Photo Explorers Juan and Ana Uncover Hidden Secrets Using Outex Waterproof Cases

Exploring forgotten worlds with a camera, a sense of curiosity, and one waterproof system that goes anywhere.

Some photographers search for iconic locations. Others spend years discovering places that most people will never see. For Spanish photographers and explorers Juan Pérez Marqueño and Ana Romero Ortega, the pursuit of extraordinary imagery has led them deep underground, through remote mountain landscapes, into abandoned mines, submerged cave systems, and eventually along some of the most spectacular coastlines of the Mediterranean. What began as a passion for exploration evolved into a mission: documenting hidden natural environments and sharing them through photography.

Along the way, they discovered that some of their greatest creative opportunities existed in places where traditional camera equipment simply wasn't designed to go. And that's where the Outex waterproof system entered the story.

Seeing Beauty Where Others Don't

Juan's journey into cave photography began almost accidentally. A single cave visit in 2007 completely changed how he viewed the outdoors. What had once been a focus on climbing and mountain sports gradually transformed into a fascination with underground landscapes and the unique stories hidden beneath the surface.

Years later, together with Ana, that fascination evolved into a photographic project dedicated to documenting caves, mines, water galleries, sinkholes, springs, and other overlooked subterranean environments throughout Spain. Their work, documented through their blog, Noches de Espeleo ("Nights of Caving"), goes far beyond simply recording locations. Instead, they seek to reveal the beauty, mystery, and character of places often ignored by the wider world. As their photography evolved, so did their perspective. They discovered that extraordinary images don't necessarily require famous destinations, massive caverns, or world-renowned landmarks. Sometimes the most compelling photograph can be found inside a forgotten tunnel, a tiny cave, or a hidden spring that few people have ever noticed.

The Challenge of Photographing Water

As their creative ambitions grew, Juan and Ana became increasingly interested in environments where water played a central role: Underground lakes, flooded cave passages, crystal-clear springs, submerged geological formations, etc.

These environments offered incredible visual opportunities—but they also posed a serious challenge - safely protecting their camera gear, without sacrificing image quality, adding bulk or weight to their gear, or spending a fortune. 

Juan and Ana also worked with multiple camera bodies, different lenses, remote flash triggers, and other imaging accessories.  Traditional underwater housings were expensive, bulky, and restrictive. Outex is the ideal solution for all of those objectives:

• Picture quality excellence: Outex uses optical glass ports - not plastic or acrylic as do most hard case housings. Glass is also much more scratch resistant. And because Outex cases add no weight to the gear, using the higher quality glass ports feels luxurious, at a fraction of the cost
• Universal camera and lens fit: The system is camera/technology-agnostic. The same Outex cover can operate film, dslr, mirrorless, or cinema cameras alike. Whether you're switching between a Canon R5, a Sony A1, Nikon Z9, Hasselblad medium format, or BlackMagic, Outex's flexible covers adapt accordingly. It's like a doctor operating with gloves, but the glove is on the camera itself.  Its modular nature supports accessories like tripod mounts, triggers, tethering cables, external monitors, and more.
• Tactile Operational Control: Unlike bulky, heavy hard-shell housings that limit your camera make/model use and functions, Outex’s flexible design allows you to feel and operate every button and ring on your camera. You maintain the same intuitive workflow you have on dry land.
• Travel-Friendly & Affordable: Professionals like them work internationally. Outex is lightweight, adds virtually no bulk to your gear, and provides a professional-grade solution at a fraction of the cost and weight of traditional housings.

Discovering Creative Freedom with Outex

Initially, Juan and Ana viewed a waterproof camera housing as a form of protection. A safeguard against accidents. A way to keep valuable equipment safe while navigating wet and unpredictable cave environments. What they quickly discovered was that waterproofing opened entirely new creative possibilities. With Outex protecting their camera system, they could begin experimenting with techniques that would otherwise be impossible. One of those techniques was the "split-shot"—an image divided between two worlds, half above water and half below, underwater. These images are common in marine photography, but almost unheard of in cave photography. Creating them required experimentation, persistence, and countless failed attempts. It also required equipment capable of adapting to their evolving ideas. Outex allowed them to continue using the cameras, lenses, flashes, and accessories they already owned while exploring entirely new photographic styles. And that flexibility proved invaluable.

Innovation Happens in the Field

Many of the images Juan and Ana create today didn't come from following a manual. They came from solving problems, adapting equipment, testing ideas, making mistakes, and trying again. In one project, they engineered their own dome-port solution to achieve the optical correction needed for split-shot photography.

In another, they developed creative methods for positioning remote flashes in flooded cave passages where traditional lighting setups were impossible. Their photographs often require carrying sensitive equipment through mud, water, confined spaces, and rugged terrain before a single frame is captured. The conditions are far from ideal without camera protection. But the results are spectacular.

When the Search for Water Led to the Sea

As Juan and Ana continued developing underwater and split-shot photography techniques, they encountered an unexpected limitation. Many inland caves simply didn't provide the crystal-clear water needed for the images they envisioned. The solution seemed obvious. If they couldn't find enough water underground, perhaps they should start looking toward the ocean. What began as a practical decision soon became a transformative chapter in their work. They purchased an inflatable paddleboard, adapted it for transporting equipment, and began exploring marine caves along Spain's Mediterranean coastline. Suddenly, a completely new world opened up: Sea caves, hidden coves, volcanic coastlines, protected marine reserves, and remote coastal landscapes.

What started as a search for photographic opportunities became a broader exploration of environments where land and sea collide. And once again, their equipment needed to adapt. Saltwater, waves, spray, humidity, and constant exposure to the elements create conditions that can quickly destroy unprotected gear. Outex allowed them to bring professional cameras into places they would have otherwise avoided.

Why Outex Fits Their Style of Adventure

For creators like Juan and Ana, gear needs to solve problems—not create them. Every piece of equipment must earn its place. When carrying cameras through caves, across rocky coastlines, and over long approaches, weight and portability matter. When traveling, flexibility matters. When budgets are limited, value matters. And when working in constantly changing environments, compatibility matters. Outex aligns perfectly with that philosophy.

Unlike traditional hard-shell underwater housings tied to a specific camera model, Outex works with a vast range of cameras and lenses. So creators can continue using the equipment they already own, upgrade cameras over time, experiment with different lenses, and adapt to new creative ideas without replacing an entire housing system. For photographers who value freedom, that's a significant advantage.

A Different Way to Think About Adventure Photography

Perhaps the most inspiring aspect of Juan and Ana's story is that their work isn't driven by exotic destinations or expensive equipment. It's driven by curiosity. Many of their most memorable photographs come from places that don't appear on travel brochures. Places that most people walk past without noticing. Places hidden beneath the ground, behind a cliff face, or inside a forgotten cave. Their story is a reminder that remarkable images are often waiting where few people think to look. All it takes is the willingness to explore—and the right tools to go further. 

Outex is the waterproof camera housing system that adapts to your creative vision—wherever that vision takes you.

To explore more of Juan and Ana's remarkable work, visit their blog, Noches de Espeleo, where they continue documenting Spain's hidden underground and coastal landscapes through photography, exploration, and storytelling. View more of their work on Instagram at @grillo_be_good