Jacob Fine: Underwater Photography & Filmmaking with Outex

Jacob Fine started making fishing videos in exchange for tackle. Today, the Alabama photographer and filmmaker creates outdoor stories from perspectives most people never see: beneath a bass boat, alongside a fish, and across the waterline. With Outex, underwater and split-level photography became more than new techniques. They helped him bring something different to his commercial work.

"Being able to shoot underwater and add split shots into my work really gave me a leg up and started landing me better gigs."

His story connects a lifelong love of the outdoors with a willingness to experiment, first with filmmaking and later with the possibilities beneath the surface.

An Artist at Heart, an Outdoorsman by Nature

Some photographers discover the outdoors through a camera. For Jacob, it was the other way around.

Growing up in rural Crane Hill, Alabama, he spent his childhood fishing, exploring, drawing, painting, and making music. When he received his first camera around age 12, his interests in nature and creativity came together.

That early fascination developed into a career as a filmmaker, photographer, and creative director. His work celebrates the people, places, and experiences that define the outdoor lifestyle, combining an artist's eye with firsthand knowledge of the environments he photographs.

From Fishing Videos to Commercial Filmmaking

While attending Auburn University, Jacob competed on the school's bass fishing team. Armed with a GoPro and a growing interest in filmmaking, he began creating fishing-lure videos in exchange for tackle.

Those early projects attracted media companies working in competitive fishing. Before long, he was producing content for tournament organizations, outdoor brands, and marketing agencies.

Years of freelance work helped Jacob turn outdoor experiences into visual narratives. Following the COVID pandemic, he began shifting from event coverage toward commercial productions, longer-form documentaries, and agency projects.

That evolution led him to Vertical Marketing, a creative agency based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he works as a creative director and filmmaker.

Stories That Go Beyond the Shot

Jacob's work is about more than beautiful imagery. It conveys the atmosphere, authenticity, and emotion behind an experience, from freshwater fishing to lifestyle campaigns and brand storytelling.

One example is Mastering the Craft, a film series for Banded created through Vertical. The series celebrates people whose dedication, craftsmanship, and connection to the outdoors define their lives. Alongside action footage, it explores the personal journeys behind each pursuit.

That same attention to context gives Jacob's fishing imagery its character. A camera below the surface does more than show a fish: it brings the viewer into the environment that makes the story possible.

Discovering a New Perspective With Outex

For outdoor photographers and filmmakers, water presents both an opportunity and a challenge. Some of the most interesting moments happen at the surface or just beneath it: a fish moving through its habitat, sunlight entering the water, or a splash surrounding the camera.

Split-level photography, also called over-under photography, brings the worlds above and below the surface into a single frame. For Jacob, exploring these perspectives became a way to offer outdoor brands something beyond familiar shoreline and boat-level views.

"Outex has been a great solution for me. It was a kit I could grow with. I started out with a flat port and worked my way to the 120 then 180 dome."

Jacob's Outex Progression: Flat Port to Dome 180

Jacob describes a gradual progression rather than an entirely new underwater system at every step:

• Outex Flat Front Glass Port: his starting point for exploring underwater photography.
• Outex Dome Lens Port 120 mm: the next stage in his exploration of dome-port compositions.
• Outex Dome Lens Port 180 mm: a later addition as he developed his split-level work.

This is the progression Jacob describes, not a complete inventory of his current equipment. The right housing, port, and accessories for your own setup depend on your camera, lens, and intended use. Review the Outex camera FAQs or ask the Outex team for help matching your setup.

Outex's modular system supports a wide variety of cameras and lenses through adaptable housing and port options. Optical glass ports, dome choices, compact construction, and tactile access to camera controls give creators room to develop their approach without necessarily replacing their entire underwater setup.

Three Creative Perspectives to Explore

Jacob's photographs offer a useful starting point for thinking about your own outdoor stories. Rather than copying a shot, consider what a change in camera position could reveal.

Connect the Action Above and Below the Waterline

A split-level frame can show both the activity and its underwater context. In a fishing story, that might mean pairing a boat or angler with the fish, lure, or movement below the surface.

Give a Small Subject a Stronger Sense of Place

A lure photographed close to the waterline can become the focal point while the angler and boat establish the setting. It is a reminder that an outdoor story does not always need a wide view to feel immersive.

Bring the Environment Into Commercial Imagery

Water can become part of the visual story rather than something kept outside the frame. Jacob's product photograph uses splashing water to place the subject directly in the fishing environment.

From Underwater Photography to Filmmaking

Adding underwater and split-level imagery gave Jacob another way to distinguish his portfolio. Bringing those perspectives into video introduced a new set of challenges.

"Now as I am incorporating it into my video work I really have started to appreciate the difficulties of filming underwater."

Changing light, visibility, movement, focus, and the transition between above-water and underwater scenes all shape the filmmaking process. Jacob's experience is a reminder that new equipment opens possibilities, but the creative work still comes from observation, practice, and experimentation.

Creativity Without Boundaries

Today, Jacob lives in Cullman, Alabama, balancing his responsibilities at Vertical with independent filmmaking projects. He and his wife are raising three children, and his wife owns two restaurants in their community.

Through a full schedule, he continues pursuing the interests that first drew him to a camera: the outdoors, storytelling, and creative expression.

His career did not begin with a conventional production brief. It began with fishing, a camera, and a willingness to try something. His underwater work carries that same spirit forward: look at a familiar scene, change your perspective, and see what else the story has to offer.

At Outex, we're proud to be part of that journey. Thank you, Jacob, for sharing your work and showing how a lifelong connection to the outdoors can inspire new ways of seeing it.

Explore Jacob Fine's Work

Discover more of Jacob's photography, films, and commercial projects:

• Jacob Fine Productions: portfolio
• Vertical Marketing: creative agency
• Banded: Mastering the Craft film series
• Jacob Fine: photography gallery

Find Your Next Perspective

Inspired to explore underwater photography, split-level fishing images, or outdoor filmmaking? Discover the modular Outex waterproof camera housing system, then explore Outex camera housings and kits to find a starting point for your creative goals.

Already have a housing? Explore the Dome 120 and Dome 180 options. For help choosing compatible components, read the camera FAQs or contact the Outex team about your camera and lens.

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