Indonesia is famous for its rich coral reefs and marine life which is one of the reasons it attracts many photographers from all over the world to come. Underwater photography is an exciting experience and has become a favorite hobby for many divers. If you’re a scuba diver, freediver, or just feel more comfortable in the water, then bringing a camera along to capture the underwater world on your next trip could be your thing.
Meet Jhon Henriano, a professional underwater photographer and videographer known for his amazing work. In addition to his profession as an underwater photographer and videographer, he is also an underwater technical consultant at Divesea, a Bigblue & Divevolk ambassador and works at Pertamina Hulu Energi. He is also actively involved in several diving communities, such as the Indonesia Diver Community (IDC), the Free diving Society and the Pertamina Dive Club (PHE).
Born in Pekanbaru, Riau, he was initially interested in the underwater world due to his love of photography. Like many beginners, he didn’t find his underwater photos as good as he might have expected and this is what sparked his curiosity to find out more. In 2015, he started taking photos and videos from an action camera and then switched to a compact camera a few years later in 2017. With more experience, he quickly realized that what he could get from a compact camera was quite limited. Until the beginning of 2021 he has now upgraded his equipment to a complete set of professional cameras.
Underwater photography has certainly not been easy or cheap. It may take hundreds of hours of experience in the water to get the resulting image as it stands today. He went through a lot of trial and error including buying the wrong type of underwater photography equipment which drove up his grocery costs even further. But for someone as talented as he is, it’s definitely a passion worth pursuing.
Throughout his diving career, Jhon Henriano has received numerous awards, such as:
1. Nominated for Best Photo on Manado event “World breaker: The Longest Raising of the Red and White Flag” August 2018
2. Garmin Champion – Padi Underwater Photo September 2019 (voted online)
3. Winner of MOA South Asian Got Talent 2020 Cinematography “Dance in the Water” 2021
4. Indonesia’s Next Top Model Underwater Photographer “Underwater Challenge 2021”
5. National Geographic Indonesia Photography Award 2021
6. Xiaomi global project for the 2021 product launch “Xiaomi M11 Ultra”
7. PON XX 2021, underwater photographic project with Nurulita
8. Toyota #startyourimpossible – Underwater
9. 3rd Winner of the Manado 2021 International Underwater Photo Competitions. for the Open Category.
10. National Geographic China – Cinematography. Represents Qualcomm and Divevolk
11. Ministry of Law and Human Rights – 2020 “Underwater ceremony and flag-raising”
It’s not easy being an underwater photographer/videographer, your safety comes first and, first and foremost, you need to get a diving license. There are many challenges presented underwater such as currents, low tide, high tide, and the object itself, etc. Also, the equipment is not cheap. In some cases, the underwater camera housing can be twice as expensive as the price of the camera itself. Underwater photography/videography needs a lot of supporting equipment to create great photos and videos. But more importantly, knowledge of underwater lighting plays a huge role. It certainly takes a lot of practice to perfect and realize that skill.
Although underwater photography was originally a side project for Jhon Henriano but with a number of achievements that have been engraved, it proves that something that started as a hobby can develop into something more when it is done with great dedication.
For more photos by Jhon Henriano click Here. His interesting video content on scuba diving, freediving, mermaid activities and underwater photography equipment reviews can be viewed through his Youtube channel.
If you are interested in a collaboration for underwater pre-wedding photos and videos, you can also contact him via direct message on Instagram.
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