (^[26]).

Light Painting (Long Exposure)

Light painting — using bulb mode and having an assistant fire strobes across a large scene while the shutter is open — has been used in cave photography since the film era. A 2005 Wetpixel forum discussion revealed the technique’s demands: one photographer described using a D70 on a tripod for cave photography with approximately 2-minute exposures “in a total dark room deep inside a cave.” The photographer noted the difficulty of the technique because “my friend (lightning assistance) needs to move all around the cave in the dark knowing where the camera is located in order to avoid ghosting images of himself” (^[27]).

Alex Mustard advised that for long-exposure cave photography, shooting in RAW at low ISO (such as 200) with a tripod produced the best results, with noise handled in post-processing (^[28]).

Florida springs photographer Jason Gulley described experimenting “quite a lot with longer shutter speeds (up to several seconds) to create motion blur, both inside caves and on the surface,” sometimes combining longer shutter speeds with rear curtain flash to freeze motion in part of the frame (^[29]).

Diver-Mounted Strobes

Pioneering cave cinematographer Wes Skiles perfected the technique of mounting strobes on dive models. Phil Rudin, who met Skiles when he was nineteen years old, recalled that even at that young age Skiles was developing innovative techniques: he used sections of old vehicle inner tubes to secure large Ikelite strobes to divers’ tanks. This system was updated over the years as strobes became smaller and buoyancy systems more sophisticated (^[30]).

Alex Mustard described using a flat piece of metal with a strobe mounting shoe and ball at one end, held beneath the BC strap on the tank, allowing the strobe to be attached once the diver was in the water (^[31]).

Remote Strobe Triggers

Off-camera flash relies on the ability to fire remote strobes without a physical cable connection. As Adam Hanlon noted, “reliable and sensitive optical slave trigger circuitry has existed for some time and is used extensively for (dry) cave photography” — the challenge was housing these circuits for underwater use (^[32]). Several remote trigger products evolved to serve this need:

The HeinrichsWeikamp Remote Slave Unit (2008) was designed to trigger underwater strobes at distances of more than 25 meters, with emphasis toward “creative pool, wreck and cave photography.” It used a Nikonos 5-pin sync-cord connector and drew power from the strobe’s ready signal (^[33]).

The Triggerfish, developed by Wetpixel member Hedwig Dieraert, was an underwater optical slave trigger housed in anodized aluminum, connected to the slave strobe by a Nikonos 5-pin sync cable. Adam Hanlon’s review confirmed it could fire reliably at distances up to 15 meters (^[34]).

The Seacam Remote Strobe Trigger was reviewed by Adam Hanlon in 2016. He observed that “off-camera flash has been one of the techniques that falls in and out of fashion in underwater photography” but that “by moving a strobe or strobes off the camera, it removes many of the problems associated with lighting in challenging conditions” and “lets you light up areas that your strobes would never be able to actually reach” (^[35]).

The Anglerfish remote trigger became a popular choice for cave and off-camera lighting. Phil Rudin noted he used it in open water and found that inside a cavern, triggering was easier because strobe light reflects off walls and ceiling (^[36]). Version 2 shipped in 2017, lighter and smaller with a wider-angle sensor, built-in rechargeable battery, and a depth rating of 100 meters (^[37]).

Equipment Considerations

Camera Bodies

High ISO performance is critical for cave photography. Natalie Gibb used a Sony A7S, known for its extreme low-light capability, describing that “filming with a camera able to see the cave the way I saw it, with subtle shadows and defined darkness, changed everything for me” (^[38]).

Martin Broen shot cenote images with a Sony A7R III and a Sony 28mm lens in a Nauticam housing with a WWL-1 wet lens, using natural light near the cenotes and “as much light you can bring inside the caves” (^[39]). He used advanced techniques including panorama stitching and HDR to handle the extreme dynamic range of cenote environments.

Lens and Port Selection

Adam Hanlon addressed lens and port choices for cenote photography in Wetpixel Live Ep 228, discussing how wide-angle lens types, port size, and water contact optics are affected by the very low light conditions of cave environments (^[40], ^[41]).

Jason Gulley used a Nikon Z6 in a Nauticam housing with a 230mm glass dome, primarily with the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 rectilinear lens. He expressed a strong preference for rectilinear lenses, noting that “I’m not a big fan of fisheye distortion.” He occasionally used a Sigma 15mm f/2.8 fisheye for over-under shots, and used Nauticam’s 45-degree viewfinder to make it easier to view the EVF while maintaining horizontal trim, which he described as “essential for cave work” (^[42]).

Forum members discussing cenote photography with APS-C systems debated the merits of fisheye versus rectilinear wide-angle lenses. One photographer noted that fisheyes can bend rays of light to make them look “slightly unnatural” but that positioning the rays in the center of the frame could minimize this effect (^[43]).

Video Lights

The evolution of LED video lights was transformative for cave photography. As early as 2011, video lights were recognized as suitable for “all applications including caves, wrecks and macro” where ambient light is insufficient (^[44]). Keldan, Subtronic, and Big Blue were among the manufacturers whose products became staples for cave photographers.

Jason Gulley used up to four Big Blue 33,000-lumen video lights for background illumination in caves, combined with one or two on-camera Inon Z330 strobes and diffusers (^[45]). Natalie Gibb used Keldan video lights, crediting Fan Ping with introducing her to high-CRI diffused video lights (^[46]).

Rebreathers

Rebreathers offer significant advantages for cave photography: extended dive times, no bubble disturbance of sediment on ceilings, and the ability to stay at a site far longer than open-circuit diving permits. Jason Gulley noted he had been “using rebreathers for almost 20 years for technical dives” and that they provided “tremendous flexibility for shooting underwater. Nearly all of my dives are limited by camera battery capacity” rather than gas supply (^[47]).

Nicolas Remy wrote a two-part series on rebreathers for image making for Wetpixel, covering both the advantages and risks. Rebreathers eliminate the bubbles that can disturb fragile formations and silt on cave ceilings, but require constant monitoring and proper training (^[48]). The Emmy-winning Eagles Nest cave film was also shot using rebreathers and trimix to enable the hour-long filming sessions at 270 feet depth (^[49]).

Safety and Environmental Considerations

Cave diving is one of the most dangerous forms of recreational diving. The Wetpixel cenote workshops consistently emphasized safety as the primary concern, with workshop leader Natalie Gibb providing thorough briefings about “the do’s and do nots of diving and photographing in this beautiful and challenging environment” (^[50]).

Precision buoyancy control is critical in cave environments both for safety and for environmental preservation. During the 2022 Wetpixel cenote workshop, “many of the participants found the experience of diving in this environment challenging. Precision buoyancy control is critical both in order to preserve the environment and to prevent stirring up silt. The latter directly impacts the ability to capture images” (^[51]).

The workshops operated on a 1:1 guide basis for safety and photographic flexibility. An important aspect of effective cenote photography is “the use of models to provide a reference and scale in the frame, and communicating with the model in terms of position and pose is an important skill to master” (^[52]).

Cenote environments include hazards such as haloclines (interfaces between fresh and salt water that create visual distortions) and hydrogen sulfide layers. Benjamin Von Wong’s “Underwater River” project at a cenote involved working 30 meters deep near a toxic hydrogen sulfide layer, where “your vision drops the minute you pass through it and you can taste it in your regulator” (^[53]).

Notable Cave Photographers

Wes Skiles (d. 2010)

Wes Skiles was considered one of the foremost cave diving cinematographers in the world. He produced, directed, and filmed over 100 television films for PBS and National Geographic and was posthumously named National Geographic “Explorer of the Year” in 2011 alongside Kenny Broad for their documentation of the Blue Holes of the Bahamas (^[54]). He pioneered diver-mounted strobe techniques and worked with IMAX camera systems in cave environments. Skiles died on July 21, 2010, while filming Goliath Grouper off Boynton Beach, Florida. His widow’s subsequent wrongful death lawsuit against the rebreather manufacturer Dive Rite Express (Lamartek Inc.) seeking $25 million resulted in a defense verdict (^[55], ^[56], ^[57]).

Natalie Gibb

Natalie Gibb, owner of Under the Jungle dive operation in Mexico’s Yucatan, became a prominent cave photographer and videographer. She was a cave diver and explorer long before picking up a camera, describing her start: her friend Luca loaned her a Sony A7S and “that first video dive was a joyous revelation.” She has no formal photography training: “I do not take photos on land. Lacking a predetermined concept of what I ‘should’ do has helped me to be creative and show the caves how I see them.” She credited Adam Hanlon with mentoring her, including “a strongly worded phone call last year, during which he explained to me I had to stop shooting auto, and actually adjust the aperture and ISO” (^[58]). She became a key instructor and guide for Wetpixel’s cenote photography workshops starting in 2021 (^[59], ^[60]).

Tom St. George

Tom St. George is a photographer specializing in cenote imagery, based in Mexico’s Yucatan. He served as the photographic guru and instructor for the Wetpixel/Under the Jungle cenote workshops, providing site briefings and technique coaching alongside Adam Hanlon and Natalie Gibb. His work was featured on Wetpixel Full Frame in 2018 (^[61], ^[62]).

Jason Gulley

Jason Gulley combined his work as a geology professor studying Florida’s springs with cave photography. A rebreather diver for nearly 20 years, he documented both the beauty and environmental decline of Florida’s spring systems, describing his motivation: “I’ve gradually realized that writing another research paper doesn’t help the public understand Florida’s springs or inspire them to care about the slow-moving environmental catastrophe they’re facing. Regular people don’t read or understand academic papers. The average citizen doesn’t have an emotional reaction to a graph. But most people, scientists included, are captivated by engaging pictures” (^[63]).

Martin Broen

Martin Broen began photographing underwater after his first cenote dive. He described being “amazed by the magical scenes and mix of emotions those caves generated in me” and spent years on “continuous experimentation with techniques to capture the stunning beauty of that environment” using a Sony A7R III system. His work was featured on Wetpixel Full Frame in 2020 (^[64]).

Becky and David Schott

Becky and David Schott of Liquid Productions won an Emmy at the National Academy of Television Arts and Science Awards in December 2011 for their Eagles Nest Cave feature story produced for CBS. The film required rebreathers, trimix, DPVs, and 600 watts of light, with the crew traveling 2,000 feet upstream to Kings Challenge at 270 feet depth (^[65]).

Wetpixel Cenote Photography Workshops

Wetpixel announced a cave photography workshop in partnership with Under the Jungle (UTJ) and photographer Tom St. George in 2019, originally planned for July 2020 in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula (^[66]). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the first workshop was significantly modified and ran in 2021, with Wetpixel’s contribution via Zoom. Participants Max Schadegg and Marc and Martina Steurer worked with Natalie Gibb and Tom St. George (^[67]).

Two workshops ran in 2022 (April 16-24 and April 30-May 8), with Adam Hanlon attending in person alongside Gibb and St. George. The workshops were based in Puerto Aventuras. Evening sessions covered camera settings, lens choices, strobe positions, and ambient light technique, followed by participant image reviews. Cenotes visited included Chikin Ha, Ponderosa, Tajma Ha (with its “Dome of Lights”), Esmerelda, and Sugar Bowl (^[68], ^[69], ^[70]).

Workshops were also announced for 2023, with dates of May 7-14 and May 21-28, featuring daily sessions with Tom St. George, Natalie Gibb, and Adam Hanlon based in luxury accommodation near Puerto Aventuras (^[71]).

Adam Hanlon also produced Wetpixel Live episodes covering cenote imaging technique, including a discussion with Natalie Gibb about shoot planning, lighting, camera movements, and general technique in cenotes (^[72]), and a separate episode on lens and port choices for cenote photography (^[73]).

Timeline

• 2005: Forum discussion on long-exposure cave photography with painting-with-light technique using Nikon D70 on underwater tripod, with approximately 2-minute exposures in total darkness (^[74])
• 2008-04: HeinrichsWeikamp introduces standalone Remote Slave Unit designed for distances over 25 meters, targeting cave and wreck photography (^[75])
• 2010-04: Eagle’s Nest cave photography shared on Wetpixel forums, showing deep Florida cave system at nearly 300 feet depth (^[76])
• 2010-05: Ox Bel Ha cave system documentary project captures 7+ hours of HD footage in world’s largest underwater cave, using Sony EX1 with 2x18W HID lights and multiple 50W HID video lights carried by support divers (^[77])
• 2010-07: Wes Skiles dies on July 21; National Geographic publishes his Blue Holes of the Bahamas cover story the same month (^[78], ^[79])
• 2011-03: Adam Hanlon reviews the Triggerfish remote slave trigger for off-camera lighting, testing at ranges up to 15 meters (^[80])
• 2011-05: Ginnie Springs cave diving film by Rusty Sanoian, shot with Canon 5D Mark II mounted on DiveX Cuda scooter (^[81])
• 2011-06: Wes Skiles and Kenny Broad named National Geographic “Explorers of the Year” (^[82])
• 2011-12: Eagles Nest cave film by Becky and David Schott wins Emmy for CBS feature story (^[83])
• 2012: Cave diving footage from Mexico’s cenotes (Nohoch, Naharon, Dos Ojos) using 200W HMI lights shared on forums (^[84])
• 2014-01: Wetpixel features Victor Lyagushkin’s images from Orda Cave, Russia, the world’s longest gypsum cave (^[85])
• 2014-03: Divers discover new cavern in Japan’s Inazumi Underwater Stalactite Cave, 300 meters deeper than previous explorations (^[86])
• 2015-07: Benjamin Von Wong’s “Underwater River” project at a cenote, shooting 30m deep above hydrogen sulfide layer with Nikon D800 in Nauticam housing (^[87])
• 2016-04: Seacam remote strobe trigger review by Adam Hanlon (^[88])
• 2017-07: Anglerfish ships version 2 of remote strobe trigger with wider field of view and 100m depth rating (^[89])
• 2018-01: Tom St. George cenote photography portfolio featured on Wetpixel Full Frame (^[90])
• 2019-03: Wetpixel/Under the Jungle cave photography workshop announced for July 2020 (^[91])
• 2020-04: Martin Broen “Light in the Underworld” cenote portfolio featured on Wetpixel (^[92])
• 2020-06: Natalie Gibb “Shadows and Stalactites” cave photography portfolio published on Wetpixel Full Frame (^[93])
• 2021-01: Jason Gulley’s Florida Springs photography featured on Wetpixel Full Frame (^[94])
• 2021-03: Wetpixel Live episode on underwater image making in Mexico’s cenotes with Natalie Gibb (^[95])
• 2021-07: First Wetpixel/Under the Jungle cenote photography workshop completed (delayed from 2020 due to COVID-19) (^[96])
• 2022-01: Wetpixel Live episode on lens and port choices for cenote photography (^[97])
• 2022-04/05: Two Wetpixel/Under the Jungle cenote workshops run in Mexico’s Yucatan (^[98], ^[99])
• 2022-06: Natalie Gibb reviews Keldan 8XR lights and RC1 ultrasonic remote control for cave photography on Wetpixel Live (^[100])
• 2022-06: 2023 cenote photography workshops announced (^[101])
• 2023-01: Forum discussion on diver-mounted strobes for cave photography, referencing Wes Skiles’s pioneering techniques (^[102])

References

Wetpixel Live