Featuring Brandi Mueller
Sea lions are the lovable pups of the sea. Their playfulness presents a unique opportunity - and challenge - for the underwater photographer. Professional Underwater Photographer Brandi Mueller gives her tips on settings and techniques for capturing the action.
"The sea lions move very, very fast. So I was aiming to have a very fast shutter speed, at least 1/400, sometimes even 1/800, to try to capture their swirling and their moving."
Magdalena Bay is home to a very, very large population of California Sea Lions. We were very fortunate to be able to jump in the water and do a little swimming with a couple of the sea lion colonies.
This time of year [late November, early December], the juveniles are not brand new, but they're just sort of getting a little bit older and getting a bit more curious. When we jumped in the water, literally a herd of sea lions swam out to us, which was just adorable. There's little heads popping out of the water and then when we looked under the water, there was just sea lions everywhere. They were behind us, they were in front of us, they would come swim up to us and blow bubbles in our faces. It was just hectic, but super fun and exciting and wonderful and something you just want to do over and over again.
Mass Chaos! // 15mm • F/8 • 1/400 • ISO 500 © Brandi Mueller
Some of the shots I was trying to capture just sort of the mass-chaos of it, as many sea lions as I could get in one shot. But then I was also trying to focus on individual sea lions, which was difficult because they sort of tease you. They'll swim right up to you and you're like focusing on the eyes and you're like, just wait for it, just wait for it, just wait for it and as soon as you go to snap the shutter, they spin and twist and you just get a side shot of their body. But, it was also super fun and just made you giggle underwater.
Camera Settings
I was shooting with a Nikon D850 in an Ikelite housing and using an 8-15mm fisheye lens, which was set just at 15mm. The sea lions move very, very fast. So I was aiming to have a very fast shutter speed, at least 1/400, sometimes even 1/800, to try to capture their swirling and their moving and just so much stuff happening.
We were there sort of later in the afternoon, so the light was a little bit low and the water was a little bit green. So there was a bit of a battle between how fast you could get the shutter speed. But the faster was definitely the better and what I would recommend. I was usually using f/8 and just trying to balance it out with as fast a shutter speed as possible in that lower light setting to be able to get a nice exposure.
Fast shutter speeds, patience, and a good dose of laughter is the recipe for underwater sea lion photography. © Brandi Mueller
Shooting sea lions was so much fun. I can't wait to come back and do more, and try more, and see more of those adorable little sea puppies!
The photos and video featured in this article were taken during the sardine run in Magdalena Bay off of Baja California Sur, Mexico. Video taken by Logan Wood with Canon EOS R7 in Ikelite 200DLM Underwater Housing # 69746. Brandi Mueller's photos were taken with a Nikon D850 in Ikelite 200DL Underwater Housing # 71015.
Additional Viewing
Photographing Seals & sea lions Off the Southern California Coast
Color Grading S-Log 3 sea lion Footage in Adobe Premiere [VIDEO]
The Brutal Impact of Fisheries on sea lions in Mexico
Lundy Island: The Best Seal Diving in the World
Freediving with Orcas // Following a Dream To Norway [VIDEO]
Underwater with the Sardine Run at Magdalena Bay with Brandi Mueller [VIDEO]
Ambassador Brandi Mueller has been nursing an addiction to WWII wrecks for years now. She fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming a Marine Biologist, then set off to travel the world exploring and teaching underwater photography. She published The Airplane Graveyard in 2018 and Underwater Museums in 2024 documenting the history of WWII wrecks underwater. She moved on to captain the MV Truk Odyssey in 2019 and we're never quite sure where she'll turn up next. Read more...
Logan Wood is a published photographer, cinematographer, and Producer at Ikelite. Stemming from a great appreciation for the outdoors and living an active lifestyle, his work focuses on capturing and sharing the natural world through the latest technologies. When not in the studio, Logan can be found cruising on his bike, going to concerts, and researching where to go next. You can see more of his work at loganwood.net and on Instagram @jlowood
