In this ongoing series, Scubaverse’s Underwater Photography Editor Nick Robertson-Brown talks to underwater photographers from around the world that he admires. In this blog: Tobias Friedrich

In his childhood Tobias Friedrich loved to watch the adventures of the Calypso with Jacques-Yves Cousteau as its captain and the beauty of the world that is below the ocean’s surface. It’s still an overwhelming feeling for him when he has the chance to dive. He loves the elegance and calmness of the world underwater standing in contrast to the hectic atmosphere above.

Tobias Friedrich lives in Germany and started taking pictures with a DSLR underwater in 2007. Since then, his images have been published in prestigious scuba diving magazines and newspapers around the world. Several underwater photographic competitions have honoured his work, resulting in over 50 awards with nearly 30 1^st places. Lately he has been named “Underwater Photographer of the Year 2018” in the prestigious UPY London competition and “German Photographer of the Year 2019” in Germany. All waters, from zero to 30° Celsius, are attractive for him, so long as there is something to photograph. He uses SEACAM equipment for his Canon EOS 1DX Mark II and 5D Mark II DSLR. Tobias leads expeditions and workshops around the world, where everybody can join.

NRB: How did your underwater photography start?

TF: Basically, through diving. I made my Open Water Diver in 2001 and from 2003 I took a small compact camera underwater to be able to take a few shots. In 2007 I changed to a DSLR and from then on it started to become more professional.

NRB: What is your favourite u/w camera equipment (past & present) & why?

TF: My current main camera is a Canon 1DX Mark II in a SEACAM silver housing along with SEACAM Seaflash 150D strobes. Everything else is also from SEACAM.  I consider this setup as the best I have had so far.

NRB: What would be your advice to anyone new to underwater photography?

TF: Try to take the camera as much as you can underwater and learn from images of other underwater photographers as you try to analyse why they are good (or not). This helped me a lot in the beginning.

Iceberg with a diver underneath it with video lights shining on the iceberg, supported by Northern Explorers A/S, Tasiilaq, East Greenland, Atlantic Ocean, Arctic, Northpole, Icebergs.

NRB: What, or who, has been your single biggest inspiration for your underwater photography?

TF: I followed Eric Cheng a lot in the early 2000s and I can definitely say that he inspired me in becoming an underwater photographer.

NRB: What image are you most proud of and why?

TF: I’m not really “proud” of my images, I’m just happy if people like them. But I was proud that Adobe selected my split shot of the Humpback Whale from the Sultanate of Oman as their start screen of Adobe Lightroom Classic.

Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, swimming close to the surface in a split shot half under and half over water with brown desert mountains in the background at Al Sawda, Al-Hallaniyah, Khuriya Muriya Islands, Oman, Indian Ocean.

NRB: Where is your favourite dive location, and is it for the photography?

TF: That are so many, but if I have to name one, then definitely Egypt because it’s so reliable regarding diving and photography there, and at the same time so close to reach.

NRB: What are you views on marine life manipulation, moving subjects?

TF: It’s a definite no go for me to manipulate images, especially for marine life and also if you want to document marine life. To remove a diver in the background who is “in the way” might be ok as well for advertising, but not in documentary.

NRB: What do you look for when you are making your images?

TF: Usually not something in particular. I like to go on a dive and discover the subjects right on the dive. But then I’m always looking for the best perspective on a subject.

Split shot of a hard coral garden with sunset behind it, Gordon Reef, Strait of Tiran, Northern Red Sea, Egypt, Northern Africa.

NRB: What motivates you to take u/w photos?

TF: To see that people like the images and they can see the beauty of the oceans and they need to be preserved.

Male Orca Whale, Orcinus orca, swimming underneath the surface to take a breath, split shot half half with snowy mountains in the background, near Tromso, near Skjervoy, Northern Norway, Atlantic Ocean.

NRB: If you could photograph any one thing/place what or where would that be?

TF: I would like to photograph a Blue Whale. 

To see more of Tobias’ work please visit his website here: www.BELOW-SURFACE.com

His book “Underwater Photography” about how to photograph underwater can be found on Amazon and is available in English and German: www.amazon.com/Underwater-Photography-Tobias-Friedrich/dp/1937538524

To read his feature on Apo Reef in our Philippines Dive Adventures magazine click here.