My Photography Journey

Underwater Photographer Madelein Wolfaardt

6 min readAug 1, 2023

Freediving with whale sharks off Mafia Island in Tanzania

Since I can remember my main interests have been wildlife photography, nature conservation and marine biology. I used to collect wildlife images from magazines and buy posters of big cats, the walls in my room were covered.

I’m originally from Johannesburg. Life tends to take you on a journey with all sorts of unexpected twists and turns, and I very happily ended up living in Gordon’s Bay, Cape Town. It’s here where my passion for the ocean, diving and underwater photography kicked off.

Love of Photography

I have always loved taking pictures and have done so since I was a child. I was mesmerised by photography. Combining this with my deep appreciation of nature and all beautiful things, created a life-long love affair. From my first little point-and-shoot film camera in Primary school to my very own SLR that was a gift from my parents in High school.

At school, I used to do portraits of my friends and the children at my sister’s creche, or I was the second shooter at weddings. I also worked at a photo stall when Photoshopping children’s faces into the middle of flowers was a thing. It was a fun learning experience and I earned some pocket money, but my preferred subjects to photograph always stayed nature and wildlife. Though living in the city did not give me many opportunities to explore this interest. Much later on it was underwater photography that got me into exploring photography more seriously.

Two White Rhinos, Private Game Reserve | African Elephant, Hluhluwe–Imfolozi Park, KwaZulu Natal

Underwater Photography

Right after completing my Open Water scuba certification in 2013, I bought my first underwater setup. It was a Canon Powershot S95 compact camera with an Ikelite housing.

Scuba diving was very scary to me in the beginning but having the camera distracted me from the anxiety I often felt. It kept me going back for more. I have been diving for almost 10 years now, having a camera from my sixth or seventh open water dive. I can count on one hand the number of times I did not have a camera with me on a dive ever since.

A picture of me in the very beginning holding my Canon S95

We mainly dive in False Bay, Cape Town, which is one of the more challenging places to scuba dive. This is mostly because of the cold water temperatures and lower visibility ranges. As you may know, light and colour disappear very quickly underwater. Especially on deeper dives or in lower visibility.

I decided to get a strobe light to add to my little underwater housing. This single addition to the setup completely changed my pictures. The strobe supplies much-needed light which helps with sharp focus and colour.

Image of the reef without a strobe light (left) and with a strobe light (right)

A Flow State

Taking pictures underwater became therapy for me. Photography is one of the disciplines in my life where I get into flow fairly easily. Flow is where you enter into a state of mind where you become fully immersed in an activity. It’s a state of focus where you are highly involved and absorbed in what you are doing. Experiencing this creates great enjoyment and energy.

Once my head goes below the surface I slip into a special head-space where I’ts me, nature and my camera. Everything else fades away completely. Sometimes I listen to my breath, my mind is at ease and highly focussed. Time flies by unnoticed. Actions and thoughts automatically flow one after the other with my whole being actively involved. I always have the feeling of excited anticipation of what we might see on every dive.

My first setup and upgrade

Upgrading to DSLR

The compact setup was great and I got wonderful shots using it. But I started feeling limited by the gear, the slow shutter release of the compact camera was especially frustrating. I missed a lot of great moments ending up having way too many pictures of fish backsides.

For this reason, I upgraded to a DSLR. This was a big jump, it takes some getting used to manoeuvring a large underwater setup like this. It can also become quite an expedition when we travel and I have to haul this thing around airports, busses and taxis with me. But I would never complain, It’s worth it.

Transitioning to Mirrorless

Silhouette of me descending into the kelp forest with my camera

I started doing photography professionally and not just as a hobby anymore and this led me to look into moving to a full-frame camera. My cameras were getting old and it was time for an upgrade. I was impressed by the great functions and perks of the mirrorless cameras and got one to level up my underwater photography.

I still use both my underwater setups and sometimes take both with me when I cannot decide between macro and wide-angle lenses for the dive.

My Brand Preferences

Camera-wise, I have always used Canon. I have a Canon 750D in an Ikelite housing as well as a Canon EOS R6 in an Ikelite housing with two Sea&Sea YS-D2 strobes. I have considered a more lightweight setup than the ones I currently have since we travel a lot. But I would probably get frustrated with having limited functionality especially when traveling.

What I Would Like to Achieve

Conservation

Hawksbill sea turtle Critically Endangered (Population decreasing)

The biggest thing that I want to achieve with my photography is to show people the wonders of nature and the ocean. Conveying my love and passion in the hope that at least some of it rubs off on others. We protect what we love, and the ocean desperately needs just that. Conservation photography is definitely what it’s all about for me, through education and awareness.

Art

Tropical fish lit from behind with sun rays

Photography is a way I express myself artistically. The colours of the reef and the vibrance of the sea animals. The beauty of dispersing light rays underwater or especially soft colours lit by ambient sunlight penetrating through the surface. All of this makes creating underwater pictures so wonderful and multifaceted. Being able to share this with others is very rewarding. I count myself incredibly lucky to see and experience the wonderful things the underwater world offers, which many people never get to see.

Connection

Connecting with nature is an important part of life, it’s a very spiritual experience for me. If we are open and aware, nature lends us glimpses of connection, moments that truly imprint on our souls. I want this for my photography, connecting people to the ocean and nature, igniting a spark in them.

Teaching Photography

This is another thing I love. How much better can it get than sharing my passion with others? This is yet another way to inspire future conservationists, creating awareness and most of all, stirring a love for the ocean and its inhabitants in people.

If you’re keen on getting more serious about underwater photography, you can check out this course: PADI Digital Underwater Photography. Not a PADI-qualified diver? Then this course is for you: Underwater Photography Course.