Hi! I'm Kimber Greenwood Underwater Photographer And Your Creative Partner

I never set out to create Water Bear Photography as a luxury photography studio in little Gainesville, Florida. Especially one specializing in underwater portraits! On paper, it doesn't seem like the most logical business to start. I mean, how many people in a small to mid sized (there's less than 150,000 people in Gainesville) town would want to be photographed underwater?

Gator Country Was More Ready Than I Thought

Something about this business just sat right with my soul, and I knew I had to give Water Bear a try and see if Gainesville was ready for an underwater photography studio. Prior to Water Bear, I embodied the phrase, "jack of all trades, master of none". I would become intensely interested in a job, skill, or hobby and quickly become proficient before getting bored and moving on. That had to change when I started a small business. Every day holds a different challenge and I honestly can't imagine ever doing anything else. We now joke that Water Bear is my second longest relationship (after Will, of course). Photography lets me channel the empathy I cultivated from being an RN, the critical thinking from my science background, and the water knowledge from my 20+ years working in/around the water.

What Is a Water Bear Anyway?

So why "Water Bear"? Well, for starters, I thought I was going to be a children's photographer. I wanted something cute and memorable. Plus, as an introvert, the idea of having my name on my business was never something that appealed to me. Also, I told myself I could always change it later…famous last words…

In college, I worked in a lab studying daphnia and (can you guess it?) water bears, also known as Tardigrades or Moss Piglets. These goofy little dudes hold a bunch of secrets in their little claws though. They can survive almost anywhere on this planet or off of it and they're the only known animal to not be contaminated with microplastics. These teensy badasses teach us a lot about the world around us, but also entertain us.

Water Bear Began Small But Quickly Grew to Be a Prominent Photography Studio in Gainesville, Florida

Its humble beginning started in client's homes and coffee shops (my personal favorite is Patticakes in Town of Tioga). When I started this journey, we had just gotten our feet under us as adults and new parents. As Water Bear Photography evolved, I went from being primarily a family/children's photographer to wanting to specialize in water portraits, maternity, and boudoir. As much as I love shooting outdoors, there's only so much you can do and I soon found myself needing an indoor studio space.

In the earliest days, Water Bear briefly lived in the lobby of a recording studio my neighbor owned on the Southwest side of town. It worked ok but wasn't great. I wasn't actually looking for a new studio space, one kind of fell into our laps.

Will and I were shopping the real estate market looking for an investment property. We figured we'd either buy something to rent out, or maybe we'd find the perfect step up home and keep our current house as a rental. After a few weeks of doing walk-throughs all over town, Will sent me a listing out in Jonesville of a seemingly promising house that was a little over our initial budget, but was manageable.

When we went there to walk-through later that day we found out it was a church, and that became very evident when we stepped inside to a large open room filled with chairs and a pulpit, right where a kitchen should have been. The property itself was beautiful. Three plus wooded acres that neighbored a pasture and only a few neighbors, all with decent sized lots. The property was on the West side of Jonesville, not far from Arbor Greens, Town of Tioga, and, most importantly, a Publix.

The building itself left a lot to be desired. The porch was being held up by a single 4×4 wooden post that was almost completely rotted through at the bottom, and linoleum and filthy carpet from the 1970s was plentiful. But one thing really called to us about this place. It had a rec room that was a decent size for a studio and already had a full bathroom, private entrance, and was ADA compliant.

And So Began the Journey of Building Water Bear Studios at Our Location in Jonesville

We focused most of our energy on renovating the studio area first…after we put in a kitchen sink and oven of course. This meant that we washed dishes by hand every night on the folding tables we used as countertops the first year. It wasn't ideal, but it was worth it in the end. We renovated the bathroom, had to reinforce the foundation, put in LVP floors, painted, hand-selected furniture, installed a projector and screen to show images, and even added a driveway. The studio was fantastic and let me grow for many years. There was one drawback however that kept me from truly growing in the direction I wanted to. It didn't have a pool.

At this time, I was doing most of my water sessions at the springs but they aren't appropriate for all clients. Scuba Monkey Dive Center, in Alachua, graciously let me rent from them, but as they became busier, so did I, and it was no longer a tenable relationship. I tried renting AirBNBs around Gainesville to have a pool, however more than once I would walk in and find the pool was green with hordes of mosquitoes and safety issues.

Covid Changed Everything for Us

Lockdown was an interesting experience. Water Bear Photography came screeching to a halt overnight as Alachua County deemed my business non-essential and my lack of a proper immune system kept me from taking health risks. All that momentum that I had spent years carving out was gone in a flash. I'd be lying if I didn't say I considered throwing in the towel, but that's not really who I am. As with most people during Covid, we realized, while being home a lot more, that our house was missing things we really wanted. Since everything was shut down, I couldn't go to the Springs or rent a pool to take on outdoor client shoots, so that's when I decided Water Bear needed to invest in building a pool.

Yep, right during lockdown when everyone else had the same thought, I wanted to tackle a huge renovation project. Nothing like spending over $100k when you have 0 income coming in, to make you really evaluate if you trust yourself and your business…

But It Wasn't As Big a Leap As It Seemed Initially

To my surprise, Will was open to the idea from the start, but we had to make sure it was the right move. I wrote out a list of everything I wanted in an underwater photography studio, and then, after a few interviews and quotes, found a contractor who was willing to build it. Construction during Covid was not one of our finer decisions, but it was then or never.

My pool was designed for every aspect of underwater photography and features a shallow 6" section perfect for dramatic flower/pond photos, a slope from 3'-5' to allow clients to have a comfortable depth to work in, and a steep dropoff that goes down to 9' where we can build larger sets to sink. I wanted it deeper, but every foot more added like 5k to the budget, and I already widened it once. Over the deep end, we've also built in scrims and support bars, so clients and models don't have to waste energy treading water. The screen enclosure has special doors to bring in large set pieces and ways to suspend them safely. I can even play my client's favorite music both above and below the water now with crystal clear clarity, thanks to my Oceanears underwater speaker setup!

It Didn't Take Long for Water Bear Photography to Become a Household Name in Gainesville

It was never my intent to have Water Bear become well known. I just wanted to have a career I loved. Now, I can tell you that 4 years later, the studio space off the back of our house, and the custom pool designed for underwater photography has allowed me to truly carve out not only a global niche, but a local following. We've had not only local clients, but people come from all over the world to Gainesville (they might have caught a Gators game while they were here too) to create with us in the springs or the pool.

The pool has allowed us to craft huge sets (like the underwater floral garden we created) that we could never do in a natural environment. It took a giant leap of faith to move studios and build the pool, but I'm grateful for every single person who trusts me with their images.

The Water Bear Journey Will Continue in the Form of a Custom Built Photography Studio Near Gainesville

I've been in the current studio for 8 years now and sadly, we've outgrown our sweet little one-room studio. I'm currently working with an architect to design and construct a much larger space next to the pool. It will be complete with a huge shooting space with 14' ceilings, a meeting room/classroom, area for a makeup artist, bathroom, and more. We'll be able to construct unique sets and truly grow the above-water side of our business. Not to mention, I hope that this space will be more comfortable for workshop attendees, collaborative events, and filming. I hope you'll come visit!