Underwater Photographers - Timeline

Timeline

• 1856 — William Thompson takes the first underwater pictures using a camera mounted on a pole.
• 1893 — Louis Boutan takes underwater pictures while diving using a surface supplied hard hat diving gear.
• 1914 — John Ernest Williamson shoots the first underwater motion picture in the Bahamas.
• 1926 — W. H. Longley and Charles Martin take the first underwater colour photos using a magnesium-powered flash.
• 1957 — The CALYPSO-PHOT camera is designed by Jean de Wouters and promoted by Jacques-Yves Cousteau. It is first released in Australia in 1963. It features a maximum 1/1000 second shutter speed. A similar version is later produced by Nikon as the Nikonos, with a maximum 1/500 second shutter speed and becomes the best-selling underwater camera series.
• 1961 — The San Diego Underwater Photographic Society is established, one of the earliest organizations dedicated to the advancement of underwater photography.