Looking to the Himalaya from Phewa Lake

When I was planning my trip to Nepal, one idea that came into my mind was a photograph of the mountains shot while in the waters of Phewa Lake, Pokhara. To that end, I needed something that would allow me to protect my camera but I didn’t really want to fork out for a full underwater kit. Enter the Dicapac WP-S10. It allows you to securely place a DSLR inside and is rated to a depth of 5m. Perfect for surface and near-surface shots from the water.

Through the use of strong velcro sealing, a camera and lens can be placed inside allowing use from the water. There is a finger sleeve system that allows for pressing the shutter button and holding onto the camera. Zooming is tricky and I ended up just settling on one focal length and leaving it at that. I found that I needed to pull the lens bellows system back until it rested against my wide-angle lens otherwise I’d get the edges of the bellows in my photo in a kind of vignette-type feel.

In the water.

It takes a bit of getting used to, especially in a freshwater lake without swim fins. You’ll really test out your treading water skills while you shoot with one of these housings. Image quality seems ok – we had hazy skies most of the time which didn’t help with getting clear photographs. Still, there are a couple that worked okay although the original image I had in my mind wasn’t achieved. With more time and some better positioning in the water, I have confidence that I’ve have pulled it off.

Yours truly. Photo by Selina Ferguson

If you’re looking for a cheap and easy method to get your camera into the water, this is it. Retailing for around $80, they make water photography a lot more affordable.

Photo from Phewa Lake, Pokhara, Nepal