These Underwater Wedding Portraits Are Absolutely Stunning!

by Chaitra Ramalingegowda · April 16, 2015

Adam and Shawn-Marie Ravazzano are a photographer husband-wife duo originally from Australia. The couple left their homeland and part-time jobs to start a photography studio in Maui, Hawaii, called Love and Water Photography. The couple specializes in ‘Maui family portraits using a documentary style, intimate Maui wedding photography and elopements, as well as Maui trash the dress sessions both on the beach and underwater!’

And their specialty in underwater wedding photography is what has caught the attention of many photography enthusiasts and amateurs alike. In one series of photographs from an underwater wedding shoot, which is obviously an underwater ‘trash the wedding dress’ session, the bride and groom, decked out in their wedding finery, dive deep underwater for surreal portraits that they can cherish for the rest of their lives.

Adam and Shawn-Marie Ravazzano

Image source: Love and Water Photography

In case you’re wondering, a ‘Trash the Dress’ shoot is where a couple don their wedding finery and ruin them by the end of the shoot. It could be by diving underwater or playing with paints or any number of ways to ruin the fine clothes.

The underwater trash the dress shoots are ‘lots of fun and an amazingly unique way to capture your time on the island of Maui,’ write the Ravazzanos.

Image source: Love and Water Photography

Since underwater diving isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, most couples choose to stay near the shallow surface of the water. But the Ravazzanos have had the pleasure of working with couples with experience in diving, and who were willing to pose for portraits well underwater.

Image source: Love and Water Photography

One such couple is Maika and Lei, natives of Hawaii, who are experienced divers and also recently engaged. Adam and Shawn-Marie got in touch with the newly engaged couple via Instagram and the results of these four coming together are truly stunning and breathtaking! Maika and Lei apparently document their diving adventures on Instagram, and when asked if they’d like to model for the underwater wedding portraits, they were all in since they felt that the ocean played a huge role in their relationship.

Lei and her husband-to-be Maika

Image source: Love and Water Photography

Maika and Lei met while underwater too, when he had bumped into Lei accidentally.

“I turned and surfaced suddenly, and a very apologetic and embarrassed boy pulled the snorkel out of his mouth to exclaim that that was a complete accident and that he was sorry,” recalled Lei.

After three chance meetings later, which were all pretty much related to ocean activities, the couple started dating. With adventure and hikes putting the couple together, they soon fell in love.

Image source: Love and Water Photography

As for the underwater shoot, Adam and Shawn-Marie convinced the designer Joelle Perry to donate two dresses, one of which she’d worn on her wedding day. Dresses scored, they shot the surreal and visually stunning underwater photo series with the happy couple.

Check out the dreamlike deep water photographs here: