• By Tsai Cheng-min / Staff Reporter

Taiwanese photographer Tzeng Chin-fa (曾進發) has won one gold and two bronze awards at the Prix de la Photographie in Paris (PX3), including a gold award in the Press/Fashion category for his dreamy underwater wedding photography.

The PX3 was launched in 2007 and has since developed into one of the most prestigious photography awards in Europe.

Tzeng from Jhunan Township (竹南) in Miaoli County has won numerous gold awards in international photography competitions.

Photo courtesy of Tzeng Chin-fa

He said yesterday that underwater wedding photos were becoming increasingly popular among young people and that many couples were choosing to capture one of the most important milestones of their lives in the water because it seemed more dreamlike.

Many women would wear wedding dresses of different styles for underwater wedding photography, including traditional Chinese wedding dresses, classic white modern wedding dresses or even dreamy ball gowns, he said.

It is a challenge for photographers to highlight the beauty of a woman in a wedding dress in the water because the subjects have to learn to hold their breath and have undergone diving training, he said, adding that they also have to put on lead diving weights to keep their bodies underwater for the shoot.

Photo courtesy of Tzeng Chin-fa

In addition, the pool must be decorated to match the features of the wedding dress, he added.

In addition, the photographer must also ensure proper lighting to highlight the subject’s charming posture and facial expressions, Tzeng said, adding that flash should not be used as it would make the dreamy underwater wonderland appear dark and gloomy.

If you want to try underwater wedding photography yourself, use a high-quality prime lens with a large aperture, set the camera to AFC mode for fast burst shooting, and focus on the subject’s face, Tzeng advises.