{"id":179488,"date":"2026-03-05T17:00:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T17:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/179488\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T17:00:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T17:00:20","slug":"tampa-photographer-turns-backyard-spring-into-underwater-portrait-studio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/179488\/","title":{"rendered":"Tampa photographer turns backyard spring into underwater portrait studio"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AnCredit: Jen Naugle Photography<\/a><\/p>\n

Sunbeams filtering through water, sediment stirred by movement or lily pads drifting into frame\u2013what might be imperfections elsewhere become defining features in Jen Naugle<\/a>\u2019s portraits. For the Tampa-based photographer, underwater portraiture is more than just capturing what meets the eye. In her lens, women emerge weightless, serene and celebrated, each image a delicate blend of fine art and personal empowerment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Naugle works primarily with women, crafting dreamlike portraits that resemble watercolor paintings more than traditional photos. Much of this work happens in a natural spring on her property in Seminole Heights, a setting that shapes both her creative process and the ethereal quality of her images.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI just love working with women\u2013I love seeing people feel good about themselves, and to see how beautiful they are,\u201d she said. \u201cWe don\u2019t walk around every day thinking about ourselves like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike studio photography, where factors like lighting and angles can be tightly-controlled, Naugle embraces the unpredictable variables of the environment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe spring is my favorite\u2013there\u2019s just such an interesting depth to the sediment that comes up,\u201d Naugle said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot less in my control, which is really exciting creatively.\u201d<\/p>\n

Naugle began her photography career in 2005 after studying graphic design at Ringling College of Art and Design and working in marketing at Raymond James. She started with weddings, headshots and family portraits, but over time her interests and client base shifted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe spring is such a lucky thing,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t have this big epiphany. I just felt intuitively it was the right thing to do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

She gradually, nervously, moved toward underwater photography. After buying underwater camera equipment, she admits she didn\u2019t touch it for over a month. Her breakthrough came when she photographed her daughter and friends in the spring, unlocking an entirely new photographic style.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was definitely a learning experience,\u201d she said. \u201cEvery photo shoot turns out so unique\u2014they\u2019re never going to look the same. It has to do with the ground, how calm the client is, whether they kick things up, and then how the sunbeams illuminate the sediment in the water.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her sessions are both physically and emotionally immersive. Before clients ever enter the water, she spends 30 to 45 minutes on the phone answering questions, then follows up with detailed instructions about what to bring and how to prepare.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Once submerged, nerves are common, but fleeting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Jen Naugle Photography<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople will feel during the photoshoot like they\u2019re flailing around. They don\u2019t feel like they look good. And I\u2019m always like, \u2018It looks beautiful, I promise,\u2019\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

By the end, clients often feel energized and invigorated\u2013a transformation that draws many women to her work.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI work with a lot of women going through divorce, kids leaving the house, retirement,\u201d Naugle said. \u201cTo see these beautiful images of ourselves in a special way\u2013it makes me so happy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Angelica Gillot, who photographed with Naugle while 32 weeks pregnant with her first child, said the experience allowed her to briefly step outside the identity of pregnancy and reconnect with herself.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything is heavy and hurts, but then you get in the water, and you feel this lightness that you\u2019re otherwise incapable of feeling,\u201d she said. \u201cIt almost gave me the freedom to not feel pregnant\u2013it was like, \u2018I\u2019m just a woman today\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seeing the final images was emotional, not because of the milestone, but because of the opportunity to see herself in a different light.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had professional photos taken before, but these were just so different,\u201d Gillot said. \u201cTo see myself photographed in such an atypical way\u2013it was incredibly powerful.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Influenced by photographer Sally Mann, she prioritizes mood and atmosphere, encouraging clients to turn their shots into physical artwork on acrylic, metal or fine-art paper rather than just digital files.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThese deserve to be seen,\u201d she said. \u201cDigital images just disappear into a computer.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

That fine-art focus has begun to carry her work beyond private sessions. Naugle\u2019s photographs are currently included in a Florida Museum of Photographic Arts member exhibition <\/a>on view through mid-March, and she is preparing to participate in She Is Art, an all-female, all-local showcase tied to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation\u2019s She Is Football Weekend<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want people to come away with something that feels like art,\u201d she said. \u201cSomething that only happens in that moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Jen Naugle Photography<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Jen Naugle Photography<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Jen Naugle Photography<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Jen Naugle Photography<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Jen Naugle Photography<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Jen Naugle Photography<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Jen Naugle Photography<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Jen Naugle Photography<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Jen Naugle Photography<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Jen Naugle Photography<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Jen Naugle Photography<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Jen Naugle Photography<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Jen Naugle Photography<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Jen Naugle Photography<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Jen Naugle Photography<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Jen Naugle Photography<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Jen Naugle Photography<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Jen Naugle Photography<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Jen Naugle Photography<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Jen Naugle Photography<\/p>\n

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