There have been several articles in magazines and websites about the stock photographer Kimmo Hagman. Also his underwater stock images of the Red Sea, Maldives and much more have been used for quite a few publications:

Diver in the Picture

Underwater photography serves different purposes for different divers. Some wish to document the marine life that they have encountered to show family and friends, others want to give their memories eternal life by keeping photos in an album.

And for some, underwater photography is a form of art. Whatever the reason might be, most divers at one time or another bring an underwater camera on a dive or two. The object and results vary of course with dive as well as photo experience.
During my five years in Hurghada I have seen most of the different kinds.

One thing that most rolls of film have in common though, is that many of the photos show a diver underwater, an underwater model.

Depending on training, experience and reason, you can divide the underwater models into two groups. “Happy snapped buddy picture” and “Arranged rehearsed model picture”.
The first category is suitable for family albums while the other ends up in dive magazines and art calendars.

The happy buddy in a picture often shows a diver in action. Wether swimming through a wreck or over a coral reef the buddy is not an integral part of the picture and the photo would still be complete without their presence.

The model in a photograph is often used to highlight or accentuate the main feature of the picture meaning the picture would loose its full effect if the model were not present.
To get someone to model for you may prove as difficult as to get a good shot. Most people prefer to explore the wreck or the reef rather than hang motionless in mid-water waiting for you to get the settings right.

One value of using a model in an under water photo can be to increase the interest of the object.
By having the model look at a Scorpion fish and point a torch at it, makes the Scorpion fish more interesting.
Another way is to let a beautiful diver with a colourful wetsuit that the photographer purposely places as a part of the picture, become an object itself.

To use a model when photographing under water is not as easy as it might seem. First of all the model has to be a very good diver who can move into position quickly and then stay in one place for the time the photographer needs to shoot the frame.
The photographer and the model also must be able to communicate almost on a telepathic level. A moving object does not hang around forever so it is important that the model knows what the photographer wants through small and quick signals.
Buoyancy control is very important. At the same time as the model is trying to avoid touching the bottom or the ceiling in a cave, the model must look relaxed and interested whilst concentrating on leaving no exhalation bubbles.

You can’t ask the model to hold her breath so the photographer has to learn and feel the rhythm of the models breathing to either get no bubbles at all or place them where he wants them in the frame.

There are a few rules as to where to put the model in the picture. The rule of thirds is one. It means that you divide the frame into three equally sized parts horizontally and three equally sized parts vertically.
In the opposite diagonal crossing points you would find the model and the object creating a balance. When using a model most photographers operate with a wide-angle lens.

This means that there is a lot of area to fill in the frame and a model is often placed to fill an empty space. This helps to give the picture balance. The model can either be close enough for all the details, like the face and equipment to show, or in the distance.
In this case you would let the strobe light up only the object in the front of the picture and leave the model as a silhouette, maybe with the sun in the background and sunbeams spreading out over the frame.

For years I’ve been trying to improve my under water photography and I have been fortunate enough to gain a lot of knowledge from my friend and colleague, the professional underwater photographer Kimmo Hagman whom I’ve worked with for the last five years.
Wide-angle photography with models is one of his many specialties and I have learned most of what I know from him.

Two of the most valuable tips Kimmo has given me are “Of course rules are there to be broken”, and “Step away from the stereotype composition and create your own style, this makes your pictures different and interesting.”

SS Maidan's secret revealed @ 120 MSW

Published in H2O Magazine, Issue Winter 04

If you think there are no more secrets hiding in the deep waters of the Red Sea you are mistaken. Many rumours as to the whereabouts of the wreck of the British Steamship Maidan have circulated among Red Sea wreck lovers, but no precise location had been established so far.

The Steamship Maidan, an impressive 500 feet (152.4 m) long cargo vessel, displacing 8205 tons, was built by W. Hamilton & Co. (Glasgow, UK) and launched in March 1902. Owned and operated by T. & J. Brocklebank, she covered the trade routes between the main European Ports and India.

Her final journey started off from Calcutta, India, heading for Europe, across the waters of the Red Sea.
She hit the southern shores of Rocky Island in the Southern Egyptian Red Sea, in the night of June 9th 1923, and sunk the next day into "deep water".

Her passengers and crew, who had landed on the island in the morning of June 10th, were rescued that same day by the SS Warwickshire (for reference please see Ned Middleton's article "The Maidan", available on the www.touregypt.net/vdc/maidan.htm).

With this information in the back of their minds, a team of Trimix Closed Circuit Rebreather divers, set out to find the wreck of the SS Maidan sponsored by Tornado Marine Fleet and Tony Backhurst Scuba Travel, on the MY Excel. They followed the lead given to them by Captain Nagy, one of the most experienced and famous captains of the Egyptian Red Sea, and main captain of Tornado Marine Fleet. The team, composed of Grant Searancke, permanent liveaboard guide on the MY Excel, videographer and manager of www.red-sea.com, and Kimmo Hagman, professional photographer and Manager of Colona Diving Centre in Hurghada, searched the area indicated to them by Captain Nagy on several occasions from May 2003 onwards.

Finally, in October 2003, after many dives and many unsuccessful attempts, they were able to establish the exact position of the wreck, and to obtain the first photographs and video footage of the vessel, thus discovering the final resting place of the SS Maidan.The SS Maidan now lies at a fair distance from the shores of Rocky Island at a depth of between 80 to 120 meters, partially on her side.

She exhibits vast coral growth, even at that depth, and her structure is almost intact, making her an exceptional wreck dive.

Nevertheless, the dives carried out on the wreck make it clear that she can only be accessible to experienced, Advanced Trimix divers, catered for on a liveaboard vessel fully equipped for technical diving.
In addition to the great depth in which the SS Maidan lies, a free descent into the blue to reach her, as well as the changeable currents around Rocky Island, have to be carefully taken into account when planning to dive this wreck.
To be finally able to dive the SS Maidan in a safe and controlled way, after months of dedicated exploration and search, has been one of the most rewarding achievements of the team's diving career.
Tornado Marine Fleet and Tony Backhurst Scuba Travel, organize liveaboard cruises to dive the SS Maidan, offering all the necessary technical facilities and professional staff on board to make this difficult technical dive as safe as possible.

The Zealot

By Anders Jälmsjö
Published in H2O Magazine, Issue Winter 05

On the 24th of September 2003, Marcus Lohr returned to Daedalus reef to fulfil his dream of getting evidence of the existence of a virgin shipwreck he saw by coincidence two weeks earlier when looking for hammerhead sharks. Already the second attempt was successful and at a depth of 75 meters Marcus found the wreck resting on a slope so steep that the stern was not in sight. As he explored the wreck further, he passed two anchors at 88 meters depth then a round shape on the bottom caught his eye - it was a dinner plate with the printed name “Helme Park”, the shipping company name “South Shields” and the company flag. The evidence was sent to Ned Middleton, well known Red Sea wreck specialist for further research and it didn’t take Middleton long to establish that the iron spar-decked screw steamer “Helme Park”, launched in January 1873 by the company South Shields, was renamed as “The Zealot”, lost on Daedalus Shoal in 1876, now resting on the seabed at a depth of 75 to 110 meters.

When the dive tour operator Tony Backhurst heard about the find he sponsored a series of expeditions with the purpose to confirm and document the wreck, the live aboard MV Hurricane was used as the research vessel. A team of top technical divers was put together including the master under water photographer Kimmo Hagman, who earlier discovered with and documented the wreck of The Maiden. “This is of course extreme diving and not on the agenda of normal Red Sea live aboard operators and to bring a camera down to 100 meters is a lot easier than to bring nice photos back up” as Kimmo himself describes the dives on The Zealot. The results of this venture we see here.

Nearly on the day 127 before the rediscovery, the Zealot left the harbour in Liverpool on the 26th of September 1876 with destination Bombay. Beside Captain J.A Best’s crew of 53 men there were 2 passengers. The cargo was (according to the manifest) 790 bales, 91 cases and 110 tons of iron to the value of £ 24,700. After sailing through the Mediterranean the Zealot entered the Red Sea via Suez on the 12th of October. The following morning passing Shedwan Island, Captain Best set the course 24 degrees for the route west of Brothers Islands.
For First Mate Jonathan Russell this was the first trip after being promoted to First Officer status. At 04:00 Russell took charge and at 05:15 he went into the chart room to work on the bearings since the lighthouse on Daedalus was not yet in sight. On returning to the bridge 20 minutes later Russell made the terrifying observation that the lighthouse now was not only in sight but dead ahead. Fearing that he would get into trouble if his Master realised the mistake and not wanting to wake Captain Best, Russell choose to make small adjustments to the course rather than the necessary sharp turn. At 05:49 on the 14th of October 1876 the Zealot ran on the reef at Daedalus Shoals.

Captain J.A Best got back on the bridge moments after the hit taking charge over the ship. He ordered the engines stopped and the lifeboats to be lowered into the sea at the same time he manoeuvred the bow up on the reef to let some of the crew to jump to safety. J.A Best himself stayed on the Zealot to try to save the vessel but had to escape as the last man before the ship sank into the deep blue water. At the trial later the same year in Liverpool the court found the First Mate Jonathan Russell mainly responsible suspending his Certificate as First Officer for 12 months. Captain J.A Best was suspended for 6 months. When you think you have seen it all, beautiful reefs and dramatic wrecks there is always something new waiting in the depths of the Red Sea. What we are yet to discover is beyond our imagination and as long as we keep that in mind we will be able to go diving with great enthusiasm.

Kimmo Hagman

By Stuart Philpott
Published at www.deeperblue.net, 27th April 1999

Slide shows can often be a great excuse to catch forty winks after a hard days diving. Kimmo Hagman's slide show was an exception. For twenty minutes the crowded auditorium was treated to a visual feast of macro and wide-angle splendour. Focus, lighting, subject and composition were exceptional. Slide after slide emanated the Scandinavian's great talent for underwater photography.

Born in Hanko, a small fishing village on the south coast of Finland. As a child, he would take every opportunity to go snorkelling in the cold, clear, coastal waters. Qualifying as a PADI 0pen water diver in 1986 he quickly progressed to Divemaster and took advantage of the numerous wreck sites in the area by working as a guide for a local dive centre. On becoming an Instructor in 1988 Kimmo moved south to warmer climes and spent a busy season on a resort island in Greece. Replying to an advert in a diving magazine transported him still further south from the Mediterranean Sea to the Maldive archipelago in the Indian Ocean. The tropical Island paradise of Kuredu in the northern Lhaviyani atoll has been home for him ever since and it was here that he has nurtured his great passion for the sea and its inhabitants with the aid of his cameras.

Within a few months of being on Kuredu Kimmo was introduced to photography through a friend and bought a second-hand Nikonos V. Restricted by the 35mm lenses and unable to afford a strobe he started using the dive centres own rental Sea and Sea Motormarine II's with YS40 strobes. Having produced some encouraging results, but with reaching the limitations of the equipment, he invested in an Austrian manufactured Seacam housing with a Nikon 801s and a Sub-tronic strobe in 1993. With so many top quality housings on the market I asked why he had chosen the Seacam. He explained ' I have tried out a variety of different housings over the years but they all feel as though I have my neighbours d**k in my hand ', what more can you say!

Some of the shots taken in 1993 were amazing and his work has just got progressively better. Self critical of every photograph Kimmo constantly strives for improvement over the last roll of film exposed. He says 'My goal is to try and make my best ever photograph every time I look through the viewer'.

The first competition he entered was the Louis Bouton photographic festival in Antibes, France where he came twentieth. Since then, there have been two photographic 'shoot-outs' organised by German magazine Tauchen. He won the Wide-angle category on both occasions and came third in the macro. Unbelievably first prize was a holiday for two in the Maldives!

There have been front covers for Asian Diver, Dive style, a South African magazine, Dyk, the Swedish version of Tauchen and numerous travel brochures. Last year he staged an exhibition of his work in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, and this summer will see another in his home country, Finland.

Kimmo still works as a full time Diving Instructor on Kuredu. Whenever possible, while acting as a guide or on a rare day off, he will take his cameras with him hoping to capture a special moment on film. He always prepares two cameras. One camera for Macro and the other for Wide-angle, usually with only a single strobe. On average he exposes a hundred rolls of film a year, which equates to a roll of film every three days, and prefers to use Fuji Velvia (50 asa) for Macro and Fuji Provia (100 asa) for wide angle.

Underwater the man from Finland is renowned for being as cool as an iceberg. During a photo dive with sharks an extremely dangerous feeding frenzy developed. All the divers managed to get back on board safely if not extremely shaken. To everyone's surprise and amazement he calmly commented `There was a slight loss of control for a moment, don't you think`.

Since buying his first camera in 1992 the Hagman collection has grown to encompass some $20,000 worth of equipment. He now owns two Seacam housings with Nikon 801s SLR`s and is in the process of buying another housing for his Nikon F5. Not forgetting to mention all of the E6 slide and C41 colour negative photographic processing equipment in the darkroom.

For a number of years Kimmo has been running photographic workshops on Kuredu. They are specifically geared to the level of experience and type of camera equipment owned by the photographers in the group. Where else could be better than a palm fringed tropical Island for a weeklong course covering both theory, in an air conditioned classroom, and practical, in clear, warm, blue seas. The group is guided through the whole process, from camera maintenance, preparation and picture composition to processing and enlarging.

Initial inspirations came from Skin Diver Magazine and his colleagues. Now visiting photographers to Kuredu are inspired by Kimmo`s own slide show held on the island once every two weeks. Asked whether there is a book in the making he replies ' maybe if I could only find a publisher'. I somehow think a few offers will soon be coming his way. This won't be the last time you see the name Kimmo Hagman.

Kimmo Hagman - Finsk Passion

Published at www.dykmag.net

Kimmo Hagman dykker altid med sit undervandskamera og i sit arkiv har han en samling af fantastiske billeder fra overfladen og ned til 120 meter. Kimmo er 45 år og bor ved Rødehavet i Hurghada, Ægypten. Her arbejder han som bestyrer af dykkecentret Colona Divers.

– Jeg forsøger at være et godt forbillede i disciplinen “hvordan man undgår at ødelægge det marine liv mens man fotograferer”. Og det er jo i grunden meget vigtigere end at tage gode billeder, siger Kimmo.

Kimmo startede med dykning allerede i 1986. Han flyttede ret hurtigt til Maldiverne, hvor han blev i 10 år. Det var der, at han fik sit egentlige “foto kick” og siden dengang har han fotograferet næsten hver dag.

– De fleste af mine billeder er taget ved Maldiverne og i Rødehavet. Men også Sveriges og Norges kyster har gode lokaliteter til uv-foto, siger Kimmo.
Selv om fotografering bare er en hobby, så har Kimmo fået publiceret billeder i flere magasiner. Han har også haft flere fotoudstillinger og har desuden deltaget i konkurrencer med god succes. På trods af, at han ikke deltager specielt ofte, så har han bl.a. to gange vundet førstepræmie i Tauchen Shoot Out og en gang havnede han på sjettepladsen i verdensmesterskabet i undervandsfoto.

Kimmo har ikke noget særligt favoritobjektiv eller et særligt favoritmotiv. Han kan både lide vidvinkel- og makro og så elsker han farver. Derimod er han ikke så vild med billeder, som udelukkende er taget som dokumentation.

I Kimmos fotokuffert findes for tiden Nikon D100 og D200 digitalkameraer og et 801s analog kamera. Husene er SeaLux, Sea&Sea og SeaCam. På lyssiden kører Kimmo udelukkende med Subtronics blitzer. Linserne er 16 mm, 20 mm, 20-35 mm samt makroobjektiverne 60 og 105 mm.

Kimmo's Story

Published at www.suunto.com

Kimmo Hagman always dives with his underwater camera and in his portfolio he has collected amazing shots from above and under water. Kimmo is 45 and now lives in Hurghada, right by the Egyptian Red Sea, where he works as dive centre manager for Colona divers.

"I try to be good example when it comes to - how not to destroy the marine environment - while I'm taking pictures. That's much more important than taking good pictures.", Kimmo says.

Kimmo started diving in 1986, and shortly afterwards moved to the Maldives where he stayed for 10 years. It was there he began his "Photo Kick" and since then has taken photos nearly every day.

"The majority of my pictures are taken in the Maldives and in the Red Sea. The Swedish and Norwegian coasts also have many fine locations for photography", says Kimmo.

Although photography is only a hobby, Kimmo has photographs published in many magazines, has held photo exhibitions and has taken part in several photo competitions with good results. Twice he has won 1st prize in "Tauchen Shoot Out" and reached 6th place in the world championships.

Kimmo's photography case

Kimmo has difficulty in picking a favourite lens or subject matter. He enjoys both wide angle and macro, and loves colours. He is not in favour of shots taken just for documentation purposes.

Kimmo's photography case today includes: Nikon D100 and D200 for digital and 801s for film. Housings are Sealux, Sea & Sea and Seacam. On the flash side Kimmo uses exclusively Subtronics. Lenses are 16mm, 20mm,2 0-35 mm together with macro 60 and 105 mm.