This week Mick Gleissner shot the front cover for the July issue of Playboy Magazine Philippines.

In a global environment of popular culture and mass media there are few genres, which are not covered by the vast industry of magazines. Wildlife, Fashion, Current Affairs, Film even farming magazines are read by many people throughout the world. There is one magazine however that has created a genre of its own. The reigning champion of the magazine industry. This blog is about Playboy Magazine.

Last week Bigfoot Underwater Studio hosted a Mick Gleissner underwater fashion shoot for the July Cover of Playboy Magazine Philippines. The theme for this months cover was to be

For every diver, experiences underwater are always limited by time. The time it takes before you run low on air, the time it takes to explore a large wreck, the time it takes before that fish you have been trying to photograph becomes frightened and swims away. So what can we do to improve our time and experience underwater? The answer lies in Rebreathers. In this blog we look at the Poseidon Discovery Mark 6 Rebreather.

Last week The Poseidon Dive Team visited Bigfoot Underwater Studio and we spent 2 days testing out their revolutionary new rebreather, which can provide a whopping 4 hours of bottom time. Not only this but it is healthier for the body on dives and is noise free meaning, no bubbles!

Rebreathers have been around since the 19th Century. Unlike conventional scuba diving, rebreathers recycle exhaled breaths, circulating it through a filter, air and pure oxygen, which make it breathable again. This is the main reason why diving on rebreathers allows for very long dive times. The Poseidon Discovery Mark 6 Rebreather is the worlds first fully closed and fully automatic rebreather. This means that it expels absolutely no bubbles and

On most underwater productions one or more safety divers will be present and in the water at all times. Their responsibility is to ensure the safety of everyone while underwater. This week

Picasso needed a paintbrush for his masterpieces. NASA needed space rockets to put man on the moon. Sir Isaac Newton needed his apple to prove gravity. In the industry of underwater studios we need a shooting tank as our tool for perfection. In this blog we will look at the heart of Bigfoot Underwater Studios, our shooting tank The Shooting Tank was built in 2007 for the soul purpose of creating underwater productions. From simple photo shoots to full-blown action movies the shooting tank was designed to accommodate both large and small-scale productions. The Key advantage to having a shooting tank is that it offers a controlled environment for people to work in compared to the open ocean where weather, visibility and swell can all lead to big delays in production schedules.

Our Shooting Tank holds a gargantuan 660,000 cubic feet of water and is the largest shooting tank in Asia. At 16 meters (52.5ft) long and 5 meters (16.5ft) deep it offers a huge area of underwater workspace. During shooting for the Bigfoot action movie

Any professional photographer or camera operator will tell you that light is one of the most important contributing factors to the final shot. So what happens when you are doing photo shoots at night and underwater. In this blog we will look at underwater photo shoots at night.

Water is 800 times denser than air so when light passes through water it is diffused. While light is being lost so is color. In fact at just 5 meters depth (16ft) almost 90% of color can be lost. Underwater lights are essential for any nighttime shoot.

Last Sunday the underwater team at Bigfoot Studios worked on a Mick Gleissner underwater photo shoot at night. This marked the maiden flight of a new underwater lighting system designed by The Bigfoot Studios Art Department. 6 lights, each contain 400 to 1024 individual LED bulbs per light. The light generated from a mass of tiny LEDs is truly impressive and contributed to some unique underwater images.

Shooting underwater at night adds a new element to the production. Safety is always a priority with the Underwater Studio team and the reduced visibility at night meant everyone had to be extra alert. As the underwater lights were running off cables there was a risk of entanglement, which the safety divers kept a sharp eye on. While in front of the light the model is perfectly lit, behind the light the crews are plunged into darkness. With cables in the water everyone had to take special care not to get caught up.

Electricity and water do not mix well either. The LED lighting system was designed for many reasons, one of them because they can run from a small 12V power source such as a battery. This eliminates any risk of electrocution during production.

Being photographed underwater at night is also a daunting task for the models. At night with the bright underwater lights trained on them they are not able to see most of the underwater team. This can be a strange experience for the models but once the safety diver has reassured them and Mick starts shooting, the models fell into their roles beautifully.

The challenges of shooting at night are vast but the Underwater Team at Bigfoot Studios managed once again to provide and safe and effective underwater production. The new underwater lighting system was very impressive and helped Mick capture some truly unique images that only a night shoot can provide.

The art of modeling underwater is always more challenging than it first seems. Images of beautiful girls gracefully gliding through the water, their bodies weightless, long hair flowing and a calm presence in their eyes often masks the skills and effort a model puts in which are vital for such attractive shots.

Last Sunday the Underwater Team at Bigfoot Studios worked on a Mick Gleissner underwater photo shoot. As usual the whole underwater team were involved. From Safety divers, Behind The Scenes photographers to an underwater lighting team and Mick concentrating on the principle underwater photography it takes a lot of people to help in the production of an encapsulating underwater image. In this weeks blog however we will focus on the skills required from our latest underwater models.

Sundays shoot was the first time Bigfoot Studios new model Tetiana Romanchuk had performed underwater. An often daunting task at the best of times, Tetiana had only recently become a qualified diver ( a safety requirement for all our underwater models). Fortunately, Tetiana and the other models involved are all very comfortable in the water. Relaxation is key to working in such an alien environment.

The shoot was conducted in our underwater studio, which provided a great deal of control over the production. Tetiana and the other models are all highly skilled at calming their breathing before touching the water. Talking with the safety diver before the shoot, slowing their heart rate, reaching an almost zen like state before going underwater are all unique skills which Tetiana managed to pick up very quickly.

Whenever a model is in the water there is always a safety diver present and in charge of each models safety. When descending and ascending the safety diver holds onto the model securely and makes sure the model can breath comfortably from their dedicated scuba tank. Obviously underwater modelling requires the model to hold their breath for an extended period of time. This is why relaxation is such an important skill for any model to master.

Tetiana can hold her breath for a long time but she is not a fish so at some point air will be necessary. Whenever air is required and the model cannot hold her breath any longer the safety diver is with them in a flash providing air.

In between shots Tetiana and the other models are able to breath from their dedicated scuba cylinders while underwater. This helps them to once again fill their bodies with delicious oxygen and also reach the level of calm required for the unique images Mick creates. Once they are relaxed and have reacquired their oxygen levels the safety diver backs off, the models hold their breaths again and shooting begins.

Although this was Tetiana